Interdisciplinary lessons are designed to integrate academic content from a variety of subjects into one lesson. These lessons typically help students retain a great deal of information because they are very detailed, hands-on, and involve real-world examples. Below are three additional examples of this style of instruction.
Mrs. Gibson’s class spent several weeks learning about “Westward Expansion.” They learned about the Oregon Trail, Pony Express, Transcontinental Railroad, and the Erie Canal. As they finished their unit, they talked about how pioneers moving west changed the lives of the Native Americans. To end the unit, Mrs. Gibson collaborated with Mrs. Nunn, our art teacher, to help students make their own buffalo hide. Students looked at pictures of Native American drawings on buffalo hides and either drew an important scene from their life or geometric drawings similar to how the Native Americans might have decorated their hides.
Ms. Wagner's first grade class did a science, technology, engineering, and math (S.T.E.M.) lesson using gummy pumpkins and toothpicks. The students worked in partners and became problem solvers and engineers when given the challenge to build a tower. The students had a friendly competition to see which group could build the tallest tower. The winning tower was just over 7 inches tall! Way to go first graders.
In Mrs. Archer’s and Mr. Mylar’s physical education class, students played a game called the Three Little Pigs. They were asked several questions about the story, Three Little Pigs. These questions covered a number of language arts concepts, such as setting, plot, summary, and citing examples from the text. Then, students played the game. Students took turns being pigs and wolves. The wolves tried to knock down the pig’s houses, while the pigs protected them. The geometric concepts involved in building the houses also reinforced math indicators.