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A science unit on traits invites students to write explanations and participate in academic discussions. To explore math, learners design a fraction game. A teacher uses picture books to introduce social studies topics.

These are just some of the ways schools are moving away from teaching subjects in isolation, shifting to interdisciplinary instruction and learning that connect subject areas, while addressing what national and most state standards require: preparing students for a rapidly evolving 21st-century society.

During the edLeader Panel “Breaking Down Instructional Silos: Building Literacy, Math, and Future-Ready Skills in Elementary School,” educators and experts highlighted how interdisciplinary approaches strengthen core academic outcomes and build the skills students need for the future.

Interdisciplinary Explained

Interdisciplinary approaches focus on teaching to connections. Instead of asking, “When do I teach science?” a teacher grounded in the method asks, “How can I teach science to support literacy, math, and language development?”

The approach invites teachers to align rather than add content. It involves anchoring instruction in a strong content area, using it as the context for reading, writing, data analysis, problem solving, and even the development of career competencies. Hands-on learning, community and career linkages, and authentic, multi-dimensional assessment are at the heart of quality interdisciplinary learning. 

What It Looks Like

The possibilities for interdisciplinary lessons are many, with broad creative elements that bolster student interest, engagement, and growth across subject areas. Teachers can consider a range of ideas, including:

• Leading science investigations with built-in writing (lab write-ups), data analysis (graphs), and discussions that culminate in student presentations.
• Designing content units (science or social studies, for example) to teach ELA skills (main idea, supporting details, claims and evidence, summary), using an anchor text or picture book.
• Replacing worksheets with projects (games, surveys), public products (posters, PowerPoints), and public performances in which students are actively engaged, collaborating (with structure), building, and testing ideas.
• Encouraging student-led inquiry and authentic data collection.
• Creating goal-centered, collaborative, hands-on—and playful—tasks (models, investigations, prototypes) with embedded assessment criteria for rigor.
• Using engineering notebooks or journals to address technical writing at an early age.
• “Bridging” for bilingual transfer—teaching content in the primary language, explored in multi-day bridge lessons for translation, vocabulary transfer, and comparative analysis.
• Leveraging community and virtual partnerships and inviting experts and place-based partners to connect learning to real life. 

Implementation Strategies

Putting interdisciplinary teaching in place demands intentional strategies. Introducing new initiatives that blend interdisciplinary concepts requires identifying the learning community’s needs and tailoring programming to meet them. The panelists’ recommendations for launching the approach include:

• Start small: Pilot one unit or one module instead of redesigning everything.
• Align, not add: Map standards side by side and reorganize existing materials so core content becomes the context for integrated subject areas. Use mapping projects to show how the standards connect to teachers, parents, and administrators.
• Anchor instruction in a strong content area.
• Use an enrichment model to incubate complex units and build teacher capacity without overburdening schedules.
• Be intentional: Plan for connections (career, community, standards).
• Plan for equity and multiple pathways to rigor. Ensure rigorous programs have complementary supports so all students can access them.
• Collaborate with colleagues, instructional coaches, and partners to co‑design lessons and bring real‑world relevance. Team teach and coordinate with staff so core teachers align content across blocks.
• Use balanced assessment: formative checks, launch logs, notebooks, observations, and summative projects—plus rubrics for transferable competencies.
• Embed career connections early and make learning meaningful to show post‑school pathways.
• Build sustainability: Secure administrative support, revisit the school vision, and pursue grants or hire coaches to support the rollout and funding.
• Use data to drive performance and growth.
• Involve families and community: parent nights, authentic audiences, and virtual guests to showcase student work and deepen engagement.

The most essential strategy? Accepting that change takes time and requires community buy-in. It’s not going to happen easily or naturally right out of the gate. Start culture change early, and be patient!

Learn more about this edWeb broadcast, Breaking Down Instructional Silos: Building Literacy, Math, and Future-Ready Skills in Elementary School, sponsored by Project Lead The Way.

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Article by Michele Israel, based on this edLeader Panel