On a daily basis teachers struggle with time management and “fitting” everything into their busy schedules. Unfortunately when we do not integrate content, subjects like science and social studies are neglected. When we integrate our content then we can accomplish much more with our precious time. Students learn more and practice concepts taught by integrating them throughout the day. My rule of thumb is to integrate at least 2-3 subjects in each lesson. This is easier than you would think. Reading is easily integrated with writing and almost any subject you can think of. Content integration takes more time when planning, but is well worth the extra planning. Reading is also easily integrated with technology, which I have continued to experiment with. My students engagement levels rise when I mention technology and then their reading stamina rises.
Here is an example of an integrated reading lesson from Youtube. This showcases how to integrate different content areas into the Daily 5. I often refer to this when I sort through the logistics of the Daily 5 and the dilemma I sometimes have with fitting everything into one day. This is such an easy way to integrate content into the Daily 5.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYdNVlxWUTk
Here is an example of a lesson that integrates many subjects. This is a first grade example, but can be tailored to meet the needs of the older grades as well. This lesson proves how easily these different subjects can be fit into reading.
http://ok.gov/sde/sites/ok.gov.sde/files/C3%20PASS%20Int1.pdf
Alyssa Huth 