Thematic units- An integrated curriculum

The thematic unit approach uses experiences to inlt variety of language and learning experiences.. There is no meaningful integfatic are part of the Skills curriculum,are not interesting

California State University, San Bernardino

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Part of the Educational Methods Commons

Thematic Units: An Integrated

The Faculty of the School of Edi

Advisor: Dr Adria Klein

Kathy

eader Dr

knowledge,interests,and self-motivated purposes all ha>Thematic units guide this constructive process by integrt^i

their learning environment by connecting events and expt

One ofthe most difficult challenges facing educators:s how

leam The thematic unit approach uses experiences to inlt

variety of language and learning experiences By creating

Teachers using these units will find that they are able

, i

orientations

word is and then to comprehend its meaning Teachers

of the skills method The skills method teaches readir

reading to take place and meaning to follow Theorists

go along with the story These pages review the skills

reading process is a natural function and will happen th;'

reading of the book (schema) Meaning is the basis of:

complicated skills to be learned Understanding of the

information This brings in all of the student's ideas bef

they are able to understand it According to whole langi

perfectable process Deviations from the text are called :

not broken up into specific letters or words that make n

just once a week or at the end of a basal unit The stud

different types oflogs,checklists, longitudinal writingthe RMI-reading miscue inventory.The RMI uses the

Australia rank at the top ofinternational comparisons o:

barely rates a spot in the top third" (Gursky,1991,p

become motivated to leam Although the research base:and thematic units is broad and multidisciplinary, many:

project will include six different units of cycles; Season

grades to fit with the California language arts framework

The English-Language Arts Framework(1987)advi

Learning is an active constructive process in which-chi

These are: reading, writing, listening, and speaking C

requires risk-taking and experimentation Students mustnew information to prior knowledge When learners are

Students'interests are not important in a skills approach

curriculum is based on following the chapters in textbi

about dinosaurs in science,capitdization in language,

dieir reading bc^ks There is no meaningful integfatic

are part of the Skills curriculum,are not interesting to

language philosophy.Harp(1988)states that,reading

processes,rather than accumulations of small skills, f:

processes is the teacher's focus rather than the acquisi

thematic units spark children's interests by making lea"

process involving exact, detailed sequential perception

individualized learning tasks Language is only langu;

Goodman (1986) The whole language method teaches

children leam t6 speak Goodman (1986)feels that sin

speak their honie language in a very short time without

to make language learning in school as easy as it was

Educators should invite children to use language pi

the communication processes"(Fountas and Hannigan

The concept ofintegrated language arts was influent

curriculum Integimed programs were being develope4:

unity of knowledge through the integration ofsubject ma

Dewey(1949)felt that educators should start teaching

Dewey and Bentley(1949)felt that learners are strong

They view education as child centered in that it accept;

every child to ^ow as much as possible in whatever

students as well the differences in their language,cult

and interests In a whole language classroom everyon

goes for the teacher as well as the students Teachers

they know, but also gain valuable information from th

their knowledge to enhance problem solving strategies

activities, locations, and ways ofrelating to each otheij.

students role is to generate ideas and knowledge from

"niematic units encompass a whole language appn

print-rich environment that includes literature in all its

and math "Whole language integrates language and i;

Thematic units integrate literature throughout the

themes A thematic unit takes a general topic and expl(|)i

Focusing on a theme enables the activities to focus on

arts(listening, speaking,reading and writing)to correlati

areas Walmsley and Walp(1990)cite that specific topii

and students the opportunity to explore important cona

When students have background knowledge and an

matter, they become more involved in the learning proc'

learning by giving the students a choice in what they w

involved and have pride in what theyieam if they have

At the beginning of the school year themes are chos

incorporated into the curriculum when the teacher feels

students become more involved they are given a list of

during the academic year The topics are narrowed dovi'

to be taught and learned that month The topics are one;

Prior knowledge influences how students interpret

and model for their students the importance of accessin

before reading, we have developed a simple procedure

of an unusual theme can motivate students to read and

and stories about fish, sing sea songs, use folklore that

Many authors have given ideas on how to plan the

importance of student's interests In order to make le

students'interests must be taken into account Jeanett^

curriculum themes offer a variety of activities and thenii

"Teachers need not limit their program to traditional th

1990,p 24) Many teachers gear their curriculum to

"Christmas","Thanksgiving", and"Easter" Teachers

Brainstorming is the first step in creating thematic

children can brainstorm ideas for innovative topics On

can be narrowed down Topics should be manageable

more interesting for the students is the fact that their idt

curriculum is not determined by textbooks If the secoi

deserts as a topic, maybe the students would want to le:

instead of the Mojave Desert discussed in their science

dictate the curriculum However,there are some guide!

