Here is a quick post about the value of having a school wide blogging system to help foster and promote cross-curricular and interdisciplinary units. In English, we are at the beginning of a series of viewing text units at each grade level. We are looking at film literacy and the ability of students to identify and use the same techniques film makers employ to create mood, suspense and convey theme.

In grade six we are watching How To Train Your Dragon, unit plan here, we are focusing on setting, camera movement, and music. What does this have to do blogging and cross-curricular and interdisciplinary units? I was reading my student blogs when I discovered that in DT they are studying Color Theory, and in Drama they are looking at movement. These elements are not really incorporated into my unit, because I did not know that this is what they were learning in their other classes, but at least now I do. I can now touch on the elements in my unit. I will also share this post with the other teachers, so that maybe next year we can better coordinate our units.

Reading student blogs gives me great insight on what else is happening in our curriculum. We are in the process of empowering and teaching teachers to run their own class blogs. I can’t help but think how much richer our curricular conversation will be, when I can read what is happening in other classroom from both student and teacher blogs. School-wide blogs help enrich and expand conversations about what happens at a school, and last time I checked that was a good thing.