Interesting Ideas for Integrated Learning in Homeschool High School

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Interesting Ideas for Integrated Learning in Homeschool High School

Don’t get intimidated by the fancy sounding name! Integrated learning is something you have probably already been doing so in this post we will give you some fun ideas for your teens and/or homeschool co-op!

What is integrated learning?

Let’s start with an example. When you go to work or plan co-op or a church event, you probably do not do just one thing. You function through a number of tasks, for instance: driving, tracking mileage, cooking a meal, managing your schedule, working on a team, leading and brainstorming, cleaning and organizing. As you can see, working and serving require doing multiple different kinds of tasks.

Education can be so much more interesting when we allow our homeschool high schoolers to see the connections between subjects. Homeschooling families can do this by combining or coordinating subjects. Simply put, integrated learning is a version of what many of us have been doing all along.

How does integrated learning work?

There are two basic ways to do some integrated learning with your homeschool high schoolers:

Simply combine subjects, for instance:

• American History, American Literature and American Poetry, Writing on American Historical and Literary Themes, American arts and music.
  • An important part of this kind of integrated learning is to use syllabi to keep things coordinated

Another way is to choose a topic and include learning from History, English/Language Arts, Science and the Fine Arts.

In either kind of integrated learning format, there are usually three components:

• Integration of subjects (as explained above and in the ideas below)

  

• Collaboration (this kind of experience teaches soft skills that are necessary to success in life)
  • This makes integrated learning perfect for collaboration with:
    • Group writing assignments
    • Group projects
    • Group research
• Projects and presentations:
  • Writing projects (research papers, essays, short stories, poetry)
  • Hands-on learning with
    • poster presentations
    • video presentations
    • arts and craft presentations
  • Problem-based learning
    • This is a teaching format used in some college classes
    • A problem is introduced
      • Students then research the history of the problem and develop logical solutions
      • Students present their findings and solutions

Steps for an integrated learning experience

• Step 1: Collaborate with your homeschool high schoolers to choose topics and resources
• Step 2: Develop a general syllabus to help teens coordinate efforts and manage time
  • Keep logs on time spent and what was done, as well as book lists
• Step 3: Develop a rubric to guide teens on projects
• Step 4: Collaborate with your homeschool high schoolers to choose a question to guide their research or projects (unless they are simply combining subjects)
• Step 5: Read, research, write, create projects
• Step 6: Present results (or final project or paper if simply combining subjects)

• Step 7: Reflect together on what was learned
• Step 8: Break out subjects onto the homeschool transcript
  • Often the book lists will count both as Literature (ELA) and History, both
  • Often papers will count as Writing (ELA) and History, both
  • Often projects will count as History and sometimes, Fine Arts, both

What are some interesting ideas for integrated learning?

• For high schoolers: Combining credits
  • Here’s a post that explains the concept of combining credits
  • Here’s a post that gives an example of combining credits around a Great Christian Writers theme with Literature, History Elective and Fine Arts together
  • Here’s a post that gives an example of combining credits around a World Wars theme with World History,

    

    Geography, Literature and Writing

  • Here’s a post that gives an example of combining credits around a Civil War theme with Literature, Writing, History, Art and Music
  • Here’s a post that gives an example of combining credits around a cooking theme with History, Literature, Writing and Home Ec
  • Here’s a post that gives a simple combination how-to with World History, World Literature and Writing
• For elementary and middle school (and some high school): Unit studies
  • High school unit studies can be short (like a day or week) or longer (a semester or year)
    • Here’s a post with a one-week unit study for Black History Month
    • Here’s a post with a unit study about Mother Teresa
    • Here are a few posts for Holiday unit studies
      • Unit study based on Muppets’ Christmas Carol
      • Unit study based on White Christmas

Resource ideas for Integrated Learning

• Huge list of light-hearted classics for teens
• Complete list of 7Sisters Literature Study Guides
• Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Presidents’ Wives, Interview with Dr. Jill Hummer
• Integrating Career Exploration into Curriculum

What do you think? Ready to give these ideas for integrated learning in your homeschool high school? Download some 7Sisters curriculum to help and inspire. Also, check out this episode with Sabrina (sharing the things she has learned about homeschooling high school): If I Could Talk to My Younger Self.

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Interesting Ideas for Integrated Learning in Homeschool High School