In Module 1, you analyzed yourself in terms of learner-centered principles and whether or not your classroom is more teacher-centered or learner-centered. In this module, you will apply what you have learned about learner-centeredness and curriculum integration. You will design a learner-centered instructional lesson or unit that integrates standards from two or more subjects.
A hallmark of a learner-centered classroom is meaningful, integrated curriculum that promotes student engagement and provides opportunities to learn complex ideas and values that transcend subjects and extend to the real world and students’ lives. Integrated curriculum organizes standards from two or more disciplines using as a connecting centerpiece a common theme, broad concept, big idea, significant question, social issue, vital skill, or real-world problem.
Directions:
Prepare your work as a conventional paper in a Word or text using APA format.
Create a title page and references page in APA format.
Support your work by using, citing, and referencing APA style at least one expert source, preferably a peer-reviewed article. Use the APA guidelines for citing/referencing.
Complete a learner-centered, curriculum-integrated lesson plan or multi-lesson unit plan that includes the components listed in the next section below.
Answer in well-developed paragraphs the three reflection questions at the end of these directions.
Learner-Centered Integrated Instructional Unit Plan
In the Module 1 Analysis, you identified learner-centered principles and learner-centered approaches that would enable you to improve your instruction on content-area standards. In this Application Assignment, you will organize and compose a lesson plan or multi-lesson instructional unit that demonstrates your understanding of learner-centered principles and integrated curriculum, that is, integrating standards across disciplines or subjects.
Susan Drake (2010) is a leading expert on curriculum integration. You may find useful her list of eight steps for creating standards-integrated lessons or instructional units. Her article further describes the eight steps. Though not shown here, her pre-steps for curriculum integration include curriculum mapping and scanning/clustering, both of which reveal connections among performance standards.
Optional Steps for Creating a Standards-Based Integrated Curriculum Plan:
Step 1: Choose relevant topic/theme. (organizing centerpiece)
Step 2: Select broad-based standards.
Step 3: Create an exploratory web.
Step 4: Create a Know/Do/Be (KDB) umbrella.
Step 5: Create a big assessment task. (task or performance students will use to demonstrate their achievement of the KDB standards)
Step 6: Create big questions.
Step 7: Create mini-units to address the big questions.
Step 8: Create the ongoing activities and assessments tasks for these units based on the standards. Select assessment tools. Check that these connect to the KDB and lead to the big assessment task.
Resource:
Drake, Susan (2010). Integrated curriculum: Increasing relevance while maintaining accountability. Research Monograph # 28 in What Works: Research Into Practice. A research-into-practice series produced by a partnership between the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat and the Ontario Association of Deans of Education: https://www.academia.edu/49498686/Integrated_Curriculum_Increasing_relevance_while_maintaining_accountabilityLinks to an external site.
Susan Drake describes her steps in considerable detail in the web document referenced and linked above. She describes them in more detail in chapter six of her recently published book which is referenced below.
Drake, Susan (2007). Standards-based integrated curriculum: Aligning curriculum, content, assessment, and instruction, 2nd Edition. Corwin Press.
Components to Include in Your Lesson or Unit Plan:
The following is a list of components that should be included in your lesson or multi-lesson instructional unit. They are presented in a logical order beginning with the subjects or disciplines and followed by the knowledge and/or skill standards you plan to integrate. The components listed thereafter need not appear in your plan in exactly the order listed.
Grade Level:
Disciplines/Subjects to Be Integrated (at least two):
Knowledge and/or Skill Standards from these Disciplines/Subjects (at least one from each discipline):
Additional Social Skill or Character Asset Standards (optional and may come from any source):
Objectives: (Include all objectives that will be assessed in this lesson. Write objectives using Bloom’s Taxonomy verbs. See Webliography for Website address.)
Integrating or Organizing Centerpiece (e.g. a common theme, broad concept, big idea, significant question, social issue, vital skill, or real-world problem)
Connection with students’ lives taking into consideration their cultures and opportunities:
Overview or Brief Description of Curriculum-Integrated Lesson:
Assessment Methods or Tasks: (How will student learning be assessed? What criteria or rubric will be used to evaluate acquired knowledge and skill?)
Learning Environment: (Briefly describe where the learning will take place and how students will interact with others.)
Materials:
Step-by-Step Procedure: (Provide all information necessary for another teacher to replicate your Instructional unit)
Reflection Paragraphs:
Respond to each numbered prompt in one well-developed paragraph by reflecting upon how effectively you achieved the objective for this assignment. Use course readings and lectures and at least one professional, scholarly article from outside the course to support your answers. Using APA format, cite the articles in the text and include references at the end.
What learner-centered principles did you address in your plan? What specific parts of the plan support those principles?
How did the plan address the needs of English-learners specifically? Cite at least two examples?
In what ways did you integrate disciplines and/or standards from these disciplines? How would you describe or categorize the type of integration that you used (e.g. interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, etc.)? What organizing or connecting device or centerpiece did you use (e.g. common theme, broad concept, big idea, significant question, etc.)?
Personal Style:
All teachers have their preferred methods and tools for planning instruction. You should feel free to use these tools and are encouraged to be creative in planning your student-centered, integrated lesson or unit.
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