While teaching at Malmö International School (MIS) this past week, I learned about the structure of my classroom's curriculum and standards. At MIS, each classroom studies a total of six “trans-disciplinary themes” throughout the school year. These themes are questions and topics such as “Who We Are” and “Where We are in Place and Time.” Since these themes are so broad, the teacher chooses a “unit of inquiry” to study the theme. Right now, my students are studying the theme of “How the World Works” through the unit topic of “Earth in Our Solar System.” The unit is planned around a central idea, key concepts, related concepts, and lines of inquiry (as shown below).
The unit is guided by the unit cycle which has six key components: tuning in, finding out, sorting out, going further, making conclusions, and taking action. The teacher picks an activity that correlates with each of these components. For example, for "tuning in” my teacher asked my students, “What do you think you know about the Solar System?” and recorded their responses. Many other activities are used for other components such as researching different celestial bodies, composing fact sheets, and designing projects.
The trans-disciplinary theme and unit of inquiry are used in all subjects and specials. The teacher incorporates the unit into math lessons, writing activities, and even provides a variety of space-related books for students to use during independent reading time. I have enjoyed learning about this curriculum structure and seeing it implemented in my classroom!
Hej då för nu,
Mar