My Family's Heritage:
An Interdisciplinary Unit

Contributor's Suggestions

We hosted a guest speaker, a professor from Southwestern university. She addressed our students concerning attaining one's potential, emulating traits we see in successful people, envisioning where 7th grade fits into the scope of their education. This included the importance of making good decisions now and during their formal education to ensure a successful, fruitful, and satisfying future.

Interdisciplinary unit: Texas history

• Students researched the various cultures represented in Texas.
• Students researched personal family heritage through family interviews.
• The unit culminated with a FOOD FEST. Students shared samples of favorite ethnic family recipes.

Interdisciplinary unit: language arts

• Students did extensive research about heroes. Students looked at those traits that were consistent among people we consider to be heroes.
• Students did KWL writing activities throughout the unit about what they were learning along the way.

Suggestions:

• If more time was available in the computer lab, I would have spent more time on choosing the correct graph to depict the data and would have allowed more time for creative work on the graphs.
• I would have made sure the HANDOUTS were in the exact format as the screens the students were working with. I gave them the data to enter into the spreadsheet in a slightly different table format.
• In science, I would have taken pictures of the entire seventh grade so students would have had more friends to choose from for their offspring pictures.
• In science, I would have spent more time on genetic cloning and had students explore the social ramifications.
• Using technology in our teaching is a natural way to get students excited about learning. This unit was a success and we look forward to improving upon it next year. We appreciate your consideration of this entry and hope that it can help other educators integrate technology into their classrooms.