1. What is integrated curriculum?
Integrated curriculum has been around for a long time and has had many
different names. It is a sophisticated interdisciplinary unit that goes beyond
common parallel units (studying the Industrial Revolution in SS while reading
A Christmas Carol in language arts) because it fuses all subject areas, student-
centered learning, service learning, and problem-based learning while
giving students the opportunity to let their choices drive the curriculum. The
following are links to others’ definitions of integrated curriculum:
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/103011/chapters/What-Is-
Integrated-Curriculum%C2%A2.aspx
http://www.archeworks.org/projects/tcsp/ic_guide_p2.html
Furthermore, this instructional model is endorsed by the National Middle
School Association in its formal statement about integrated curriculum as
having benefits that both meet and exceed national, state, and local
standards.
http://www.amle.org/AboutNMSA/PositionStatements/CurriculumInteg
ration/tabid/282/Default.aspx
How is integrated curriculum different from what I already do with
interdisciplinary units?
What makes integrated curriculum different is that it is completely student-
centered. Students decide what to study, how to study it, how to present what
they learn, and what to do with what they learn. Integrated curriculum
completely differentiates instruction for each child in your classroom, no
matter the level of his or her functioning. (We have used this model to
differentiate instruction for children ranging from students taking the NC
Extend 2 to those identified as gifted and everything in between, literally in
the same classroom.) Furthermore, integrated curriculum naturally mimics
the human problem-solving process that people use in real life instead of
artificially compartmentalizing problems into discreet academic areas as we
tend to do in school. Rarely in real life does a problem occur that can be
solved using a single academic discipline. Reality is more complicated. For
example, my furnace is inefficient and I have decided that I need a secondary
heat source for my house. I will get on the internet and research various types
of products. I will weigh the benefits of propane versus electric fireplaces
and look at the merits of pellet stoves. I will have to figure out how much
pollution is involved because I don’t want byproducts causing breathing
problems for my children. I will have to decide how expensive each unit is as
well as the operating costs for each. Furthermore, which option will best meet

2. my needs in the area in which I live? I will talk to sales representatives,
people who use various types of heating, and decide what price point makes
me feel comfortable. Then, I will shop for the best deal when I purchase the
item of my choice as well as when I have it installed. In doing so, I have
covered math, science, social studies, and language arts. The method that I
have used to solve this problem, because I have internalized the problem
solving process, provides for maximum understanding and a feeling of
satisfaction because I have made the best decision for myself and my family.
From a teacher’s perspective, integrated curriculum is powerful because it
empowers students to take control of their own learning while giving them the
tools to be successful in the classroom and in life. The process involves
problem solving, time management, goal setting, and metacognition as well
as a myriad of other skills. For individuals who look for data and proven
results, it is research-based and endorsed by the Association for Middle Level
Education (formerly the National Middle School Association). Best of all, when
integrated curriculum works it results in students who are self-motivated and
eager to learn without sacrificing test scores.
The Process
When students use their own interests to drive the curriculum, it means
maximum engagement in the classroom. What motivates each child is
different.
1. Start with student questions…anything they have ever wondered about.
Take down their questions without judgment. (Students may need
some help rewording their questions as we add them to a class and/or
team list of questions.) This part of the process may take a part of
several class periods, but is essential in piquing student interest and in
laying the foundation for the integrated curriculum process.
2. With student help, decide what questions merit academic study. Only
keep questions that cannot be answered with yes/no or through a
simple internet search. Teachers guide the process, but students vote
and defend choices, helping decide criteria that will determine what
stays and having a voice in the final outcome.
3. Each student decides from the revised list what he or she would like to
study. (At various times, students either work independently or in fluid
groups formed by similar interests.)
4. Decide on a theme of study. We find it easy to either look at an area of
the world or a particular important event and focus student questions
toward studying that theme. This is the part that students may or may
not have a say, and you might not want to reveal this aspect until you
reveal the following step to students.
5. Here’s the hard part…the Standard Course of Study (SCOS). We give
students color-coded copies of the math, science, social studies, and
language arts SCOS and help them to word things in kid-friendly