because what is taught at each grade level needs to fit i

Many publishers are trying to make money and

was willing to try the new idea The teachers changed theiri

change successful(Lamme & Lee, 1990) This can be

according to Crook and Lehman(1991) The activities

Students are actively involved in a variety oftasks and •

Lehman (1991)feel that units should include a variety o: literary nonfiction By using fiction and nonfiction,studifferent ideas as well as writing styles "Fiction gives

example,if a classroom were studying apples, it woulp

iTte class would also slice the apples in order to learn

slices to make apple pie Using rnanipulatives make le

The learner must have control over a task in order

in which the learner is engaged '*As applied to classn

for knowledge to be restructured and higher level thin

In years past, many believed that critical thinking skill^

science However recent discoveries have shown that

naturalistic inquiry, problem solving and composing

Language is also fostered through the use of thema

integration of subject matter and provides instruction

meaningful experiences"(Staab, 1991,p 108) Leam

Schwartz(1983)asserted that students come to sch

they find there "Iliis search for meaning can be emplJ);

competencies by creating the conditions and providing then impede the operation of learning Teachers must

that are integrated, whole,natural,functional, and mea^

For example,Patricia Cordeiro(1990)explains that

life The problem which she creates serves as a basefor

simulation This is only the starting point for the actual

states that different groups of students and teachers mi

differently Cordeiro reminded her students that pione^

classroom experience went far beyond the planned acti\|'

Not only are the students learning about the westwa

they are actively role playing a situation and coming up

solving fosters thinking by forcing the learner to reason (Marzano,1991, p 521) Thematic units not only devel

Thematic units are beneficial to use in any type ofc

feel successful Each student comes into the classroom

When students pool their ideas together,they realize thalt

beneficial to add to the learning process(Davis, 1990)

to answer them "Teachers should be engaged in help

process of knowledge-getting Knowledge is a proce^

1990,p 29) When presenting thematic material to

solving, teachers tap into a fomi oflearning through

involved in risk taking as they try new words and way

takes into account the belief of whole language It use listening and speaking When students write more,the;

techniques that may be applied to their own writing these students write, they will develop their own styleideas to their readers "A classroom which successful

writing to reading so as to gain the knowledge ofthe c

Graves(1983)has demonstrated that students who

where they are surrounded by literature instead of goiniaccompanying workbook pages are learning to read at 1Yet,at the same time,such students are learning to writ

It is important for students to select their own topics

teachers can truly help children become fluent writers is

many purposes,on topics oftheir own,and for audiencji

Newman and Church(1990) write that it is a myth by nevaluation in whole language These authors discuss th

by noticing when a student tries a new strategy or demo;

convention Teachers examine students work,and look

Positiveevaluationallowsstudentstotakerisks.su

thematic experience approach uses experiences to intere

believed that creating a learning environment that is nori

to become confident enough to take on the risk ofleam:i

Overall,thematic instruction benefits students by c and by using whole concepts rather than parts "What language movement has influenced pedagogy,researc: fH-ograms,and the positive effect it has had on the chai|i

One ofthe most difficult challenges facing educat4 leam The thematic unit approach tises experiences to background knowledge in an environment that promote whole language approach by integrating Content subjec; variety oflanguage and learning experiences By creat:

language,the thematic unit approach can help many sti knowledge and become confident enough to take on the

TTiematic units are becoming;the;«ew

well as parents, need to find new and exciting ways to with the growing technology "Change involves a criti

practices, trying to identify contradictions within our th

impacts on our students"(Newman and Church, 1990, thematic units take a positive approach and state that al come from,or their background,will leam According seem worth the effort,for it will only be through enhanacross the curriculum that American education can mee

:

