Across the Hall: Multidisciplinary Lessons

Explain that multidisciplinary lessons can be simple or complex and that the next two examples will showcase both ends of the spectrum. Display slide 6 and share with participants the concept for the lesson “Patriot’s Pen.” Say the following: “Patriot’s Pen is a scholarship program established by the VFW for students in grades 6-8. Its prompts in the past have included topics like, “‘Why is the veteran important?’ or ‘What does patriotism mean to me?’ These are obviously difficult topics for the average 12- to 14-year-old to understand.”

Display slide 7. Explain that the first step in the lesson sequence is for students to work with social studies teachers to gather context for the prompt. The teacher then helps the students develop ideas based on the context. 

Display slide 8. Explain how the ELA teachers could help these students turn their ideas into 5-paragraph essays.

Display slide 9. Say the following, “Patriot’s Pen is an example of a lesson that can be completed in one or two classes with only two teachers collaborating. Clue Week is an example of something much more elaborate. In this event, teachers across multiple discipline areas teach content for the students to help them solve a murder mystery.”

Display slide 10 and play the video: “CLUE NEWS: Case Brief.” Explain that this video is shown to the students at the start of the event and each day they are given updates in this format in one of their courses.

Display slide 11. Explain that each of the students participating will be provided the death report on the right of the slide. Say the following, “While students are all provided the same information, they have to use information gathered from classes to solve the case. This example shows that students must use the formula for Exponential Decay to calculate the time of death for the victim.”

Display slide 12. Tell participants that the narratives that shape the mystery are directly aligned with the stories taught in ELA classes during this event.

Display slide 13. Give a brief overview of the lesson “Make Some Waves,” discussing its learning objectives, standards, and overall concept. When participants achieve a shared understanding, display slide 14. Have participants scan the QR code and play with the Music Lab Oscillator for a few minutes.

Display slide 15. If time allows, you can play the video to showcase what students will be doing in the activity seen in the next few slides: “Cardboard Synthesizer Tutorial.”

If time is short, briefly explain the interface and move to slide 16. Preface the video on the upcoming slide by mentioning that they will see a 1-minute edit of the lesson “Make Some Waves.” Display slide 17 and play the video: “Make Some Waves Demo.”

Explain to participants that they will now have a chance to look over the lesson for themselves. Display slide 18 and have them scan the QR code, which will take them to the linked lesson, “Make Some Waves.” Allow a brief period of time (5-10 minutes) for participants to skim the lesson and answer the questions on the slide.