The Ross Curriculum is rich in content and lends itself to innovative and effective pedagogical approaches. Adapting this curriculum to state standards is a creative and engaging process, involving teachers’ participation and guidance offered by Ross Institute experts. This workshop shows, with concrete examples, the process of adapting themes from the Ross School cultural history curriculum to the required state standards. Ross Institute presenters adapt this workshop for different states’ standards.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: All Divisions, Curriculum

Using specific pieces of artwork linked to different grade levels and themes in the spiral curriculum, participants are encouraged to examine art in an impressionistic and creative way. Presenters model the role of the teacher in leading students to examine and critique art. Examples of artwork used in past workshops include Maya cups, Greek urns, the Laoccon, revolutionary paintings of David, and contemporary portraits about identity and political expression. The presentation provides teachers with suggestions for curriculum, materials, and pedagogical approaches to make an integrated unit come alive for students. Workshop participants are encouraged to specify a topic of interest at least one week prior to the workshop date so presenters can address this directly.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: All Divisions, Art

Teachers and administrators learn about the importance of classroom design and set-up as a foundational element in the educational process. Aesthetic principles are described, with reference to educational models and educational research. Workshop participants are shown classroom settings which illustrate the concepts. Discussion includes the best ways to incorporate student art into the classroom environment to make the location of learning a rich educational experience. This workshop can be tailored to assist teachers in designing a new classroom, with discussion of required facilities, equipment, and supplies.
Length: 1 hour
Categories: All Divisions, Curriculum, Pedagogy, Art

Diversity in the classroom presents teaching challenges that must be met so all students can achieve their potential. This workshop addresses differentiated learning with strategies for accommodating various learning needs and learning styles. Ways to use multilevel projects, tiered assignments, and learning units structured through the various intelligences and learning modalities are suggested as ways to give all students access to instruction and provide them with intelligence-fair assessments to demonstrate understanding. During the session presenters model differentiation using a step-by-step plan to guide teachers in determining best approaches based on the needs of individual students in the class. Teachers will leave with a toolkit including various ways to differentiate lessons unique to the Ross School curriculum.
Length: 1 hour
Category: All Divisions, Pedagogy

This workshop identifies the big ideas, the Enduring Understandings, teachers must define to orient their planning of content and pedagogy for the curriculum. The workshop draws inspiration from the work of McTighe and Wiggins’ Understanding by Design model. Participants learn to construct Essential Questions and chart out the best routes for the students to reach an understanding of the big ideas. Workshop participants may specify a topic of interest one week prior to the workshop date, so that presenters can address the subject directly.  
Length: 1.5 hours
Categories: All Divisions, Curriculum, Pedagogy

Schools around the country are currently engaged in efforts to improve student nutrition by teaching healthy eating habits,. As part of an overall approach to well-being and the mind-body relationship, Ross School approaches the issue of food in schools in meaningful and effective ways. Cultural history, science, and language teachers work closely with the Ross School Café to use cooking as an effective and engaging way to integrate with the Cultural History curriculum. Presenters provide examples and guidelines for successful integration of food studies and cooking with other domains.
Length: 1 hour
Categories: All Divisions, Curriculum, Wellness

The Ross School Model uses Multiple Intelligences approaches to best engage students in effective learning. Kinesthetic learning is an important strategy to reach those students who best learn and understand through movement. The workshop explores the relationship between kinesthetic intelligence, other intelligences, and curriculum content. Participants identify strategies for constructing lessons using experiential kinesthetic learning to more fully engage students in subject matter. Participants are requested to submit a unit or topic prior to the session that we will “workshop” into experiences using the body as a medium.
Length: 1 hour
Category: All Divisions, Pedagogy

“Know Thyself in Order to Serve” is the motto of the Ross School. This mission is linked to the spiral history curriculum so that service learning is embedded in the process of intellectual engagement at all levels. Presenters discuss the myriad ways that service learning projects can encourage student engagement, promote experiential learning, and facilitate community involvement. Workshop participants get ideas and practical advice regarding effective ways of engaging students in local, national, and international topics associated with social, cultural, ecological, political and environmental issues.
Length: 1 hour
Categories: All Divisions, Curriculum, Pedagogy, Service Learning