One aspect of this projqct is that all students will learn

topic The students wiljl learn from each other, by usin; and by researching andjreading books The students w: types ofliterature and \yritten language The students

but they will also experience writing about topics in m^:

could be done throughjjoumals,poems,dialogue and

Not only will students be reading and writing about

also be experiencing it throughout the curriculum The

Students are inundatedjwith ideas and knowledge not o

learning about topics tlirough literature through math,

drama

The teacher's goal in the thematic based classroom

done not by the teacher being the one to make the decit

able to choose what they want to leara about The teach

goal the teacher has is to have students learn about vari

makers and to be able to use Critical thinking skills Th|i background knowledge that the students bring into the

lecturing, and therefore learning is much more meanin

teachers who teach in a skills based classroom can also;

needs These units are constructed for the second and

be quite costly, since school budgets and state budgets

both ways underscores the philosophy of whole language

Formal assessment only allows forone correct answer,

supportive and nonthreatening way Journals allow forthoughts and knowledge of a certain area without having

Journals enable teachers to gain knowledge about the

personal relationship with their students Teachers can

time and gain insight on the growth of each student Thf

learning experience for teachers because the tape allows

nonfiction as "whole literature." Language Arts.6R.

Farris,P.,& Kaczmarski,D (1988) Whole language

Flickinger, G.,& Long,E (1990) Beyond the basal

informed teaching Childhood Education 32.133-13

Goodman,K., Goodman, v.,& Hood, W (1989) Th

Harste, J., Short, K.,& Burke, C (1986) Creating c

NH:

McCaslin,M (1989) Whole language: Theory,insmjc

innovative curriculum themes Young Children.46.

Routman,R (1991) Invitations Portsmouth, NH:

Schwartz, J (1991) Let them assess their own leami

Shannon,P (1989) The struggle for control of litera:y lessons Language Arts

APPENDIX A

I D3 IB I

This unit on seasons will teach students that the wo:

seasons Animals and plants rely on the seasons for def

The purpose of the Season unit is to communicate a:rid

3 The cycle ofthe seasons depicts death and rebiijtl

Informal and formal discussion will be used as an on

done as a whole class or in smallgroups Students wil

evaluative journals throughout the unit Reader respons

1 In the studentsjournals they will write what they

1 The students will take a piece of paper and fold it nto six squares In eac

students will draw a picture and add two sentences explaining the illustrati

2 In small groups of student,choice they will decide how they want to prese

the class This can be done through drama,:poste|'.

3 The students will make a diorama of their favorite

e|arths axis always points

season with the teacher'

1 The students will write what they know about the

1 The students will go outside three times during th^ day and trace their shai

6 The teacher will demonstrate with a flashlight and

what countries have day and which countries have

3 The teacher will iiead Whv the Sun and the Moon

The students will read the Canadian Indian myth How

•■9-{e[en Sue IseCy Science:

4 The teacher willread The Rip

5 In small gnoups fte siudenis will make a 11s of all cheLgs ,ha,.mimalshave

to do to prepare for hibernation

It's summer from my winjl^

The weather's warm and

See all my friends are pla>

It's autumn from my wind

All red and brown and yelThey're flying through the

The wind howls everywhen

That's frost upon the wine!

4 The students will go on a nature walk and collect

1 The teacher will show the students different types

5 The students will paint a dessert scenery and label

1 The students will cook hot dogs by putting the hot

1 Hie teacher will bring in different leaves and the

2 The class will have a harvest festival by bringing

To wrap up the unit on seasons,the students will a;

College's Planetarium The students will view whata(^

Aardema,V (1981) Bringing rain to Kapiri plain New

Alexander,S (1987) Bear shadow New York: Pr^

Branley, F (1985) Sunshine makes the seasons

Brett,J (1990) The mitten New York: The Putmali

Cullinan, B.et al (1989) Weather vanes Florida:

dePaola, T (1977) Four stories for four seasons N

Domanska,J (1976) Spring is New York: Green

Duvoisin,R (1969) The house offour seasons Ne

Economakis,O (1965) Oasis of the stars New Yorl

Goudey, A (1961) The dav we saw the sun cotneMB New

Hader, B.,& Hader,E (1976) The big snow New

Kandoian, E (1989) Is anvbodv up? New York:

Littledale, F (1988) Peter and the north wind New

Lobel, A (1976) Frog and toad all year New York

Markle,S (1987) Exploring summer New York:

Mendez,P (1989) The black snowman New York

Rylant, C (1989) This year's garden New York:

Sabin,F (1985) The seasons New Jersey: Troll^

Santrey,L (1982) What makes the wind? NewJerse