Learning the Development and Delivery of Curriculum

¶ … Learning

The development and delivery of curriculum can take many approaches. One of the most effective approaches used in the creation of lesson plans is integrated, unit-themed curriculum, in which a central theme chosen by the teacher is utilized to tie together various areas of study. It has been shown that these types of lessons foster learning in students by breaking down barriers between disciplines through problem solving involving different areas of study (McGehee, 2001). It is even suggested that failure to provide students with authentic, integrated education experiences may result in decreased learning, poor academic performance, and diminished confidence (Caskey, 2001). Developing integrative lesson plans increases creativity among students and teachers, which only serves to improve learning (Coyne, 2002). The following is a description of integrated, unit-themed lesson plans developed for grade five students in the subject areas of social studies, math, and music and the outcomes in learning observed.

The social studies component of the lesson plan was themed as "The World Around Us: People." In this lesson students learned to examine and analyze where people migrated from in Europe and why they migrated to North America. The students also learned to use and construct maps and understand details regarding the thirteen colonies. In regards to language, students learned to have an understanding of the content of text books, as well as develop a functioning knowledge of key vocabulary words such as climate, colonization, environment, and resources.

Group work was integral to the success of this lesson plan. The teacher set the students up in "learning centers," which were made up of three students in each group. Within these learning centers students each received a map outline, as well as question and answer sheets regarding information and vocabulary related to the lesson topic. The primary discussions within these groups revolved around the original thirteen colonies, where particular Europeans generally migrated to, and reasons for this migration. Group work also included the construction of maps plotting various characteristics of the thirteen colonies, such as natural resources and landforms. Although group work was the most prominent means for learning in this lesson, individual learning also took place through the completion of several homework questions.

This lesson resulted in a high level of productivity due to the fact that the students enjoyed working in the group settings, or "learning centers." It was also found that the maps and images given to the students on worksheets worked really well for conveying the curricular information. Furthermore, all four aspects of language arts were evident during work in the learning centers as well as during presentations. In regards to assessment, students were graded on a report based on a colony of their own choosing. Students were expected to incorporate graphs into their projects. These reports were to be presented in front of the class so students had opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge to their peers and ask questions of each other.

The math unit of the curricular lesson plan was themed "The World Around Us: Money." Students learned to apply addition, subtraction, and multiplication of whole numbers in order to solve one-step and two-step problems using money from different parts of the world. Education in mathematic skills and international currencies is successfully integrated in this lesson.

Similar to the lesson plan for the social studies component of the curriculum, group work also plays an important role in the math unit. Students were paired up by teachers and were provided with maps, as well as dry-erase boards and markers. Students were given mathematical word problems to solve involving different world currencies. Within the context of their pairs, students cooperated with one another using math applications to solve word problems, while they also learned about international currencies and geography. Individual problem solving was also required from the students in the form of homework assignments.

The effectiveness of this math lesson plan was evident in the way students enjoyed working in cooperation with each other. Pairing students allowed for a decreased experience of frustration as they could rely on each other to help figure out responses to the problems. Students working with the white boards in this unit demonstrated increased confidence and relaxation, which could only help but improve their mathematical performance. Students were assessed based on their demonstrated math skills as well as a show and tell to the entire class based on foreign countries and their currencies.