Use of the Multiple Intelligences approach in the math classroom increases student engagement and helps with retention of classroom information. The presenter, who has worked to integrate math in both the public and private school contexts, shows how to relate the teaching of math to other disciplines and shares many ideas about linking math to other disciplines.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: All Divisions, Cultural History Integration, Math

The Multiple Intelligences workshop focuses on one theme that is experientially explored through the seven intelligences put forth by Howard Gardner in his innovative approach to teaching. The intelligences are: linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. Themes may include ancient cultures of Rome, India, or Greece. Workshop participants are encouraged to specify a topic of interest one week prior to the workshop date, so that presenters can address the subject directly. This workshop allows teachers to see the productive potential of MI approaches in the classroom, and gives them ideas on lesson planning using this effective approach to teaching and learning.
Length: 1-1.5 hours
Category: All Divisions, Pedagogy

Music is integrated into the Ross School curriculum as an important theme in the cultural history of different civilizations. This presentation involves discussion of evolution and variations of music cross-culturally. Topics include instruments, rhythms, and themes from music of many areas and time periods, including Indus Valley, the ancient Maya, Islamic cultures and Iberian Fusion, and the Romanticism movement in Europe. The presentation provides teachers with suggestions for curriculum, materials, and pedagogical approaches to effectively integrate music with other disciplines.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: All Divisions, Cultural History Integration, Performing Arts

The Ross School Spiral Curriculum integrates traditional disciplines into a unifying theme of Cultural History. The presenter discusses the conception and evolution of this innovative and effective curriculum and the ways it unfolds in classrooms, in the field, and in the future lives of students. This introduction gives a useful perspective on developing a curricular model and on the philosophy and architecture of integrated learning, which anchor the Ross School Spiral of Cultural History. Each grade level and theme is discussed in this two-part general overview. Workshop participants gain a deep understanding of the Ross Spiral curriculum by the end of this presentation.
Length: 2 hours
Categories: All Divisions, Curriculum

Ross School integrates art with nearly all cultural history units in innovative ways that effectively engage students. In this talk, presenters demonstrate how to best integrate art with other disciplines, using the historical and thematic elements of the spiral as a starting point. Examples of successful integrated projects include lessons about quilts in the Patterns Unit (Grade 1), cave paintings (Grade 3), Greek Urns (Grades 6 and 7), Maya Cups and Murals (Grade 7), Islamic Calligraphy (Grade 8), plein air painting (Grade 10) and modern art (Grade 11).
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: All Divisions, Cultural History Integration, Art

Team meetings are a vital part of the Ross School culture. Integrated units are planned in collaborative and exciting ways at team meetings. This is also a time when specific student issues are discussed, and trips and special events planned. This presentation gives teachers and administrators an understanding of the content and best management styles to facilitate effective team meetings. A film of a middle school meeting showcases the role of the team leader and the collaborative process.
Length: 1 hour
Category: All Divisions, Curriculum, Pedagogy

This workshop begins with incisive discussion about creating and integrating technologies to complement and encourage student learning, specifically those that clearly add value, meaning, and depth to project-based learning. The role technology plays in engaging the modern learner is introduced along with issues of appropriate use and the responsibilities pertaining to online access to information and individuals. The Ross School was an early adopter of a one-to-one laptop program; the presentation includes discussion of problems, opportunities, and solutions to this effective form of technology integration.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: All Divisions, Cultural History Integration, Technology

Wellness at Ross School is an internationally recognized program, famous for the effective integration of Eastern and Western forms of sport and exercise with a well-established and innovative nutrition program. In this presentation, the Ross School Wellness Director describes ways to approach fitness and sports with students. She demonstrates grade-appropriate methods for teaching the rich historical traditions of sports, medicine, and well-being found across many cultures. Physical fitness is part of a larger effort to help students build the foundation for lifelong physical well-being. Teachers attending this workshop will get practical ideas regarding ways to link wellness with other aspects of the curriculum to better integrate wellness into students’ lives.
Length: 1 hour
Category: All Divisions, Wellness

Wellness at Ross School is an internationally recognized program, famous for the effective integration of Eastern and Western forms of sport and exercise with a nutrition program that is at once Regional, Organic, Sustainable, and Seasonal. In this presentation chef de cuisine Liz Dobbs describes the history and operation of the Ross School café, with emphasis on the ways farming, composting, cooking, and eating at Ross School have transformed the lives of students. Nutrition is part of a larger effort to help students build the foundation for lifelong physical well-being. Workshop participants will get practical advice about transforming school food and student’s eating attitudes and habits, with reference to ideas associated with the Healthy School Food Movement.
Length: 1 hour
Category: All Divisions, Wellness