3. language. We teach them what the SCOS is, help them to understand
that these are the standards to which teachers and students are held
accountable, and we then help them to tie their topics to each SCOS in
some way. This also involves tweaking their initial questions to apply to
each SCOS, and perhaps even looking at the standards for other
academic disciplines as well such as art, music, health, or other
exploratory classes. For example, if a student wants to study baseball,
he or she may need to look at whether or not baseball is popular in
other areas of the world – why or why not?-as part of the social studies
curriculum. In science, they might look at forces as they study what can
affect pitch velocity and bat speed. In math, they might calculate the
percent of change in pitch velocity caused by humidity levels.
Language arts would be the research process in which they find
sources and work together to read and comprehend these sources as
well as the presentation of what they have learned. This might need to
be expanded as students research their questions because what they
learn often sparks more questions. They might also want to look at
what is so mystical about baseball that it sparks so many Hollywood
movies, and whether or not there are other sports that have a similar
impact in other areas of the world. Once students and teachers
understand how to make connections between the disciplines, the only
limits are individuals’ creativity and the ability to find information about
a topic.
6. Research.
A. Common baseline of knowledge. In order to provide an
anchor for scaffolding and a context in which to frame learning, it
is important that all students share a common baseline of
knowledge on which to build their individual experiences. For
example, when studying WWII, students might have a guest
speaker who was a soldier during the war, a video segment that
provides information about differences on the European and
Pacific fronts, a simulation in which students must decide in a
given situation whether or not to use nuclear weapons, or even a
buffet of MREs in which students learn first hand about the
hardships of basic survival on the front lines.
• Teacher-generated resources. These can be handled
in individual classes or as an entire team. Each teacher
uses resources that relate to his or her area of expertise
and relates that expertise to the general theme of the
unit of study. This may look more like parallel
interdisciplinary units within each classroom at this
point, or it may be the use of multiple types of resources
within one classroom. It also may involve instructional
practices such as Socratic seminars, debates,
simulations, and problem-based learning modules.

4. • Student-generated resources. Depending on the topic,
students brainstorm possible resources within the
community. For example, if we have decided to focus
student interest through the context of looking at Africa,
we might have students brainstorm a list of resources
such as people they know who have visited Africa, and
then assign responsibilities to contact those individuals
to see who would be willing to share their experiences
with students. These resources may be used by the
entire class, or just by a group or individual who is
focusing on a particular area of study. Sometimes
students have access to other resource materials as well
and do not mind sharing personal books and materials
with other students, though we caution students about
the hazards of loaning out their personal property.
B. Individual Research. The most important resource that we
have found is not one of the usual sources for curriculum,
because standard curriculum rarely encompasses what students
would like to study, but the internet. Therefore, learning to do
academic quality research is paramount to the integrated
curriculum process.
• iSeek – We do not allow students to use Google or other
unfiltered search engines. Instead, we direct them to use
iSeek, which is accessible at www.iSeek.com and which
filters out much of the blog, biased .com, and
inappropriate content. There is a tab on the iSeek search
bar termed “education” which further filters content.
iSeek searches can also yield content on government
databases and various other sources that unfiltered search
engines with thousands of hits rarely find with clarity.
• NC WiseOwl – Schools who have access to this software
will find it to be rich with resources that can be used in
academic research.
• EBSCOhost – We usually require that one source come
from the EBSCOhost database. EBSCOhost is the world’s
most used reference resource and provides experience
with research materials that they will use later in their
academic studies. Because many of the EBSCOhost
articles are held in peer-reviewed journals and are written
at higher reading levels, EBSCO is a rich source for
students with higher reading levels while providing a
unique problem-solving opportunity for students as they
learn to tackle difficult texts together. EBSCOhost can be
accessed through the Other Databases tab in NC
WiseOwl’s Middle School Research Zone. Students must

5. be schooled in using keyword searches as well as how to
filter results by full text and language, however.
• APA/MLA citations – As students find viable resources,
we require them to create citations for those sources using
APA style, as APA is much more widely used in various
academic disciplines after high school. However, some
districts teach only MLA style. We expose students to both
so that they will be able find the resources to help them
use either if called upon to do so later in their academic
career.
• Citation Maker/Citation Machine
(www.sonofcitationmachine.net) Citation Maker,
accessible from NC WiseOwl, will allow students to create
either APA or MLA citations for their resources. If you
cannot access NC WiseOwl, you can use Citation Machine
from any computer as an aid to create citations. There are
many other sources citation creation available on the
internet as well.
• Understanding the research – When students come to us
they have rarely had experience reading longer academic
nonfiction pieces nor have they had to do academic
quality research. We use literature circles and/or paired
reading using the process of summarizing each
paragraph, making connections to self/other texts/real
world, and using various tactics to handle difficult
vocabulary.
C. Presentations
• Once students have found out what they wanted to learn
and have tied it to the various SCOS, we have students
brainstorm how best to teach what they have learned to
others. As a team, we decide on the criteria for a
successful presentation and create a rubric using
democratic processes that best embodies how to evaluate
the criteria.
• In pairs or small groups, students practice their
presentations for one another, critiquing their peers using
the criteria they voted upon. This allows each student to
recognize strengths and weaknesses as well as giving
students who are ill-prepared or who have not done
sufficient research to see weaknesses while there is still
time to fix problems.
• Before presenting, students complete a self-evaluation
and/or group evaluation, part of which is deciding what
grade they believe that they deserve based upon their
work and why.

