A major component in the establishment of the middle school concept is that of an integrated curriculum. Rather, it is a desired method of incorporating subject matter across all, or most all, subjects offered for a grade level. Individual disciplines are still taught but each discipline utilizes concepts and applications from other disciplines. To accomplish integrated curriculum, teachers need to collaborate and collectively make each other aware of the curriculum covered in each subject area and then plan, prepare, and implement ways to integrate the subjects. The integration should be across the entire curriculum, including exploratory and enrichment courses as well as the core subjects.
Integrated curriculum helps to make a connection between subject matter taught and the larger world.
Curriculum taught across the subjects relates prior and present knowledge from one discipline to another. Students begin to realize knowledge is not learned in isolation but utilized in most all subject areas. In addition, with the demand for meeting state standards and achieving educational proficiencies, all teachers become responsible for achieving state-mandated standards. One excellent tool for helping to integrate disciplines across the curriculum is technology. Technology allows for reading, analyzing, critical thinking, problem solving, making connections, and much more.