1. Integration Taxonomy
Eastside Preparatory School
Fall 2009

2. EPS Discipline-Based
Curriculum
Inter-Disciplinary
INTEGRATED
Thinking Experiential
INQUIRY-BASED HANDS-ON

3. Defining Our Terms
• A taxonomy is a collection of controlled vocabulary
terms organized into a hierarchical structure.

4. Integration Taxonomy Goals
• Issue: The term INTEGRATION can be “big”, “ambiguous”,
and “amorphous” and needs DEFINITION.
Define • Response: Create a VOCABULARY/TAXONOMY that identifies specific
integration structures and practices.
• Issue: INTEGRATION is happening in big and small ways, and not
always recognized.
Locate • Response: IDENTIFY/LOCATE integration that is already happening
and employ DEFINITONS.
• Issue: Integration CONNECTIONS between disciplines and courses can be
obvious or require deeper exploration.
Construct • Response: Build a number of different integration TOOLS , REPORTS and VISUALS
that help connect disciplines, courses, topics and skills.
• Issue: Integration can be seen as an ADD-ON to classes or AN OBSTACLE in
to covering already required course material.
Use • Response: EMPLOY shared vocabulary/taxonomy to tie integrations more closely to
discipline topics and skills.
ENHANCE CURRENT WORK—MAKE INTEGRATION MORE PURPOSEFUL AND IDENTIFIABLE

5. EPS Integration Taxonomy
PROGRAMMATIC INTEGRATION

6. The Starting Point
Discipline- Based
Approach
Mastery of Mastery of
Discipline Content Discipline Skills and
Knowledge Processes

7. EPS Programmatic Integration
Independent
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Unit to Unit Shared Unit Institutional Integration
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Unit
Discipline- Complementary Inter-
Parallel Complete
Based Discipline Disciplinary Integrated
Discipline Units or Day Model
Integrated
Content Units & Program
Design Courses
Design Courses
Range of Integration
Jacobs, Heidi H. "Design Options for An Integrated Curriculum."
Interdisciplinary Curriculum: Design and Implementation. Alexandria:
ASCD, 1989. 13-24. Print.

8. Independent Integration
•Musical Instrument Project
•Luhrs’ Poetry Assignment
Discipline- Based
Content Design
Focuses on a strict
interpretation of the
disciplines during separate
time blocks, with individual
teacher modeling integrated
thought.

9. Unit Integration
•Science-History
Materials Unit •Dead Sea Scrolls
History-
(6th Grade) Project/Event
Literature
•7-8 EPIC •Frontier-
Pairings (9-10)
Program Enclosure Project
Parallel Complementary Interdisciplinary
Discipline Discipline Units
Units & Courses
Design or Courses
•Curriculum/lessons Related disciplines are Periodic units or courses
sequenced or planned to connected in formal unit or of study deliberately
connect to the similar course to investigate a bring together the full
areas of other disciplines. theme or issue or reinforce range of disciplines in the
•Hope that students will a concept or skill. school’s curriculum.
find implicit linkages. *not always concurrent

10. Institutional Integration
•Focus the Nation
•Impact Projects
•Fall Overnights •Spring Trips
Complete
Integrated Day
Integrated
Model
Program
Based primarily on Students live in the
themes and problems school environment and
emerging from the create the curriculum
child’s world, and the out of their day-to-day
interests of child. lives. (i.e. Summerhill)

11. EPS Programmatic Integration
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Discipline- Complementary Inter-
Parallel Complete
Based Discipline Disciplinary Integrated
Discipline Units or Day Model
Integrated
Content Units & Program
Design Courses
Design Courses
Students live in
Individual Curriculum Disciplines Units /courses Based on the school
teacher sequenced to investigate a of study bring themes & environment
modeling connect to the theme or issue together the problems with curriculum
integrated similar areas of or reinforce a full range of
emerging from from their day-
thought. other disciplines. concept or skill. disciplines in
school’s the child’s world to-day lives. (i.e.
curriculum. and interests Summerhill)

12. Programmatic
Integration Spectrum
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Independent Institutio
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Unit to Unit Shared Unit
Unit
COLLABORATIVE & DAY TO DAY
Complementary
pline- Based Parallel Discipline Inter-Disciplinary Integrated
Discipline Units or
tent Design Design Courses Units & Courses Mode
Range of Integration