6. D. Accountability
• Students create quizzes, assignments, questions about the
important parts of their own presentations so that other
students focus during each presentation and so they can
evaluate themselves using more objective criteria once
their presentation is over. This is a part of the process that
we have piloted that, while not part of any of the models
that we have researched, has become a pivotal learning
tool within our classrooms.
• Item analysis of created assignment. Students score the
quizzes they have given and then conduct an item analysis
of the material. For many students, this is an eye-opening
experience because they are generally incredulous at
other students’ scores. Looking at reasons for the
differences between their expectations and reality can
provide a unique opportunity for examining learning
within the classroom from a different perspective. It
frequently results in better behaviors, both socially and
academically, for many students.
• Students use the data they have generated as well as their
final grades and item analyses as they revisit their original
self-evaluation, analyzing reasons for discrepancies, and
to set goals for next assignment.
E. What am I going to do with what I have learned?
• Learning doesn’t take place within a vacuum, but so often
students never connect what they learn in a classroom to
the real world. Integrated curriculum provides many
opportunities for service-based learning (community
service, real-world applications of individual ideas, team
community outreach activities, fundraising for charitable
causes, etc.) because doing something with what they
have learned is a natural outcome of the integrated
curriculum process.
• Doing something real with their learning helps students to
internalize the reasons for what they have learned as well
as internalizing the learning itself. Students have learned
by researching, by teaching, and now learn by doing.
• The learning doesn’t stop in the classroom. Students
become excited about learning when they have the
opportunity to apply what they know and they want to
teach other people about it. Conversations with friends in
the hallway often involve updates on new things they have
learned or new ways they have thought about to help
others.

7. Problem-Solving
• “Not my problem” – when encountering a problem,
teachers must step back and give kids the opportunity to
solve their own problems, which is antithetical to the
process that most of us use. One example of how we let
students solve their own problems is through having the
class brainstorm possible solutions to a problem we were
having, i.e., it was getting too loud when we were working
in groups. We took everyone’s suggestions, helped them
to analyze the problems inherent in the solutions they
encountered, especially when these solutions placed
responsibility on the teachers rather than the students,
and then had students create criteria to illustrate whether
or not their idea was working. They created a system of
checks and balances, electing a group leader who was
responsible for certain jobs. The group evaluated the
leader each day and the leader evaluated group
members. Students brainstormed the criteria for success
as well as the rubrics. This system worked for the group
of students who created the system but did not work later
with other groups of students. We believe it is because
students buy into solutions of their own creation. The
rubrics created by students are labeled as Appendix Item
A.
• Concerns about watering down content. Some teachers
are concerned that integrating curriculum waters down
academic content. In our experience, it is just the
opposite. Rigor is the cornerstone of integrated
curriculum and the integrated curriculum process
encourages depth rather than breadth within the
curriculum. Therefore, as students learn how to fold in
various academic disciplines within a unit of study, the
curriculum becomes much more rigorous. Student
interest drives the process, so students tend to research
on their own. We sometimes have to stay late after school
because students have so many questions and because
they want extra time at school to work.
• My classroom time is sacred. Integrated curriculum
doesn’t allow for sacred cows and will take some adjusting
for everyone. However, scheduling is up to the teacher
and to the team. You can spend as much or as little time as
you would like. Unlike many of the other demands placed
upon the instructional time of middle grades teachers,
integrated curriculum is not a black hole of instructional

