Young Children - March 2008 - (Page 41) Implementing an integrated curriculum Today the first-graders and I (Susan) are off on a walk to the nature preserve. This frequent event lets the children observe and document changes in their neighborhood. As usual, several parents join us. Sometimes, Bonnie Hurless (one of the article’s authors) and her early childhood education students join us as well. I remind the children to note the changes in the plants, animals, pond, and weather. In our first grade, I use an integrated approach to teach reading, writing, math, science, and social studies skills and to instill beliefs about care for the environment, animals, ourselves, and one another. Everything Changes is an overarching theme we explore all year long, including observing nature changes on our walks. On our return to the classroom, the children record their observations about change through drawings and writing, each working at his or her own level. When they finish, I meet with individuals to confer about their written observations. Writing is integrated into every activity, whether it is a walk in the nature preserve or a science experiment. It is not just for recall, but to encourage children to think. Following children’s writing development throughout the year is an excellent way to document their growth and learning. able theme makes for a successful transition to first grade. Continuing themes are often based on calendar events (winter holiday traditions around the world, presidents, seasons). In choosing themes, I also look at the school district’s first grade curriculum topics (Water Creatures and Their Environment, Animal Families, Care of the Earth, and more). Learning through themes responds to children’s interests and provides opportunities to integrate multiple content areas. Meaningful learning experiences What are the key components for the successful use of an integrated curriculum? The most important component is creating meaningful, authentic learning experiences for the children. According to current brain research (Shonkoff & Phillips 2000), children need to connect new information to existing knowledge in order for it to have meaning and Writing is integrated into every activity, whether it is a walk in the nature preserve or a science experiment. It is not just for recall, but to encourage children to think. be stored for later retrieval. Connecting the new to existing knowledge builds complex connections in the brain. When the first-graders read about a fox or a hawk in class, they recall the real one they’ve seen on their walks to the nature preserve. The children have a common, concrete experience to which they can connect new information. The brain and the connections within it are built through individual experiences. Many children have had plenty of interesting experiences to which they can add new knowledge, but others may lack these kinds of experiences. Because learning is most effective when building on children’s existing knowledge, I make sure that all the children have relevant experiences by planning activities that give them a common background, like participation in a cooking project, conversations with a visiting expert, or listening to a story. All the children can reference these shared experiences as they continue to make sense of their world. Learning around themes We begin the year with a theme designed to grab the children’s interest and one in which all can experience success in an early reading activity. An engaging and enjoy- Active learning The first grade classroom is always full of activity. I introduce many of the themes through books, science experiments, riddles, or cooking activities. For example, for the theme on change, we conducted a Nervous Colors science experiment (Maynard 2001): I carefully added drops of food coloring to room-temperature milk in a glass pie pan, then touched the dots of color with a toothpick dipped in liquid Young Children • March 2008 41
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