Integrating the Social Studies and Reading Curriculum

Integration of curriculum is a very hot topic today among teachers, administrators, researchers, etc. Most of these individuals agree that integration is a key element in student success, I happen to agree. Whenever a classroom teacher can effectively build in one subject what was learned in another she is activating prior knowledge of the students and reinforcing the content that was previously taught. Holding the student accountable for knowing the information in a cross curricular manner will encourage the student to make connections in the classroom. I am a self contained teacher, teaching Reading/ Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies. I find it easier to implement this method in a self contained classroom, but would encourage all teachers and team members to take on the challenge of integration and begin watching your students thrive even more in their studies.