Provides a rationale for using classical music as the basis of interdisciplinary units in elementary social studies. Recommends beginning with a series of humorous pieces to familiarize students with classical music. Includes many examples for utilizing pieces related to geography and history. (MJP)

Provides seven fully developed library media activities that are designed for use with specific curriculum units in mathematics, reading and language arts, science, and social studies for elementary and secondary education. Library media skills, objectives, grade levels, resources, instructional roles, evaluation, and follow-up are described for…

Describes a classroom project integrating children's literature, Japanese culture, and geometry that grew out of the local killing of a Japanese exchange student. Fourth-graders read "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" around which the interdisciplinary unit was developed. Topics covered included Japanese culture, American social…

Presents a lesson plan constructed around activities and materials concerning the National Park System. Activities include using maps and other geographic tools to acquire, process, and report information in spatial terms; discovering the physical and human characteristics of places; and interpreting how culture and experience influence…

Describes how to create a quality learning environment by setting tone and context, using cooperative groups, and setting up success for students. Outlines a thematic unit on fairy tales which can be used in a faculty workshop to model new beliefs and skills associated with writing programs. (MG)

Maintains that the whole-language approach to reading and writing presents another challenge to music teachers who are asked to create complementary instruction as part of an integrated curriculum. Discusses three commonly agreed-on characteristics and areas of disagreement among those who advocate the whole-language approach. (CFR)

Discusses the development of a webbed curriculum at the preschool level. The teacher develops the curriculum by observing children, documenting their recurring interests and the themes of their activities, and integrating and connecting class activities. (BB)

Describes the format for an interdisciplinary program of English/social studies (ESP) for eleventh grade honor students developed by the Coconut Creek High School (Florida). Promotes a thematic context for innovation and relies on cooperative learning. Provides the teacher-developed goals for the ESP program including learning outcome, present…

Examined effects of instructional components for studying literature on limited-English-proficient and English-proficient students, part of an ongoing program to estimate effects of several individual components of a Spanish-to-English language-arts transition program. Found that combined effects of literature logs and instructional conversations…

Provides five fully developed library media activities that are designed for use with specific curriculum units in mathematics, reading, language arts, science, social studies, and art. Library media skills, objectives, grade levels, resources, instructional roles, procedures, evaluation, and follow-up are described for each activity. (LRW)

Provides five fully developed library media activities that are designed for use with specific curriculum units in reading and language arts, science, and social studies. Library skills, objectives, grade levels, instructional roles, procedures, evaluation, and follow-up are described for each activity. Topics include poetry, memory, plant/animal…

Describes an interdisciplinary high school course that used contemporary films to illustrate overarching themes in the U.S. experience. Themes included individualism/social responsibility, isolation/internationalism, and liberal/conservative. Emphasis was on conceptual rather than historic relationships (e.g. "Norma Rae" illustrated…

Describes an interdisciplinary instructional unit using the historical novel "The Killer Angels" to teach about the Civil War. Writing assignments focused on character analysis from the novel bolstered by outside historical research. Student response was overwhelmingly positive. Includes suggested guidelines for developing an…

Profiles a third-/fourth-grade thematic unit developed to introduce students to contemporary global society and its economic and environmental interdependence. The unit simulates a trip to foreign countries and integrates mathematics, music, art, and language. Various assignments are included in the student's portfolio. (MJP)

A teaching team from Fall Creek Valley Middle School in Indianapolis, Indiana sought to improve their students' writing skills by collecting writing samples in portfolios in each of their subject areas. This approach allowed the eighth-grade students to assess their progress as writers, see connections between the disciplines, and understand the…