8. time with little return. Instead, as you become more adept
at integrating you will become a better teacher because
you can make more pertinent connections within and
between disciplines. Furthermore, making connections is
a literacy skill that many of the academic disciplines focus
upon under the newly adopted Common Core/Essential
Standards model.
• Integrated curriculum is an organic process. You can’t
have rigid pre-conceived notions about what the process
and/or product should be because you must allow for
student and colleague input.
• As the teacher, you can’t be in control of everything. Your
colleagues and your students must also have ownership.
You must empower everyone in the process to have
ownership and cannot superimpose your own ideas over
that of others or it invalidates the democratic processes
that are an inherent part of integrated curriculum and
which are core values that we are trying to instill in
students as stakeholders within a democracy. Teachers
gradually, with guidance, allow themselves to facilitate
learning rather than to direct it.
• What worked before may not work this time. The
curriculum and process continually change based upon
the children and their needs. What the kids come up with
will vary from group to group and within groups.
Encouraging student ownership develops a more intrinsic
motivation for learning and a desire to be successful,
sometimes in students who have not experienced much
academic success. For students who are usually
successful in the classroom, it provides a challenge
because integrated curriculum is an entirely different
process than that to which they are accustomed. There
may be growing pains for each group and for teachers,
but the results are worth it.
• Kids must have a voice or you invalidate the reason why
integrated curriculum works. If curricula and instructional
methods are teacher directed and not student directed,
you take away student motivation to learn. If student voice
is not an integral part of the process then you do not truly
have integrated curriculum.

9. Logistics
Scheduling possibilities with 2, 3, and 4 person teams:
1. For a 2 person team, if there is a classroom large enough to have a team
meeting then the possibilities are endless. Almost every day, we
spend some amount of time together in a classroom team teaching the
skills necessary for research or providing a common baseline of
knowledge on the present topic. We sometimes spend parts of our
regular class time clarifying points for Team Time. We have Socratic
Seminars for small groups or even for our entire team in the theater,
host team activities such as a Victorian Banquet in the home-economics
room, use the theater for guest speakers, and we have even
incorporated having students teach others teams in our grade level on
how to conduct student-led Socratic seminars. The possibilities are
endless as long as there are individuals willing to be flexible.
2. 3 person and 4 person teams require more flexibility. If you have a 3
person team and you have an area large enough to accommodate all
students, you can team teach the skills and baseline knowledge. If not,
you may have to compartmentalize your class sessions to accommodate
for common knowledge and skills. It helps if you can have periodic
team meetings where students share their ideas or have a different
audience than their regular classmates. For your team time, two
teachers could be team teaching as an enrichment activity while a third
teacher remediates in a different room. For a 4 person team, dividing
into 2 groups with two sets of team teachers makes sense. You could
have team time on A-day/B-day schedules in which students visit one
group of teachers one day and the other group of teachers the next.
3. If you get stuck on scheduling, let the kids have a voice in how to make
it happen. They can usually work out logistics if given the opportunity.
Regardless of your situation, if you have a desire to make it happen
then it will happen. If not, it won’t.
Incorporating the Math
With parallel units, making math relevant to the topic studied can be a
struggle. However, within integrated curriculum students actually apply the
math that they learn in class. As the process continues and students begin to
buy in, they begin to find links to the math for themselves and become
excited when they learn that math is part of everything. Within the math class,
it is easy to incorporate student research and to manipulate data that students
have found so that your individual class becomes student directed as well.
Furthermore, what you do in Team Time tends to show up again in the regular
math class because students love it when they can show the math teacher how
they have made connections. Incorporating the math actually is not as difficult
as tying in the science or the social studies if a student’s topic leans more toward
one than the other.

10. Vision for the Future
• Technology – As we have more access to technology, we envision
incorporating podcasts, etc. that allow students to show parents and
community members what they are learning at school and to
incorporate learning into a community-based concept.
• Developing a math-based integrated curriculum website using student
research data (statistics they have found, etc.) to share with like-
minded teachers.
• Incorporating community issues and creating units of study that benefit
the local community and beyond, building a network of 21st century
learners who are capable of enacting change within their local
environments.
Links to Research
http://www.amle.org/Publications/MiddleSchoolJournal/Articles/November2
001/Article1/tabid/160/Default.aspx
http://www.amle.org/AboutNMSA/PositionStatements/CurriculumIntegration
/tabid/282/Default.aspx
Recommended Reading:
Alexander, W., Carr, D., & McAvory, K. (2006). Student Oriented Curriculum. National
Middle School Association.
Websites that Incorporate Music:
finearts.grinnell.edu/instruments - This website has world instruments and ensembles that
students can read about and listen to.
NIU World Music Instrument Collection - This site has a world map that you can click on to see
and hear world instruments
United streaming also has short videos on the history and making of African Drums
Gaggle Tube is also a great resource for finding world instrument performances.

