ERIC Number: ED624440
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Jul-27
Pages: 192
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 978-0-8077-5700-0
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Teaching in Themes: An Approach to Schoolwide Learning, Creating Community, and Differentiating Instruction. Practitioner Inquiry Series
Meier, Deborah, Ed.; Knoester, Matthew, Ed.; D'Andrea, Katherine Clunis, Ed.
Teachers College Press
How do teachers and schools create meaningful learning experiences for students with diverse skills, abilities, and cultures? How can teachers authentically assess the learning of their students and build on their strengths and interests in ways that enrich the larger community? How can schools become places where everyone is learning from each other? These are the big questions that guide the work of teachers at the well-known Mission Hill School in Boston and that are addressed in this book. "Teaching in Themes" will help schools incorporate a whole-school, theme-based curriculum that engages students across grade levels K-8. The authors provide detailed descriptions of four thematic units: U.S. History and Current Events, Ancient Civilizations, Natural Science, and Physical Science. Readers see how teachers and students design emergent inquiries within the themes and create artwork, music, science presentations, and a variety of hands-on learning experiences that support differentiated instruction across the curriculum. The book features: (1) Examples of whole-school projects designed to create a deep sense of immersion in a curricular theme and to build a multi-age learning community; (2) Details of how teachers developed rich curriculum tailored to their unique students; (3) The insights of legendary educator Deborah Meier on how whole-school thematic units were used to encourage collaboration among teachers; and (4) An afterword by teachers (and filmmakers) about the thinking behind their work featured in the widely viewed film series "A Year at Mission Hill."
Descriptors: Student Diversity, Student Evaluation, Elementary Schools, Middle Schools, United States History, History Instruction, Current Events, World History, Natural Sciences, Physical Sciences, Science Instruction, Experiential Learning, Individualized Instruction, Interdisciplinary Approach, Holistic Approach, Student Projects, Communities of Practice, Curriculum Development, Thematic Approach, Teacher Collaboration
Teachers College Press. 1234 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027. Tel: 800-575-6566; Fax: 802-864-7626; e-mail: tcp.orders@aidcvt.com; Web site: http://www.tcpress.com
Publication Type: Books; Collected Works - General
Education Level: Elementary Education; Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A