The Ross Lower School Balanced Math program is designed to address mathematical skills and concepts that students need as a foundation for 21st century learning. The program incorporates conceptual problem solving with number study, math language and integrated studies. The presenter demonstrates how this program is used in grades K-4 at the Ross Lower School and can be integrated into other grades.
Length: 1 hour
Categories: Lower School, Math

Participants learn to research and design integrated units that derive from student interests and meet the academic and social needs of the student. Units include literature, art projects, music, theater, science explorations and math investigations to entice the student and develop critical thinking skills.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: Lower School, Curriculum, Pedagogy

The Early Dwellings unit was designed for Lower School students to explore the life of early humans and the challenges encountered in locating and designing safe and functional dwellings. Following an inspiring fieldtrip, students design and build their own dwellings in a creative exercise of architecture and play. In the presentation, the multi-disciplinary approaches used to great effect in this unit are outlined and explained. Practical considerations regarding trip planning, necessary materials, and assessment approaches are also discussed.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: Lower School, Cultural History Integration, Curriculum

Pattern recognition is at the heart of scientific investigation, artistic creation, mathematical calculation, and social communication. With this in mind, students in Ross School embark on an in-depth, hands-on exploration of the metamorphosis and life cycle of the Monarch butterfly discovering the natural patterns, rhythms, and cycles of this amazing insect. This  integrated unit combines scientific discovery with literature, cultural history, and wellness. Students make connections to the seasonal cycles as well as to age-appropriate literature about lifecycles and transformations. The presentation provides teachers with suggestions for curriculum, materials, and pedagogical approaches to make an integrated unit come alive for students. The Lifecycles/Lifetimes unit is taught in First Grade at Ross School, but can be adapted to other elementary grades.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: Lower School, Cultural History Integration, Curriculum, Science

This presentation focuses on community building, both in the classroom and in the nation. The presenter demonstrates different ways to integrate core values, rules, responsibilities, and elections of representatives with the study of American government. The Constitution, Bill of Rights, and election processes are discussed and modeled in the classroom setting. Teachers have found this unit helpful in establishing classroom rules and routines at the beginning of the year.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: Lower School, Middle School, Cultural History Integration, Curriculum

Using the example of teaching the first human migratory paths, this presentation shows how a Cultural History unit can be integrated with other domains, and how an integrated unit is built, including how to use Essential Questions and Enduring Understandings across domains to create cohesion for projects. The major project for this unit is the Migration Game, a hands-on integrated approach to migration using science and art.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: Lower School, Middle School, Cultural History Integration, Curriculum

The Ross core values and motto, Know Thyself in Order to Serve, are central to this integrated unit regarding ecological awareness and service learning. The presenter shows how to integrate reading of fiction and non-fiction with hands-on projects in art and science. Learning experiences include recycling, oil spill cleanup, paper-making and artistic creations from waste materials. Campus-wide efforts to engage the community in reducing, reusing and recycling are explained. This is a unit that provides students with insight about the ways they can make a difference in the world and, through their voices and actions, teach others to do the same.
Length: 1 hour
Categories: Lower School, Cultural History Integration, Curriculum

This presentation explores the Kindergarten unit on creation and birth stories. The presenter describes the unit starting with the exploration of creation stories from around the world. Participants witness how students, using music and narratives, celebrate their own unique stories. Through visual arts, scientific explorations, and math skills, students create "babies" that mirror their height and weight at birth. They create nurseries, sing the babies to sleep in music, and care for them using the Ross Core Values. Math and science are introduced as concrete exploratory lessons. The scientific study of beginnings and changes presents an opportunity to learn about biology of birth and the timeline of infant development. The presenter also shows how questions of survival and basic needs are introduced to young students.
Length: 1 hour
Categories: Lower School, Cultural History Integration, Curriculum

This presentation outlines the ways in which Early Childhood educators can prepare their young students for challenging curricula oriented towards the skills and competencies required for 21st century learners. Through exploration of the world around them, our young students work to build social awareness and confidence in laying the foundation for risk-taking and engagement within their communities. This presentation assists teachers in developing students’ critical thinking skills and fostering their dedication to lifelong learning.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: Lower School, Curriculum, Pedagogy

