Cross-curricular education is an approach to teaching that integrates two or more subject areas into a single lesson or unit. This approach can be beneficial for all students, but it is especially beneficial for English language learners (ELLs).
Cross-curricular education: perfect for ELLs!
Here are some of the reasons why a cross-curricular education model is great for English Language Learners (ELLs):
- It provides students with more opportunities to practice English. When students are learning about a topic in multiple subject areas, they have more opportunities to hear and use English in different contexts. This can help them to develop their English language proficiency more quickly and effectively.
- It helps students to make connections between different subjects. Cross-curricular education helps students to see how different subjects are interconnected. This can help them to understand the world around them more deeply and to develop a deeper appreciation for learning.
- It makes learning more relevant and engaging. When students are learning about a topic that they are interested in, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated. Cross-curricular education allows teachers to integrate students’ interests into the curriculum, which can make learning more enjoyable and meaningful for all students.
Cross-curricular education: beneficial for all!
In addition to the benefits for ELLs, cross-curricular education can also be beneficial for all students in a number of ways. For example, it can help students to:
- Develop deeper understanding of concepts. When students learn about a concept in multiple subject areas, they are able to develop a deeper understanding of that concept. This is because they are able to see the concept from different perspectives and to make connections between different subjects.
- Become more critical thinkers. Cross-curricular education helps students to become more critical thinkers because it requires them to analyze information from multiple sources and to develop their own conclusions.
- Improve their problem-solving skills. Cross-curricular education helps students to improve their problem-solving skills because it requires them to apply their knowledge from multiple subject areas to solve problems.
Overall, cross-curricular education is a great approach to teaching for all students, but it is especially beneficial for ELLs. It can help ELLs to develop their English language proficiency, to make connections between different subjects, and to develop a deeper understanding of the world around them. It can also help all students to become more critical thinkers and problem-solvers.
Cross-curricular education implementation tips
Here are some tips for implementing cross-curricular education in your classroom:
- Choose topics that are relevant to your students’ interests. This will help to make learning more engaging and meaningful for all students.
- Find ways to integrate different subject areas into your lessons and units. For example, you could integrate math and science by having students design and build a bridge, or you could integrate social studies and language arts by having students write a historical fiction story.
- Use a variety of teaching methods and activities. An obvious one, but this will help to keep all students engaged and learning! I love to integrate poetry, music/lyrics, video and more to explore cross-curricular concepts!
- Provide students with opportunities to collaborate and work together. This can help them to develop their communication and problem-solving skills.
- Assess students’ progress on an ongoing basis. This will help you to be strategic in identifying any areas where students need additional support!
Cross-curricular education is a great way to engage all students in learning and to help them to develop the skills they need to succeed in school and beyond.
Check out these other articles about cross-curricular education!
- Edutopia: Deeper Learning: Why Cross-Curricular Teaching is Essential
- EiE: The Power of Cross-Curricular Integration in Education
Read more about cross-curricular instruction on Lit by Learning!
Are you interested in diving even deeper into cross-curricular education for your ELLs and beyond?! Check out these other posts by Kate at Lit by Learning:
- Check out these 8 Best Practices in Bilingual Education!
- Get to the real meat of cross-curricular learning in this post: How Unpacking Standards Enables my Cross-Curricular Teaching.
- Look inside a cross-curricular unit plan in this post: A Sneak Peek into our Cross-Curricular Storytelling Inquiry!
- Niche down with this post: 3 Amanda Gorman Poems Perfect for Cross-Curricular Learning!
- Read about how cross-curricular learning connects with Social Justice in this post!
