Integrated Curriculum

Throughout the semester we have explored what integrated curriculum is. I have learned many things that are included in an intergraded curriculum that I did not know before. Integrated curriculum connects multiple subject areas. It means taking one subject area such as animals and integrating that into all subjects. It also helps the students see how subjects are connected. By integrating subjects students see how you can learn about something in many different ways. Integrated curriculum also involves personal experiences. It is important to connect to students lives to what they are learning. Integrated curriculum allows students to have being there experience to enhance learning. Learning is more meaningful to students when it is connected to real life experiences because they are able to see why it is important to them. Integrated curriculum involves a lot of planning. Teachers need to first look at their students. They need to understand their needs and interests. Then they look at standards and base their integrated units on the standards for that grade. They then will develop the key points that students will explore throughout the unit. Integrated curriculum also involves giving students choice. Students can choose the things they want to further investigate or how they want to learn about a subject. I feel that integrated curriculum is very important to use in the classroom simply because content areas such as science and social studies seem to be put on the back burner, especially in the primary grades. I feel that integrating science and social studies into a literacy lesson is the best way to solve this problem. Students can learn about science and social studies while they are gaining literacy skills. I believe that developing an integrated curriculum takes dedication but I feel that it is needed for students to learn to their fullest potential.