Have you ever set a goal to cover everything you are required to teach during the school year? Many teachers try to meet this goal each year and end up frustrated because we are so short on time! Incorporate the cross-curricular approach to teaching by assigning projects that integrate multiple subjects and allowing students to explore various standards simultaneously. Teachers can plan projects that have social studies, geography, and history, with writing, grammar, and research skills within the assignment.
The well-organized pacing guide, perfect lesson plan, and latest curriculum purchased by your school combined with the right intentions, usually go out the window when there are so many requirements teachers have to meet. While it is very difficult to get everything in that we are required to teach during the school year, some methods like the cross-curricular approach to teaching can help you teach different subjects at the same time. There are ways to integrate social studies in the early grades to help with teaching subjects simultaneously. Finding cross-curricular assignments has more of a positive impact on teaching and learning.
How will the Cross-Curricular Approach to Teaching Engage Students?
Enrich your lessons by adopting a cross-curricular approach to teaching. This method allows for the integration of multiple subjects, promoting a comprehensive understanding of concepts and fostering critical thinking skills. By combining various topics, students are encouraged to make connections between different areas of knowledge, enhancing their learning experience. Embrace this pedagogical strategy to create engaging and well-rounded educational opportunities for your students.
There is a big difference between learning facts and information versus making connections through experiences. Students can apply what they learned in a meaningful “real world” way when implementing the cross-curricular approach to teaching in the classroom. When students view their learning as something new and interesting, they usually put more effort into their schoolwork!
Cross-Curricular Approach to Teaching Project Ideas
Implementing a cross-curricular approach to teaching is a creative solution for teaching numerous subjects and standards. Students have a lot of different learning styles and cross-curricular projects can allow your students to work creatively. For example, when using lesson planning for black history, women’s history, President’s Day, and inventors you can hold a Living History Wax Museum. Or plan a Living Ancient History Wax Museum for students to learn about Ancient Egypt, Ancient China, Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece, or Ancient India. Students become very enthusiastic about their character and many standards are covered throughout this project.
Additional cross-curricular lesson examples are when studying a state or country, you can have students create a trifold or float and hold a 50 State Fair or Countries Around the World Fair. Students will build research & writing skills by working to design and create a United States Region Amusement Park Model and Presentation. Help your students dig deeper into U.S. history, World History, and geography with these cross-curricular research projects!
Mini-lessons can be incorporated into the cross-curricular lessons before students work on each section of the project. Depending on the grade level and class, there may be more scaffolding involved. It’s good to combine subjects and let students know that you can work on different subjects simultaneously. Through cross-curricular projects, learning is reinforced across different subjects and brought together in a way that makes sense for the topic.
Benefits of a Cross-Curricular Approach to Teaching:
- Experience the joy of teaching
- Teach different standards simultaneously
- Create a dynamic learning environment for your students
- Build students’ research & writing skills
- Create a memorable experience
- Cover more standards during the school year
- Expand your teaching repertoire with innovative projects
Whether it’s geography through art or literacy through drama, taking the cross-curricular approach can help make learning more significant for students. Here are some cross-curricular projects for grades 3rd-12th to get you started with your cross-curricular approach to your teaching journey! The next time you are planning out your lessons, take the cross-curricular approach to teaching!