This is an introduction to the Ross Core Values and how they are used to create a caring, cooperative classroom community. Participants create lessons around respect, responsibility, gratitude, and other values determined by the schools. Teachers leave the workshop with a series of integrated lessons and ideas for displays for the classroom.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: Lower School, Curriculum, Pedagogy

Ross School integrates English with Cultural History units in a number of ways that engage students in historical research and creative writing projects, using young adult and historical fiction as models and jumping-off points. Examples of successful projects include the Phoenician Mariner’s Journal, Point of View Exercise with The Well of Sacrifice, and the Historical Memoir and Eaters of the Dead projects. Teachers will be instructed in effective ways to use historical fiction when teaching English and Cultural History.
Length: 45 minutes
Category: Middle School, Cultural History Integration, English, Curriculum

In this presentation, participants are shown inventive ways to integrate many different disciplines in an engaging and inspiring unit regarding the Classical Maya of Central America. Cultural history, literature and mythology, art and art history, science, math, and wellness are included, as students learn about the geography, architecture, cooking, games, and art of the Maya. For example, students learn about the Maya murals and mythology by reading and illustrating or performing the stories; they learn about the ballgame by playing it; and, they learn about the agriculture, food, and nutrition by working on a farm and cooking traditional Maya food. The presentation provides teachers with suggestions for curriculum, materials, and pedagogical approaches to make an integrated unit come alive for students.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: Middle School, High School, Cultural History Integration, Curriculum

This presentation focuses on community building, both in the classroom and in the nation. The presenter demonstrates different ways to integrate core values, rules, responsibilities, and elections of representatives with the study of American government. The Constitution, Bill of Rights, and election processes are discussed and modeled in the classroom setting. Teachers have found this unit helpful in establishing classroom rules and routines at the beginning of the year.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: Lower School, Middle School, Cultural History Integration, Curriculum

Using the example of teaching the first human migratory paths, this presentation shows how a Cultural History unit can be integrated with other domains, and how an integrated unit is built, including how to use Essential Questions and Enduring Understandings across domains to create cohesion for projects. The major project for this unit is the Migration Game, a hands-on integrated approach to migration using science and art.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: Lower School, Middle School, Cultural History Integration, Curriculum

The integrated unit regarding Indus Valley civilization provides a rich understanding of the unique blending of cultures in this fascinating time. This unit combines study of literature, geography and settlement structure, art, religion, history, culture, wellness and dance to engage students in a holistic approach to the period and place. Students are taught to chant, dance, and create poetry to capture the essence of the Rg Veda. Students are introduced to ayurvedic medicine, the philosophy of curing and health, and Hindu temple art. Teachers in this workshop learn about the integrated experiences, and the concluding events of the unit, including a performance on stage, a visit to a Hindu temple, and the preparation of an Indian foods meal provided by the Ross cafe.
Length: 45 minutes.
Categories: Middle School, Cultural History Integration, Curriculum

This workshop addresses the rich culture of the Golden Age of Baghdad with emphasis on the emergence and spread of Islam from Arabia across Northern Africa to its culmination in al-Andalus, southern Spain. The socio-political and religious climate of Arabia is the backdrop for understanding Muhammad’s rise and the new universalizing religion of Medina. From the House of Wisdom in Baghdad to the translation schools of Cordoba, Granada, and Toledo, students learn of the Sunni-Shi’a schism, the tenets of Islam, and the context of Islam within the religions of Abraham. Integrating the visual arts, math, science, English, wellness, performing arts and media around the cultural history content, students create geometric Islamic designs, read the poems of Rumi and engage in Sufi whirling, write and perform historical memoirs, stage a Middle Eastern banquet in character, and make films on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The presentation provides teachers with suggestions for curriculum, materials, and pedagogical approaches to make an integrated unit come alive for students.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: Middle School, High School, Cultural History Integration, Curriculum

