Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Ued 496 Chapman Micayla Content Knowledge in Interdisciplinary Curriculum Rationale Reflection
Ued 496 Chapman Micayla Content Knowledge in Interdisciplinary Curriculum Rationale Reflection
Micayla Chapman
Regent University
Introduction
secondary education this is even more so, because there is an expectation of excellency in a very
specific field rather than broader elementary education studies. In my case, I am specializing in
English, so when I walk into a classroom, my students expect me to teach them and help them
understand any material related to English. If I do not completely understand the material, then it
would be very difficult for me to teach it to others. Also, it is important to recognize that even as
someone specializing in English, I should incorporate content from other subjects as necessary to
encourage literary across all the subjects. One of the most common ways to do this is to
incorporate science or history topics because those subjects lend themselves to more reading and
research opportunities which are large portions of the English SOLs. Interdisciplinary based
curriculum is not entirely just for elementary education which I will demonstrate through my
The first artifact I chose for this competency is a WebQuest I made during my first
Practicum experience in Fall 2017. In the lecture accompaniment to my observation hours, I was
assigned a project to create a WebQuest and I decided to create one that could be used to
introduce the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. The WebQuest would aid students in understanding
that the fictional story about Maycomb, Alabama and Tom Robinson are rooted in greater
themes of racial injustice and prejudice that are significant to American history. The ties to
American history make it a great example of how an English class can be more interdisciplinary
and connect to other subjects in meaningful and relevant ways. The assignment’s main objective
CONTENT KNOWLEDGE IN INTERDISCIPLINARY 3
is for students to become familiar with the author, time period, setting, characters and theme of
To Kill a Mockingbird before they begin reading the text. Providing context for all these
components encourage the students to look for these elements while reading to aid
comprehension. The WebQuest begins with a YouTube video and article about Harper Lee with
questions that can be answered using these resources. Then the WebQuest directs students to
gain insight on the South in the 1930s using an article about Emmett Till, a real African-
American boy who was murdered for flirting with a white woman, and images of poverty during
The Great Depression. Then the students would have to create a Venn Diagram using a YouTube
video about Lee’s hometown and a Prezi about the novel’s setting. Lastly, the WebQuest briefly
introduces the characters and themes. Each component of this WebQuest is helpful for the
students to step into the world of the novel before reading which will help with reader
engagement.
9.4 The student will read, comprehend, and analyze a variety of fictional texts including
b) Explain the relationships between and among elements of literature: characters, plot,
g) Explain the influence of historical context on the form, style, and point of view of a
written work.
9.5 The student will read and analyze a variety of nonfiction texts.
CONTENT KNOWLEDGE IN INTERDISCIPLINARY 4
b) Make inferences and draw conclusions based on explicit and implied information
e) Summarize, paraphrase, and synthesize ideas, while maintaining meaning and a logical
This artifact also addresses the following History/Social Science Standards of Learning:
USII.6 The student will apply social science skills to understand the social, economic, and
c) examining art, literature, and music from the 1920s and 1930s, with emphasis on
Langston Hughes, Duke Ellington, Georgia O’Keeffe, and the Harlem Renaissance; and
d) analyzing the causes of the Great Depression, its impact on Americans, and the major
The second artifact I chose was a Junior Scholastic article and accompanying activity that
I used to aid the introduction of the novel A Long Walk to Water to my 7th grade class during my
1st student teaching placement. Like To Kill A Mockingbird, this novel also lends itself to a great
deal of historical context because the main character Salva is a real Lost Boy of Sudan and the
story itself is based on Salva’s life. The students did not read the whole Junior Scholastic article
because I knew that we would not have enough time for that. However, I used the article to point
out text features that aid the students’ understanding of the article because I wanted to touch on
using text features in nonfiction which is a standard for 7th grade. The article is about the war and
famine in Africa and how colonialism helped shape the tensions within the continent. It also
discusses child soldiers which is an important concept related to the novel. The 5-question
activity was posted on their Schoology page for them to complete using the map on pages 14 and
15. It was an easy way to get them settled and have them focus before I gave them more in-depth
CONTENT KNOWLEDGE IN INTERDISCIPLINARY 5
background information. Context is especially important for this novel because the characters
live extremely different lives than the 7th grade students and they would have difficulty
7.6 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of nonfiction texts.
a) Skim materials using text features including type, headings, and graphics to predict
c) Make inferences and draw logical conclusions using explicit and implied textual
evidence.
This artifact also addresses the following History/Social Sciences Standards of Learning:
WHII.9 The student will apply social science skills to understand global interactions between
d) assessing the impact of European colonization and imperialism on Asia, Africa, the
WHII.13 The student will apply social science skills to understand the political, economic,
WHII.14 The student will apply social science skills to understand the global changes during the
others, ethnic/religious conflicts, and the impact of technology, including the role of
Overall, both artifacts are good ways to aid students in the introduction of new topics in
English and providing historical context for historical fiction helps to connect students to their
studies outside of the English classroom. Creating a learning environment that encourages
meaningful learning is difficult, but according to Tchudi and Lafer (1997), “to provide students
with authentic rhetorical situations for both speech and writing, English must broaden its scope
beyond the teaching of reading, writing, speaking, and listening to concern itself with issues that
give rise to a need for reading, writing, speaking, and listening” (p. 22). These novels are prime
examples of giving rise to a need for English because they speak to greater themes of
perseverance, injustice, and prejudice. Showing students that stories have the power to shape
emotions and provide a platform for discussions about change is important. This means that it is
the teacher’s job to go beyond the classroom walls and think about ways to connect English to
the real world and that means connecting texts to history, current events, and tough issues.
that can change the perspective of the teacher. Applebee, Adler, and Flihan’s (2007) case studies
on the relationship between interdisciplinary studies and secondary education concluded that
“the greater the degree of integration among subject areas, the more the teachers involved are
likely to themselves become learners exploring new ideas… this, in turn, seems to be correlated
with patterns of instruction that involve students in similar conversations” (p. 1035). I agree with
this from my own personal experience because when I was introducing A Long Walk to Water to
CONTENT KNOWLEDGE IN INTERDISCIPLINARY 7
my students and provided them information about Sudan, I was engaged and desired to learn
more about the history of Sudan as well. Before teaching that lesson, I had very little context
about The Lost Boys of Sudan, so it encouraged me to research and learn about real-life issues
beyond my own perspective. I have seen in my classroom that my students are engaging with the
story and have a desire to read it. Since I am excited to learn, I think that they are excited to learn
as well. DiCamillo and Bailey (2016) decided to investigate the impact that a more
interdisciplinary curriculum can have on urban schools who are academically behind, and they
found that “…the interdisciplinary curriculum assisted students who did not always do well in
traditional English classes” (p. 224). I teach two inclusion classes, so many of my students
struggle with learning disabilities which impact their reading and writing skills. Potentially using
a more historical or scientific context to teach English may help students understand better
because it is using subjects that they understand more. Interdisciplinary approaches to secondary
education help to encourage all students and differentiate their learning just simply through
References
Applebee, A., Adler, M., & Flihan, S. (2007). Interdisciplinary curricula in middle and high
http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.regent.edu:2048/stable/30069420
DiCamillo, L., & Bailey, N. M. (2016). Two teacher educators go to the source: Teaching an
interdisciplinary class in an urban charter high school. The Social Studies, 107(6), 218-
226. doi:10.1080/00377996.2016.1214904
Tchudi, S., & Lafer, S. (1997). Interdisciplinary English and the contributions of English to an
http://eres.regent.edu:2048/login?url=https://search-proquest-
com.ezproxy.regent.edu/docview/237290397?accountid=13479