Elaboration of The Authoring Cycle for Fifth Grade Teachers' Design of Integrated Literacy and Social Studies Unit

Abstract

This paper elaborates on the best practices for integrating curriculum instruction. While the ideas surrounding integrated instruction have long since be established, there has been no central way for teachers to plan for instruction. The Authoring Cycle Framework for Inquiry (Short, Harste, & Burke, 1996) is a foundational tool that has been taken up by teachers to help plan integrated instruction. However, this framework was not meant to be used as a lessonplanning template.

This capstone describes The Authoring Cycle Framework for Inquiry and provides a critique using literature surrounding the best practices for integrated instruction. I also create a lesson-planning tool to enable a more streamlined process for planning integrated instructional units. I do this by analyzing literature and planning an integrated social studies and literacy unit for upper elementary students. I use the lesson-planning tool to provide an example unit using the U.S. Great Depression and literacy skills.