This presentation is about the integrated Leonardo notebook project, designed by art, math, and science faculty with the help of historians and mathematicians. Taught in conjunction with a cultural history unit on the Renaissance, the aim of this project is to introduce the concept of a “Renaissance” person by encouraging students to think expansively across disciplines. Students engage in a number of activities and assignments, producing notes, drawings and mathematical calculations based on their own observations and experiences. As the notebooks presented demonstrate, students use the Renaissance drawing methods  to create botanical drawings, drawings of inventions and mechanical objects, master copies, studies from the model and other observational drawings. The science component involves dissecting animals and producing drawings to render and identify organs. In math, students measure and draw geometric forms and calculate their volumes. They learn a software program in order to to analyze the perspective used in Renaissance paintings as well as to digitally produce their own perspective drawings. Discussion of topics also includes the Vitruvian Man, the Golden Mean, and the Fibonacci Sequence. The presentation provides teachers with suggestions for curriculum, materials, and pedagogical approaches to make an integrated unit come alive for students.
Length: 1 hour
Categories: Middle School, High School, Cultural History Integration, Curriculum

The Exhibition Project is a very successful interdisciplinary experience at Ross School. This project allows students to perform as curators and art historians by having them develop and implement a documented thematic exhibition of the work of professional artists. The exhibition itself is a form of assessment that demonstrates and shares student learning. Through the project, students are provided with opportunities to use the 21st century skills of collaboration, creative problem solving, organizational planning, and multiple forms of communication. Students learn valuable lessons by working as a team and by participating in peer teaching. The project promotes community outreach, as students reach out to local artists and invite the public to the exhibition opening. This presentation helps teachers and administrators conceptualize how to best use the school environment as a learning environment, using art as integral to teaching cultural history and integration. All disciplines get involved as students curate the show, create the catalogue, host the opening, and engage viewers in activities to best understand the artworks displayed. The presentation provides teachers with suggestions for designing an exhibition using local artists and the school environment; all steps of the Exhibition Project are discussed to help teachers conceptualize the project in creative and useful ways.
Length: 1 hour
Categories: Middle School, High School, Cultural History Integration, Art

Through an integrated cultural history and media studies project, students demonstrate and experience global citizenship through media activism. Their projects encourage democratic participation and aim to effect social and political change through informed and creative media production. The presenters discuss the process of teaching global citizenship and ways in which multi-media production can enhance cross-cultural communication and political expression. The presentation provides teachers with suggestions for curriculum, materials, and pedagogical approaches to make media activism an engaging part of the curriculum of any school.
Length: 1 hour
Categories: Middle School, High School, Cultural History Integration, Media

One of the goals of the Ross School science program is to promote meaningful integration in using multi-disciplinary approaches. Twenty-first century problem solvers need to be able to look through the lens of science as well as integrate understanding of other disciplines to tackle today’s complex problems. This presentation focuses on using a multi-disciplinary approach to engage students in active learning and cultivate in them the skillset required for inquiry-based and problem-solving science.  This presentation also describes the ways this integrated approach aligns to national standards and current research in science education.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: Middle School, High School, Cultural History Integration, Science

This workshop focuses on helping teachers research, design, and implement ecology-based service learning projects. During the workshop, the instructor showcases several types of projects and fieldtrips that take advantage of local community resources and which have resulted in active collaborations with key environmental groups. Field service projects that take place as part of international travel programs are also shared. The presentation includes discussion of the importance of creating meaningful learning experiences for students in the field of ecology to engage them as creative problem solvers and partners in service learning projects.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: Middle School, High School, Service Learning, Science

Cultural history teachers discuss the way current events can be woven into a unified, coherent curriculum. They demonstrate how to use Internet and other sources to effectively to trace important themes in the news of the day, including immigration, human rights, and environmental change. This presentation provides methods and resources to teachers to stay ahead of the coverage regarding relevant newsworthy events.
Length: 45 minutes.
Categories: Middle School, High School, Curriculum, Current Events

Cultivating the positive value system set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and integrating human rights education into any school’s curriculum is the first step in respecting, promoting, and defending rights of all people. This presentation demonstrates how to reach students using activities and media examples, especially documentaries, to teach them about human rights issues and to empower them to act on what they learn. The presenter is a documentary filmmaker with much experience teaching pre-collegiate students to analyze, critique, and make videos. The presentation provides teachers with suggestions for curriculum, materials, and pedagogical approaches to make human rights a central part of teachers’ and students’ awareness.
Length: 1 hour
Categories: Middle School, High School, Cultural History Integration, Media

While theater is integrated into many units at Ross School, there are four major moments in the curriculum where cultural history and English are taught through the close reading and production of plays and study of theater of the time period. The units discussed in this presentation by the Ross School Theater Director, Gerard Doyle, include the Indus Valley civilization, ancient Greece, ancient Rome and the Renaissance. The presentation provides teachers with suggestions for curriculum, materials, and pedagogical approaches to make effective theater integration come alive for students.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: Middle School, High School, Cultural History Integration, Performing Arts

