Types of Interdisciplinary Activities

Interdisciplinary/cross-curricular units should comprise the types of activities that promote and support the active construction of meaning for students (Pappas, Kiefer, & Levstik, 1990). These include such things as projects in which students work independently or cooperatively to solve "real world" problems (Ward, 1988); opportunities to read and respond to authentic literature; discussions with peers and the teacher about what has been read or heard; teacher-led lessons for the whole class or small groups that focus on a needed concept, strategy, or skill; and self-selected student activities such as books to be read or activities to be done.