For the duration of the author's fifteen-year career, she has used authentic writing opportunities to engage students. She begins as their teammate, and invites each student to work with her on a poem. In working collaboratively, students realize the author is there not to downgrade their piece, to chastise mistakes or to belittle errors; she is…

Web-based digital video (DV) applications such as Animoto, Magistro, and Videolicious allow users without technical experience to easily create quality video by matching up appropriate images with text and sound. DV's multimedia capabilities encourage students to become more proficient in new literacies as well as new technologies. This piece…

The emphasis on college and career readiness has transformed secondary classrooms into sites for innovative explorations in disciplinary literacy. The exigencies of valuing classroom experiences as preparation for students' future involvement in their careers has created teaching spaces that invite cross- disciplinary, cross- level collaboration.…

In Chapter 3 of Moby Dick, Ishmael, in a "towering rage," questions his landlord concerning Queequeg, the savage "purple rascal" harpooner, he has yet to meet. "What sort of bamboozling story are you telling me?" he nervously asks after learning that Queequeg is peddling shrunken heads-- and on the Sabbath, no less…

Describes how a Martin Luther King Program Series developed from a school-wide effort to "cherish differences and honor common humanity." Provides a brief description of three events from that series: (1) a coffee house poetry night; (2) a Martin Luther King day program; and (3) a Harlem Dance Company program, "Dancing Through…

Joy A. Fowler, Department Chair, Writing Department, School for Creative and Performing Arts, Ohio talks about his courses offered at his school, theories and learning used, interdisciplinary opportunities available at his school and other related matters. Talking about cultural and linguistic diversity he says that as it is observed that writing…

Describes a high school English teacher's first year collaborating with math, science, and history teachers in a connecting-the-curriculum program. Describes how the author's first semester of teaching English within this interdisciplinary framework lacked coherence and was not successful and how his students helped make the second semester more…

Describes two double-period humanities courses taught in the 10th and the 11th grades (based on the rigorous New York State Regents standards) that interweave literature, history, political philosophy, art, historical documents, and personal experience. Describes the 10th-grade course that includes Western civilization and the 11th-grade course…

Describes how four teachers from different subjects in a New York high school developed an interdisciplinary curriculum unit on Sub-Saharan Africa that integrated English, Studio in Art, and Global Studies for ninth graders. Shows how the unit helped students see connections between subjects. (HB)

Describes how, as a result of the Rivers Curriculum Project (an interdisciplinary program using river environmental themes and coordinating activities in several disciplines), students in a high school English class wrote and illustrated children's books, shared those story books with young children, and shared their story books at the yearly…

Presents brief descriptions from 8 middle and high school teachers of various ways they have successfully incorporated history into the English curriculum, including using historical fiction; doing prior research; using interdisciplinary projects coordinated with the history teacher; a women's suffrage unit; linking world literature with classes…

The public is deeply concerned that students in urban settings are not achieving at high levels. Over the past twenty years, large urban districts have attempted to restructure massive school systems using educational policymaking processes that have focused on school structures, standards-driven curriculum, and test-based accountability measures.…

Describes two interdisciplinary high school courses team taught by English and social studies teachers: American Studies and World Studies. Discusses format and structure of the courses; presents a basic outline of each course; includes a description of a typical day in the courses; and offers examples of student projects. Offers hints and…

Describes how the popular TV show "X-Files" was used as a model to develop an in-depth semester-length project, in which 10th graders integrated history, math, science, and English as they worked in investigative teams to develop evidence dossiers, memos, and presentations following stringent requirements yet allowing students…

Describes how an English teacher and an art teacher collaborated to create a combined curriculum based on interdisciplinary projects for sophomore students at their high school. Describes planning the course and using a theme; gives some examples demonstrating how ideas about interdisciplinarity became realities in classroom practice; and…