In this workshop, the Ross School Domain Chair for Science Patty Lein, describes different ways to use technological tools to promote inquiry learning in the science lab. While this approach yields important scientific data, it also effectively engages students by making their everyday experience with technology a subject and tool for academic inquiry. The presenter demonstrates use of the Vernier digital probe and accompanying software as well as other forms of technology with classroom applications, including iPhoto, iMovie, and cell phone technology.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: Middle School, High School, Curriculum, Science, Technology

This workshop involves the story of cryptography (the practice and study of hidden information) and its evolution throughout history. Participants learn about the ancient techniques of cryptography used in tribal Africa. They are also taught about Greek water clocks, the Bombes (the first computation machines) used to crack German Naval code during World War II, and the more modern Colossus.  Mathematics and cryptography are closely linked and have fun uses in the classroom, where students can employ simple substitution methods or the more advanced matrices techniques. Teachers in this workshop will learn the history and application of cryptography, and methods to effectively share this fascinating field of study with their students.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: High School, Cultural History Integration, Math

This workshop outlines the unit about imperialism of the late 19th century, when Western powers colonized Africa and Asia. Teachers learn inventive ways to approach this material and engage students in multi-disciplinary, collaborative projects and historical research. The presenter discusses ideas for project-based learning that include technology integration, historical geography, English and the theater arts. The centerpiece of the unit is a staged “trial” of a resistance leader. Resistance movements from this time period are compared to contemporary issues of resistance and political change.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: High School, Cultural History Integration, Curriculum

The Modernity unit was designed by a multi-disciplinary team and exemplifies the innovative teaching practices of the Ross School, an institution known for its integrated core cultural history curriculum and its emphasis on the arts. The presenters share a series of inter-disciplinary experiential learning activities and studio assignments designed to illuminate for students the essence of the modern period (1860-1930). In addition to the key visual artists of the time period such as Manet, Cezanne, Picasso, and Duchamp, students are introduced to major figures and contributions that impact on the emergence of modern consciousness. They include Freud and the birth of psychoanalysis, the poetry of Baudelaire, Schoenberg’s atonal music, and developments in mathematics and science by Poincare and Einstein. Presenters show examples of projects created during this unit, offer guidelines for team-teaching, and discuss decision making by consensus for overall integrated unit objectives.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: High School, Cultural History Integration, Curriculum

In this presentation, participants are shown inventive ways to integrate many different disciplines in an engaging and inspiring unit regarding the Classical Maya of Central America. Cultural history, literature and mythology, art and art history, science, math, and wellness are included, as students learn about the geography, architecture, cooking, games, and art of the Maya. For example, students learn about the Maya murals and mythology by reading and illustrating or performing the stories; they learn about the ballgame by playing it; and, they learn about the agriculture, food, and nutrition by working on a farm and cooking traditional Maya food. The presentation provides teachers with suggestions for curriculum, materials, and pedagogical approaches to make an integrated unit come alive for students.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: Middle School, High School, Cultural History Integration, Curriculum

This workshop addresses the rich culture of the Golden Age of Baghdad with emphasis on the emergence and spread of Islam from Arabia across Northern Africa to its culmination in al-Andalus, southern Spain. The socio-political and religious climate of Arabia is the backdrop for understanding Muhammad’s rise and the new universalizing religion of Medina. From the House of Wisdom in Baghdad to the translation schools of Cordoba, Granada, and Toledo, students learn of the Sunni-Shi’a schism, the tenets of Islam, and the context of Islam within the religions of Abraham. Integrating the visual arts, math, science, English, wellness, performing arts and media around the cultural history content, students create geometric Islamic designs, read the poems of Rumi and engage in Sufi whirling, write and perform historical memoirs, stage a Middle Eastern banquet in character, and make films on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The presentation provides teachers with suggestions for curriculum, materials, and pedagogical approaches to make an integrated unit come alive for students.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: Middle School, High School, Cultural History Integration, Curriculum

