What Are Multidisciplinary Lesson Plans?
MICHAEL ALPERT
CLASS
Engage students' interest in numerous subjects through the study of a central idea. Multidisciplinary lesson plans rely on standards across multiple subjects within the context of one theme. Work with your colleagues in other departments to teach a topic that you all enjoy and will hook your students.
1 Some Collobaration Required
Multidisciplinary lessons plans are modeled around a specific topic or guiding question, according to researchers at the College of William and Mary. For example, perhaps a team of teachers decides to focus on ancient farming in early river civilizations. The historical content is provided by the history department, while math teachers can study archaeological records to find the area of irrigated fields and the amount of water needed to properly fertilize these fields. Science teachers can examine the ecological and agricultural processes behind these ancient methods, and the English department can work with students to summarize this information in an informative essay.
2 Lesson Structure
Where possible, a single lesson plan or unit should reference at least one state or national standard from each participating content area. You may need to coordinate time for individual teachers to participate in their own classrooms or for the entire group to team-teach in one area. For a larger unit, the final assessment is typically an essay or some type of presentation. However, several individual lesson plans may lead to the finished product, so your individual plan should include formative, or informal, assessments.
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