Building Interdisciplinary Projects - Earth 2.0
Written by Shaolin Censullo | shaolin.censullo@uamaker.nyc
Embedded Files
Problem of Practice
Student’s feel there is a lack of cohesion amongst the classes they are taking. This sometimes leads to students being more engaged and interested in a topic in some classes, but not others. Students may also feel overwhelmed by how different each class is from one another, which could lead to further disengagement.
Hypothesis
I believe that addressing a shared question, or problem, throughout multiple classes will lead to students being more engaged in all of their classes which discuss the same topic. I also believe that this will help students make connections between their classes, and in turn deepen their learning.
Teachers participating would all focus on the same question: Where would we go if Earth became uninhabitable?
Earth science focused on what makes a planet habitable.
Geometry focused on a strategy using area and volume that could be used to determine if a planet was habitable.
ELA watched The Martian and read the short story Earth’s End for context and meaningful discussions around the possibility of leaving Earth.
Target group
The target group was any student who was taking two or more of the following classes: earth science with Shaolin and Miles, geometry with Bri, ELA with Destinee and Madeehah, or students who had taken Algebra 2 with Cayden and Amber. These were the teachers who were working together on the same project. I also tried to focus on students who sometimes lost interest in earth science, but that I knew enjoyed their math class.
Student Work
Student Work
Jeffrey discussing the habitable zone in ELA:
And discussing The Martian (watched in ELA) in Earth science → Jeffrey G. PT
Kyle C. using math to answer a question in Earth Science → Kyle C. PT
Sebastian V. bringing in geometry as evidence → Sebastian V. PT
Reflection
Measuring success:
I tried to measure success by the strength of students' connections to their other classes. However, I found it to be a big success if they were able to make any connection at all. Survey results were also considered to see if this was as effective to the students as I thought it woud be.
Teacher reflection:
I would want to start planning something like this earlier in the year. Maybe even begin in the summertime. I would want all grade team teachers to participate. I would also develop a larger performance task that assess standards from all classes involved.
EARTH 2.0 - Student Survey
How did you feel about talking about exoplanets and moving to another planet in multiple classes (examples: geometry and ELA)?
Did talking about this topic in multiple classes increase your engagement in class?
How can your teachers make the connection between classes stronger next year?
Do you feel like many of your classes talk about similar subjects?
Do you feel like your classes are very different from each other? (Topics you learn about, strategies your teachers use, etc.)
Actionable steps
If you want to use this strategy in your classroom, I recommend …
Setting aside planning time with your grade team to make sure this is well developed and coherent for students
Get student feedback about what they like about their favorite classes and implement those ideas into your own classroom
Reach out to Shaolin Censullo if you have any questions, or want support adapting this practice to your classroom!
Email: shaolin.censullo@uamaker.nyc
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