13. Addressing
the Integration Spectrum
Complementary
Interdisciplinary
Discipline Units
Units & Courses
or Courses
Complementary
Integrated Day
Discipline Units
Model
or Courses
Discipline-
EPS Complete
Based Content Integrated Integrated
Design Program
Model

14. Design Options Definition Evidence in EPS Advantages Disadvantages
Program
Students live in the school environment and Spring Adventures Most integrated program where Requires full commitment of
Complete
create the curriculum out of their day-to- life of the student is the focus of families and school personnel.
Integrated day lives. (i.e. Summerhill) the school. Residential
Program Students are empowered and self- No guaranteed exposure to
directed. standard curriculum.
Based primarily on themes and problems Impact Projects Curriculum and time are Enormous work because it is not
Integrated-Day
emerging from the child’s world, and child’s Focus the Nation structured according to the needs based on existing curriculum.
Model interests. Grade Level of students. Management of classroom
Overnights organization is highly
sophisticated.
Periodic units or courses of study 7-8 EPIC Program Fosters comprehensive Need for timing, time for
Interdisciplinary
deliberately bring together the full range of Dead Sea Scrolls epistemological experience. planning, and energy on the part
Units/Courses disciplines in the school’s curriculum. Instructors can plan of the planners.
interdisciplinary work around Teachers need education and
themes, issues and concepts. practice in this approach.
Certain related disciplines are brought •Musical Instrument Limited number of disciplines Impacts institutional design and
Complementary Project
together in formal unit or course to makes planning easier. schedules, planning for revised
Discipline Units investigate a theme or issue.
•Luhrs’ Poetry Assignment
Connections between related content, and need for staff
or Courses disciplines are more obvious for training resources (time/money).
teachers, students and parents.
Teachers sequence and plan their History-Literature Planning and design are impacted Missed opportunities for
Parallel
curriculum and lessons to correspond to Pairings (9-10) only by the time of year in which deliberate, in-depth integration.
Discipline lessons in the same area of other content is offered. With no team teaching, students
Design disciplines. *Working in a parallel fashion Concurrent teaching in related do not see dynamics of 2 teachers
does not deliberately connect across fields subjects. interacting in classroom.
of knowledge; it simply re-sequences Students study concepts in
existing curriculum in the hope that isolation .
students will find implicit linkages.
Focuses on a strict interpretation of the Musical Instrument Focusing on each discipline Has fragmenting effect on
Discipline-
disciplines during separate time blocks, with Project provides students with specialized students’ day.
Based Content individual teacher modeling integrated Luhrs’ Poetry skills and concepts in a field. Teachers focus plan activities for
thought.
Design Project Reflects training model of allotted time at cost of student
teachers. needs?
Does not reflect the reality of life
outside of school.

15. Curriculum Levels, Big Questions and Big Ideas
LEVELS OF INTEGRATION

16. Curriculum Levels Integration Criteria
Purposefully impacts learner’s
Broad-Based overall approach to knowledge
focused on flexible thinking, use of
Meta-Curriculum analogy and metaphor, and
awareness of disciplines.
•Enhances discipline-based concepts
Discipline-Focused (i.e. cycle v. system)
Curriculum •Content transcends subject matter
bounds. (i.e. humanities-
history, literature, art, music)
Concepts being not merely related to
Course-Specific their subjects, but important to them.
Curriculum (i.e. kites v. sustainability)
Ackerman, David B. "Intellectual and Practical Criteria for
Successful Curriculum Integration." Interdisciplinary Curriculum:
Design and Implementation. Alexandria: ASCD, 1989. 25-37. Print.

17. CONTENT Big Epistemological SKILLS
Questions Understandings
Broad-Based
Meta Curriculum Habits
Big
of
Ideas
Mind
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Discipline Discipline
Questions Processes
Discipline-Focused
Curriculum
Discipline Discipline Skills
Ideas
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Course Questions Course Processes
Course-Specific
Curriculum
Course Ideas Course Skills

18. Big
Content Questions
Big
Ideas
Essential Discipline
Questions Questions
Discipline
Ideas
Essential Ideas
Course Questions
Course Ideas

