Running head: CONTENT KNOWLEDGE IN INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES

Content knowledge in Interdisciplinary Studies

Brinda Patel
Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 496 Field Experience ePortfolio, Spring 201

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Introduction
It is very important to integrate different content and subjects so that the students can
learn better. When the curriculum is integrated students learn the content as a whole and not as a
part. Integration focuses on making connections for students, allowing them to engage in
relevant, meaningful activities that can be connected to real life (Boyd, n.d.). Different
experience that students gain from this integrated curriculum will help them tackle real word
experiences. When two or more subjects are combined, it not only makes the lesson effective,
but also help students gain deeper understanding of the concept.
Rationale for the Artifacts
The artifact that I chose for this competency is several pictures of students working on
making a clock from paper plate. I read the book The Grouchy Ladybug which highlights on
different events occurring at different time of the day. Students were then given paper plate, pipe
cleaner and worksheet to make a clock. Students first learned the concept of time from the book
The Grouchy Ladybug and they were shown different types of clocks
Another artifact that I chose for this competency is the lesson plan that I made for The
Grouchy Ladybug. To teach students about time, I decided to combine language arts with math to
make the lesson interesting and effective. K.9 The student will tell time to the hour, using analog
and digital clocks is the math SOL to teach students about time. K.9 The student will
demonstrate comprehension of fictional texts. This is language art SOL which teaches students
how to comprehend fictional text. This lesson lasted for two days as it focused more on hands on
activity which helped students grasp the concept better.

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Reflection
I chose the aforementioned artifacts for this competency because it shows how
well integrated the lesson was. In order for students to be a creative thinker, teachers should
challenge them by doing lots of hands on activities. For this lesson, I started off by reading a
book and then explained student how the concept of time works. It may be difficult and boring
for them to understand if the concept of time was taught just based on reading books. Students
should be exposed to more than one subject when teaching a content as that will help them
become proficient. With integrated curriculum, students can think the answer to the questions in
multiple ways.
After reading the book, for math part, students were shown different analog and digital
clocks and were asked to identify them. Next, they were given paper plate, pipe cleaner and a
worksheet with lady bug on it to make a clock. I demonstrated to students how to make a clock
and students made it. Students were asked to show time on their clock. I believe that adding this
activity to a plan and boring lesson plan helped students learn about time better. I noticed that all
the students were able to answer the correct time. I also showed them a you tube video when I
introduced the concept of time. Students then played brain pop vide to further gain deeper
understanding of time. I believe that teacher should use different resources when teaching a
lesson. Teacher can add any subjects together to make thee lesson exciting for students.
Integrated curriculum is an educational approach that prepares children for lifelong learning
(Lake, n.d.). When students are exposed to fun and exciting lesson, then they tend to retain the
information for long time.

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All in all, integrated curriculum not only helps student become a creative learner but also
it provides them opportunity to sole things in multiple way. Teacher can combine any subjects
for any lessons as long as it meets the objective of the lesson.

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Referenes
Boyd, S. (n.d.). Integrated Curriculum: Definition, Benefits and Examples. Retrieved April 25,
2016, from http://study.com/academy/lesson/integrated-curriculum-definition-benefitsexamples.html
Lake, K. (n.d.). Integrated Curriculum. Retrieved April 23, 2016, from
http://educationnorthwest.org/sites/default/files/integrated-curriculum.pdf

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References
Tice, J. (2004). Reflective teaching: Exploring our own classroom practice. Retrieved March 07,
2016, from https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/reflective-teaching-exploring-ourown-classroom-practice