The Enlightenment unit focuses on Voltaire as the central figure and as a means to link together the different domains in a rich, integrated approach to this important moment in history. The literary works, Candide, Voltaire’s Lettres Philosophiques, and the Encyclopedie of Diderot and D’Alembert are examined in Cultural History and English in novel ways. In Science, study is on the work of Isaac Newton and Benjamin Franklin and the development of optics. Teachers will be instructed in different approaches to intellectual history, and the hands-on approaches in the science lab are described in detail during this workshop.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: High School, Cultural History Integration, Curriculum

This presentation is about the integrated Leonardo notebook project, designed by art, math, and science faculty with the help of historians and mathematicians. Taught in conjunction with a cultural history unit on the Renaissance, the aim of this project is to introduce the concept of a “Renaissance” person by encouraging students to think expansively across disciplines. Students engage in a number of activities and assignments, producing notes, drawings and mathematical calculations based on their own observations and experiences. As the notebooks presented demonstrate, students use the Renaissance drawing methods  to create botanical drawings, drawings of inventions and mechanical objects, master copies, studies from the model and other observational drawings. The science component involves dissecting animals and producing drawings to render and identify organs. In math, students measure and draw geometric forms and calculate their volumes. They learn a software program in order to to analyze the perspective used in Renaissance paintings as well as to digitally produce their own perspective drawings. Discussion of topics also includes the Vitruvian Man, the Golden Mean, and the Fibonacci Sequence. The presentation provides teachers with suggestions for curriculum, materials, and pedagogical approaches to make an integrated unit come alive for students.
Length: 1 hour
Categories: Middle School, High School, Cultural History Integration, Curriculum

Participants are introduced to games about the historical periods of the Renaissance, Mercantilism, and Industrialization. These games make the important social-economic transitions of these historical periods come alive for students, and help engage them in the learning process in active and effective ways. The Renaissance Game provides an opportunity for students to apply real historical events from Machiavelli’s <i>The Prince</i> to different situations in an attempt to strategize a winning position. The Mercantilism Game engages students in the triangle of trading slaves, sugar, and raw materials for manufactured goods in a geographical exchange network. Through this simulation, students are introduced to complex economic policies, the intricacies of entrepreneurship, and patterns of resource exploitation. The Industrialization Game focuses student activity on the shift from skilled, artisanal craftwork to mechanized, assembly-line labor. Students experience the changes associated with new forms of work and consumption in the course of this game, and gain a richer understanding of the processes associated with industrial production. Presenters demonstrate the rules, the simple materials, and the academic resources needed to play these games in the classroom.
Length: 1 hour
Categories: High School, Cultural History Integration

The Exhibition Project is a very successful interdisciplinary experience at Ross School. This project allows students to perform as curators and art historians by having them develop and implement a documented thematic exhibition of the work of professional artists. The exhibition itself is a form of assessment that demonstrates and shares student learning. Through the project, students are provided with opportunities to use the 21st century skills of collaboration, creative problem solving, organizational planning, and multiple forms of communication. Students learn valuable lessons by working as a team and by participating in peer teaching. The project promotes community outreach, as students reach out to local artists and invite the public to the exhibition opening. This presentation helps teachers and administrators conceptualize how to best use the school environment as a learning environment, using art as integral to teaching cultural history and integration. All disciplines get involved as students curate the show, create the catalogue, host the opening, and engage viewers in activities to best understand the artworks displayed. The presentation provides teachers with suggestions for designing an exhibition using local artists and the school environment; all steps of the Exhibition Project are discussed to help teachers conceptualize the project in creative and useful ways.
Length: 1 hour
Categories: Middle School, High School, Cultural History Integration, Art

Through an integrated cultural history and media studies project, students demonstrate and experience global citizenship through media activism. Their projects encourage democratic participation and aim to effect social and political change through informed and creative media production. The presenters discuss the process of teaching global citizenship and ways in which multi-media production can enhance cross-cultural communication and political expression. The presentation provides teachers with suggestions for curriculum, materials, and pedagogical approaches to make media activism an engaging part of the curriculum of any school.
Length: 1 hour
Categories: Middle School, High School, Cultural History Integration, Media

One of the goals of the Ross School science program is to promote meaningful integration in using multi-disciplinary approaches. Twenty-first century problem solvers need to be able to look through the lens of science as well as integrate understanding of other disciplines to tackle today’s complex problems. This presentation focuses on using a multi-disciplinary approach to engage students in active learning and cultivate in them the skillset required for inquiry-based and problem-solving science.  This presentation also describes the ways this integrated approach aligns to national standards and current research in science education.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: Middle School, High School, Cultural History Integration, Science

