Task 1-Chapter 4-Teaching Social Studies-A Literacy-Based Approach by Schell and Fisher

This chapter will be helpful with the integreated unit because it helps us organize how the unit will fit together and how we will plan an effective instructional opportunities for our students.  Topics help students understand what they are learning.  Theme serve to expand topical teaching and provide opporuntiites to include multiple examples under a theme.  Thematic teaching allow teachers to integrate subjects across the curriuclum such as reading and writing, math and science.  This is not an easy process, however.  It will take thorough planning in every subject and across all subjects.  This process will allow the planning to be done in large chunks that allows the teacher to create and develop individual connected units.  This chapter will help organize how our team will plan and set-up our unit on farming.  Building the topics, themes, concepts and the big ideas will give the students an authentic experience.