Compare & Contrast..an integrated approach
Integration...a big idea. In the past, I have thought of integration as a form of connecting topics or themes across content areas. Think about teaching Ecosystems and reading about animals, using animals to measure or do math, as well as learning about it in science. That's really more like Cross Curricular, isn't it? But Integration is when we teach thinking ideas or structures in all areas of your curriculum. For example, we are learning about compare and contrast this month. How are we doing this? First we introduced the concept of Compare and Contrast as a whole group using photos of colonial Virginia houses based on architecture of German and English settlers. By observing the pictures, students were able to notice what was similar and different. Then we introduced the signal words: Compare (how they are alike) and Contrast (how they are different). Signal words for compare: also, both, too, similar, the same as,more, like, as well as,...