Creating separate content standards for each discipline is not intended to imply that they should be taught in isolation but to suggest each discipline's unique contribution to an understanding of the world. Very few lessons will consist only of history, for example, without reference to geography or economics; interdisciplinary approaches are essential to reinforce students' comprehension. The commission considered two interdisciplinary approaches---cultural contexts and contemporary issues---important enough to emphasize as additional perspectives through which to view the standards. We have attempted to utilize some sample activities accompanying the standards to suggest possibilities for integrating them.
Understanding cultural contexts is critical to preparation for citizenship because the United States has always been composed of an extraordinarily diverse population. Our citizens hail from all corners of the earth, espouse the tenets of every religion, and carry on the traditions of hundreds of different cultures. This has resulted in the creation of a uniquely American culture, flavored and enhanced by those retained traditions. One of the more fundamental American ideals is that, in a nation of immigrants, citizens are not asked to divorce themselves from their heritage but to contribute it to the national milieu, and that American culture forms the essential social context for our society. "A social culture is an organized way of life which is based on a common tradition and conditioned by a common environment," observes historian Christopher Dawson, and "a common way of life involves a common view of life, common standards of behavior and common standards of value." Exploring that American context helps students appreciate the contribution of various cultures to the diversity from which we all draw strength. Further, understanding the importance of cultural context to all societies is a powerful tool for students to use in examining both positive and negative consequences which occur when cultures interact.
Delaware schools are preparing our students to live in the twenty-first century, and while it is not possible to predict with certainty the issues which will concern Americans in the future, we can prepare them by teaching the skills necessary to analyze contemporary issues. Some of these issues represent threats to our society: wars, drugs, or ecological disasters. Some affect the way we view ourselves: immigration, civil rights, and women's rights. Others suggest possible solutions to our most bedeviling problems: information technology, conservation efforts, or volunteer organizations tackling social concerns. By applying skills gained in the study of the core disciplines to contemporary issues, teachers prepare their students to deal with future challenges in their adult lives. Students learn that events are subject to different interpretations, and that they have to be capable of analyzing competing positions before making a decision. This also instills the expectation that every American citizen has both the responsibility and the right to take part in the decision-making process.
Cultural contexts and contemporary issues serve as significant unifying themes for interdisciplinary instruction. For middle-school students studying the colonial period, the concept of multiple cultural contexts in North America provides a useful focus for eighth graders examining the interaction of European, African, and Native American cultures. Students might begin by studying the histories of each major culture prior to contact in the New World. Geographic skills would allow them to map settlement patterns or the flow of trade between Scotch-Irish Presbyterians, English Anglicans, and Cherokee Indians. They could employ cost-benefit analysis from economics to examine the implications of Hurons exchanging furs for manufactured goods with French traders, or the forces driving English, Portuguese, and Dutch mariners in the Atlantic slave trade. This investigation might lead to an appreciation of the struggles of uprooted Africans to preserve their culture in a hostile environment. Finally, students might look at the governments which emerged in the eighteenth century, and how they reflected the process by which immigrants to North America adapted their political, social, and religious heritage to the demands of a new land.
Employing contemporary issues, a class of seniors might explore alternative plans for a proposed bypass highway, by examining maps and relevant geographic data to determine different routes which could connect two major cities, analyzing potential environmental impact and the changes each would make for land use in the area. Students could research the region's history to see is it historical sites existed which would need protection from development, including old buildings, bridges, or potential archaeological sites. Economic analysis could project the ways in which better access to transportation might reduce costs and improve profits for some businesses (resulting in more jobs), balancing this potential gain against the increased cost of taxes to construct the highway. The civics portion of the unit could include consideration of the rights of the landowners whose property was condemned, possible changes in political boundaries, and an investigation of the process by which a development plan was created and approved. Real-life experts might be invited into the classroom to share their expertise and views. A final student project might result in a group presentation before the appropriate city or county government, laying out costs and options for legislators to consider.
The potential of such integrated learning experiences is enormous because they help students conceptualize both the boundaries and the relationships between the four core disciplines. Thus we have attempted to highlight specific standards or activities which cross over disciplinary lines, and even on occasion to suggest integration with science, math, and language arts. We encourage teachers, students, and parents to view the individual standards as building blocks which can be combined in any number of ways to create a solid foundation for effective citizenship.