During my 10 week practicum, I developed several cross-curricular lessons. In my experience, cross-curricular lessons can deepen student learning and explore deeper levels of subjects. Also, cross-curricular learning reflects real life as most subjects do not remain in silos. Math, for example, is often applied when baking, sewing, or making a purchase. In the spirit of deep learning and real life applications for learning, I embrace cross-curricular opportunities in the classroom.
For example, I taught a Math lesson for two-dimensional (2D) shapes. Students used flash cards and games to practice matching the 2D shapes and their attributes with their names. In the next lesson, I taught Art, and I began by introducing the students to Pablo Picasso, specifically Picasso’s Cubist art. I showed the students how Cubism uses 2D shapes to create portraits. Next, I asked the students were given a personal mirror to use to draw and colour a self-portrait made of 2D shapes. Students, as a result, were introduced to 2D shapes, their attributes, and names before practicing drawing the 2D shapes in their Cubist self-portraits. The students had previously drawn and coloured a realistic self-portrait, so the Cubist self-portrait encouraged them to see themselves in a different way. The cross-curricular lesson encouraged students to extend their learning. Next, I brought the students into the school yard and encouraged them to recognize 2D shapes.
For Remembrance Day, I taught In Flanders’ Field and introduced students to the meaning of the poppy. By connecting the Remembrance Day poppy to the memory of soldiers who fought and died to bring us peace, the students learned that poppies are a symbol for Remembrance Day. To build on this Language Arts part of the lesson, I showed the students how to make poppy art. The students used oil pastels and learned how to mix different shades of red to make the petals of the poppy. The students reflected on the symbolic importance of the poppy while making their own poppies with oil pastels.
Cross-curricular lessons, I feel, help deepen students learning. I think learning can be enhanced by using creativity and art in conjunction with STEM subjects. When I find opportunities, I like to integrate cross-curricular learning.