11. Appendix A – Student generated rubrics
Rubric generated so that the elected group leader could evaluate each group member.
Group Work Behavior Rubric Student Name __________________ Date _______________ Graded by _________________________
Directions: Circle only one for each behavior. For behaviors marked as sometimes or rarely, evaluator should explain.
evaluator explain.
Individual Behaviors
Time On Task – do your own work; uses time wisely; not playing around
*All of the time * Most of the time * Sometimes *Rarely
Volume – use appropriate inside voice; only people in your group can understand what is said
*All of the time * Most of the time * Sometimes *Rarely
Research (when applicable) – says on appropriate websites; uses time and resources wisely
Group Interactions
Does own work - no “piggybacking” on others’ efforts
*All of the time * Most of the time * Sometimes *Rarely
Communicates effectively with others
*All of the time * Most of the time * Sometimes *Rarely
Helps others
*All of the time * Most of the time * Sometimes *Rarely
Positive Attitude – encourages others and their participation, shares spotlight, doesn’t reject
*All of the time * Most of the time * Sometimes *Rarely

12. Rubric generated in the system of checks and balances to evaluate the group leader. Each day the person
who evaluated the leader would change so that everyone had the opportunity to evaluate and to minimize
opportunities for retributive evaluations.
Group Leader Behavior Rubric Student Name __________________ Date _______________ Graded by _________________________
Directions: Circle only one for each behavior. For behaviors marked as sometimes or rarely, evaluator should explain.
evaluator explain.
Individual Behaviors
Does Not Abuse Power or Position – is fair and does not retaliate against group members.
*All of the time *Most of the time *Sometimes *Rarely
Time On Task – keeps members on task; does not play around
*All of the time * Most of the time * Sometimes *Rarely
Volume – use appropriate inside voice; only people in your group can understand what is said
*All of the time * Most of the time * Sometimes *Rarely
Respectful – is mindful of others and their feelings, even when correcting misbehaviors
*All of the time * Most of the time * Sometimes *Rarely
Group Interactions
Does own work - no “piggybacking” on others’ efforts
*All of the time * Most of the time * Sometimes *Rarely
Communicates effectively with others
*All of the time * Most of the time * Sometimes *Rarely
Helps others
*All of the time * Most of the time * Sometimes *Rarely
Positive Attitude – encourages others and their participation, shares spotlight, doesn’t reject
*All of the time * Most of the time * Sometimes *Rarely

13. Appendix B – Exploring the Relationship between Integrated Curriculum and
the NC Teacher Evaluation Instrument
Adopting integrated curriculum is an excellent means of attaining
accomplished and distinguished marks on your evaluations. Circled and
highlighted are sample behaviors that the implementation of integrated
curriculum have produced within our classrooms as well as in our professional
lives.

38. Appendix C – Exploring Integrated Curriculum’s Relationship to the Common
Core and Essential Standards
How does integrated curriculum relate to the Common Core and
Essential Standards? Looking at the objectives for the four core academic
subject areas, one realizes that there are many possibilities for curriculum
overlap. Furthermore, literacy standards adopted through ELA Common
Core standards that have yet to be applied to the Essential Standards dictate
that subject area teachers will be responsible for teaching how to read and
analyze informational texts common to their academic discipline as well as
other literacy standards that apply to writing, visual literacy, and to oral
presentations. There is a section in the middle school ELA common core
document entitled “Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies,
Science, and Technical Subjects” which specifically outlines
reading/literacy and writing standards to be taught and mastered within
these subject areas. Yet these literacy standards to be applied outside of the
ELA classroom are to supplement, not supplant, stated subject area
objectives. Curriculum integration offers a solution because it allows teachers
to teach to their strengths without taking away from their proscribed
curriculum.
If one examines the various standards collectively, furthermore, it is
apparent that the standards of the disparate disciplines are designed to
correlate. An even more overt example is that the unit design template
endorsed by NCDPI for social studies contains the 5 strands but adds a 6th for
teachers to plan for connections to other disciplines.
The following are copies of each academic discipline’s Common Core
or Essential Standards, highlighted so that key words or phrases that relate to
other disciplines are apparent. On some copies, we have further delineated
specific interdisciplinary connections.