19. Definition and Criteria:
An Essential Question
(2) provokes deep
(1) inspires sustained thought, lively (3) requires students to
inquiry into core discussion and new consider alternatives
discipline understanding as well and weigh evidence
as more questions
(4) sparks meaningful (5) creates
connections with prior opportunities for
lessons and personal transfer to other
experiences situations and subjects

20. Big Question BIG IDEA
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Who am I? SELF
What is the world made of? COMPOSITION
How did we get here? PATH/JOURNEY
What does it mean to be human? HUMANITY/HUMANESS
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UPPER SCHOOL
What is my responsibility to GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP
the global community?
What does good leadership look like? LEADERSHIP
What is effective critical thinking? CRITICAL THINKING

21. CONTENT Big
What does it mean to be human?
Questions
Big Ideas HUMANITY
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Discipline If classification systems are not
Questions definite, why bother classifying things?
Discipline Ideas CLASSIFICATION
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What is the impact of the concept of
Course Questions frontier on the American consciousness?
Course Ideas AMERICAN FRONTIER

22. Big Big
Questions What does it mean to be human? Questions
BROAD-BASED PATHWAYS
Big Ideas Big Ideas
(Concepts, Themes, HUMANITY (Concepts, Themes,
C Issues) Issues) C
O O
If classification systems are not
U Discipline Discipline U
definite, why bother classifying things?
Questions Questions
R R
DISCIPLINE-FOCUSED PATHWAYS Discipline
S Discipline
Ideas
S
Ideas
E CLASSIFICATION E
(Concepts, Themes, Is (Concepts, Themes,
sues) Issues)
What is the impact of the concept of
# Course frontier on the American consciousness? Course #
1 Questions Questions 2
COURSE-SPECIFIC PATHWAYS
Course Ideas AMERICAN FRONTIER Course Ideas

23. Pathways, Vehicles and Drivers
INTEGRATION: PLANNING PROCESS

24. Integration Type
INTEGRATION VEHICLE
=
Teaching/ Learning
Activity or Product
Course #1 Course #2
INTEGRATION PATHWAY
=
Content / Skill Structure

25. Integration Alignment
Concurrent Integration
• Simultaneous, purposeful and intentional connection
between classes, content and skills.
INTEGRATION PATHWAY
Non-Concurrent Integration
• Staggered, purposeful and intentional connection between
classes, content and skills.
INTEGRATION PATHWAY

26. PARALLEL DISCIPLINE DESIGN
INTEGRATION VEHICLE
Analysis of Historical and (Concurrent)
Literary Texts
Course #1 Course #2
U.S. History American Lit.
COURSE-SPECIFIC QUESTION
Essential Question: How has interaction with “the
other” shaped American experience?
INTEGRATION PATHWAY

27. COMPLEMENTARY DISCIPLINE
UNITS or COURSES
INTEGRATION VEHICLE (Non-concurrent)
Problem-based learning
Course #1 Course #2
Chemistry Pre-Calculus
Algebra 2
DISCIPLINE IDEA
Concept: UNIT CONVERSION
INTEGRATION PATHWAY

28. INTER-DISCIPLINARY
UNITS or COURSES
INTEGRATION VEHICLE
Project-based Literary (Concurrent)
Cultural Event Thinking
Historical
Thinking BROAD-BASED IDEA Mathematical
Concept: Thinking
DEAD SEA SCROLLS
Artistic Scientific
Thinking Thinking
INTEGRATION PATHWAY

29. Parallel
INTEGRATION TYPE Discipline Complementary
Discipline Units
Design or Courses
INTEGRATION
VEHICLE
Teaching/ Learning
Activity or Product
ALIGNMENT (Concurrent) (Non-concurrent)
Instructor Instructor
Course #1 Content Structure Course #2
INTEGRATION PATHWAY

30. Skills, Four11, and Program Mapping
INTEGRATION: THE WORK AT HAND

31. School-Wide Division Wide Grade Level Course to Course
Integration Landscape
Challenges to Integration Responses
Admin/Faculty use flexible schedule to
Daily Schedule prioritize integration
Discipline Faculty as Discipline Experts and Those
of Flexible Mind determine when
Objectives integration is effective
Multi-Age Courses
(Spanish, Math, Teaching Culture anticipates and
Electives) stresses use of spiraling, and non-
concurrent reinforcement of essential
Trimester vs. content and skills
Year-Long Courses

32. The Integrated Path
Assessment
Skills
Program Four11
Mapping