Teaching the Levees:

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Teaching the Levees An Interdisciplinary
Approach to Rebuilding New Orleans
Frederick Douglass High School Center for
Engineering and Applied Technology
(CFEAT) Atlanta, Georgia
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Background
The Frederick Douglass High School Center for
Engineering and Applied Technology Small Learning
Community utilized the School Achievement Plan as
a basis for constructing an interdisciplinary
unit of study. Small families which consist of
grade level teams were given the challenge to
develop a thematic unit utilizing the engineering
theme wave across the curriculum. The topic
chosen by the community was based on a
deconstruction of the Hurricane Katrina disaster.
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Instructional Focus
In 2006, Spike Lee produced an award winning
documentary When the Levees Broke A Requiem in
Four Acts. This film used powerful imagery to
convey the social, political and economic effects
of the disaster as well as an in depth analysis
of the levee breaches. In the spirit of this
film, lead teachers were given the challenge to
intersect the aftermath of the disaster with a
collective effort to reexamine all aspects of the
tragedy with a concise instructional focus.
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Meaningful Connections
The central engineering component consisted of
student reconstruction of the levees. Thus, all
content areas designed lesson plans in accordance
with the thematic unit implementation schedule
from September-December 2007 for the culminating
activity.
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Frederick Douglass High School Achievement Plan
The advent of small learning communities will
provide countless opportunities for
interdisciplinary instruction. Teachers will be
required to plan, implement and evaluate
collaborative units of instruction that feature
an emphasis on essential learnings in math,
science, social studies, language arts and SLC
themes of pre-engineering and applied technology
fine and performing arts, multimedia, NJROTC,
travel, hospitality and marketing.
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Structural Considerations
Small Learning Communities Reorganize the
traditional department structure and foster the
use of teacher teams provided with ample planning
time to integrate the curriculum.
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Teaming Strategies

• Use interdisciplinary teaming including all core
  subject areas, foreign language, PE and theme
  based courses, i.e. Engineering.
• Promote the integration of technical writing
  across content areas
• Examine the skills that are necessary across
  content areas and determine common benchmarks and
  strategies to use across disciplines.
• Create mixed ability student teams with
  differentiated tasks and responsibilities

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Advantages

• Allows students to see connections among
  disciplines
• Creates teams of teachers that take ownership of
  a specific group of students
• Encourages collaboration and opportunities for
  teams of teachers to look at student work and
  talk about individual students who need help.
• Student teams allow students to engage in higher
  order thinking skills.

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Challenges

• Aligning with state curriculum, scope and
  sequence
• Soliciting buy-in from teachers
• Ensuring teacher and material continuity
• Providing specific, targeted, job embedded
  professional development
• Ensuring that curriculum integration is authentic
  to the natures of various disciplines

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Progress Measures

• Examine team configuration to ensure that all
  teachers and students are placed on
  interdisciplinary teams based on integrated
  units, with students kept together in grade level
  families throughout the day.
• Monitor the process, procedures ad structures
  created by each team to ensure that literacy,
  basic skills, common benchmarks, and strategies
  are used and taught across content areas.

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Frederick Douglass High School Implementation
Model
Frederick Douglass High School maintains a
school-within-a-school model for
interdisciplinary teaming. This student
centered structure creates the vehicle for
critical dialogue during a common preparation
period.
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Frederick Douglass High School Implementation
Model
For example, the English/language arts department
and social studies departments often coordinate
thematic units to incorporate textual reading
comprehension and technical writing across the
curriculum while tying historical concepts to
real world problems. Also, collaboration works
to include school wide targets in reading,
writing, and mathematics.
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Frederick Douglass High School Implementation
Model
In addition to SLC focused planning activities,
the team meets at least once a week to discuss
progress, and review the implementation
timeline. Staff in-service days are also
embedded in pre-planning meetings to review
differentiated instructional methods-such as
integrated coursework, project based learning,
field trips and community exhibitions.
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Implementation Timeline

• Document each quarter through the use of rubrics
  to show the results and impact of learning as it
  is applied to school or community issues through
  team and student presentations.
• August-September- Introduction of theme wave
  and professional development with PLTW.
• October-November-Engage in research, meet weekly
  to discuss progress, monitor student research
  efforts and develop and outline of activities

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Implementation Timeline

• December-Prepare for school-community
  presentation CFEAT in New Orleans
• January-February- Follow up with student projects
  for local and regional fairs. NAF Advisory Board
  meeting
• March- Measure progress with an evaluative
  tool/rubric. Students present at state academic
  fairs.
• April-May- Review data and prepare for
  Spring/Fall exhibition CFEAT Goes Green

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Thematic Unit Rationale

• Explain the rationale behind the design of the
  unit. A rationale describes your teams beliefs
  as curriculum designers and your aims for the
  specific populations you teach (R. Hyman)
• Think about what students should be able to know
  and do.
• Ask yourself what will the demonstration of
  knowledge and skill look like in my classroom?
  What would be important for a teacher who is not
  familiar with this unit to know about its design
  or your reasons for creating it?

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Instructional Focus

• Implementation Overview-Describe briefly how the
  unit is organized
• Implementation Timeline-Describe the anticipated
  timeline for this unit of study
• Prior skills and knowledge-Determine what
  students already know and what they will learn
• Materials Resources Needed-Identify instructional
  materials and supplies needed for your lesson
• Outline of Activities

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Sample List of Activities
Science 9th grade Biology Creating a DNA
Database for Identification Math 11th grade
Analysis Analysis of a Hurricane Language Arts
11th grade American Literature Poetry Display of
Katrina Victims Social Studies 11th grade U.S.
History Cultural Mapping the Katrina Diaspora
Migration Foreign Language 10-12th grade Spanish
Katrina News Broadcast Engineering 10-12th
grade Engineering Concepts New Levee Design
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Using the Concept Wheel to Plan Effectively

• Group Exercise Place your organizing center in
  the hub of the concept wheel.
• Draw spokes off the hub one spoke for each
  discipline you intend to include in your unit.
• Complete each discipline-independent planning,
  with students, and with colleagues
• Develop Essential Questions
• Map out each segment of your curriculum using
  national and state standards

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Works Cited
Hyman, R. Interdisciplinary Unit Template,
Caldwell College (June 19, 2008)www.efsk6.org/610
9071410393/lib/6109071410393/ED_500_Final_Interdis
ciplinary_Unit_Template.doc Meier, Deborah,
Breaking Ranks in the Middle Strategies for
Leading Middle Level Reform National Association
of Secondary School Principals Reston, VA (2006)
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Using the Concept Wheel to Design a Culminating
Event

• Begin with the end in mind.
• Dont edit too much.
• Invest in your team.
• Attempt to include everyone.
• Be realistic.

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