Senior Project is the culmination of a student's learning experience at Ross School. After choosing a topic of study, the student, with the mentoring of a Ross faculty member, demonstrates sustained thought and considerable energy in bringing raw material to a finished product. Through execution of the Senior Project, students embody their passion through a process and product that integrates such Ross School principles as integration, multiple intelligences, cultural/historical context, personal reflection, comparative analysis, application of technology and pursuit of excellence. The four components of Senior Project are the Process Folio, the Final Product, the Presentation, and the Final Abstract and Archiving. At the conclusion of the Senior Project, students are expected to have deeper insight into themselves as learners and producers. The presentation provides teachers with suggestions to help design meaningful and productive senior projects.
Length: 1 hour
Categories: High School, Curriculum, Pedagogy, Senior Project

The Senior Project is the capstone of education at the Ross School. These projects represent a remarkable body of work, and have been recognized by scholars at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education as a platform for students to experience innovation, collaboration, and integration and other skills essential for 21st century learning. In this presentation, the entire process of the Senior Project program is reviewed. This includes steps students must take to formulate their project ideas and write up preliminary and formal proposals and to reach important milestones. The role of the  Senior Project Mentor is described in detail, with different approaches discussed. Special attention is given to the responsibilities of students to effectively deal with challenges that occur along the way. The presentation provides teachers with suggestions to design a successful program for Senior Projects in all different kinds of schools.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: High School, Pedagogy, Senior Project

This workshop focuses on helping teachers research, design, and implement ecology-based service learning projects. During the workshop, the instructor showcases several types of projects and fieldtrips that take advantage of local community resources and which have resulted in active collaborations with key environmental groups. Field service projects that take place as part of international travel programs are also shared. The presentation includes discussion of the importance of creating meaningful learning experiences for students in the field of ecology to engage them as creative problem solvers and partners in service learning projects.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: Middle School, High School, Service Learning, Science

Cultural history teachers discuss the way current events can be woven into a unified, coherent curriculum. They demonstrate how to use Internet and other sources to effectively to trace important themes in the news of the day, including immigration, human rights, and environmental change. This presentation provides methods and resources to teachers to stay ahead of the coverage regarding relevant newsworthy events.
Length: 45 minutes.
Categories: Middle School, High School, Curriculum, Current Events

Cultivating the positive value system set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and integrating human rights education into any school’s curriculum is the first step in respecting, promoting, and defending rights of all people. This presentation demonstrates how to reach students using activities and media examples, especially documentaries, to teach them about human rights issues and to empower them to act on what they learn. The presenter is a documentary filmmaker with much experience teaching pre-collegiate students to analyze, critique, and make videos. The presentation provides teachers with suggestions for curriculum, materials, and pedagogical approaches to make human rights a central part of teachers’ and students’ awareness.
Length: 1 hour
Categories: Middle School, High School, Cultural History Integration, Media

Model United Nations is an effective international studies program in which students simulate UN debates. Students role play as delegates from United Nation member states, discussing important issues on the agenda of the United Nations. The course culminates in a mock United Nations conference hosted by a regional college or university. The presentation provides teachers with suggestions for curriculum, materials, and pedagogical approaches to engage students in a Model United Nations program.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: High School, Current Events

In this multimedia workshop, a science teacher describes effective methods for integrating new research on Mind, Brain, and Education into classroom lessons. The focus of this presentation is the eye, both in terms of its mechanistic and visual perceptive functions. The lesson plan involves an innovative approach to vision and the role of the brain on perception and includes film footage of dissection of cow and sheep eyeballs and comparative discussion of mammalian eyes. The presentation provides teachers with suggestions for curriculum, materials, and pedagogical approaches to integrate some of the more interesting approaches regarding neuroscience in the High School classroom.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: High School, Science

While theater is integrated into many units at Ross School, there are four major moments in the curriculum where cultural history and English are taught through the close reading and production of plays and study of theater of the time period. The units discussed in this presentation by the Ross School Theater Director, Gerard Doyle, include the Indus Valley civilization, ancient Greece, ancient Rome and the Renaissance. The presentation provides teachers with suggestions for curriculum, materials, and pedagogical approaches to make effective theater integration come alive for students.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: Middle School, High School, Cultural History Integration, Performing Arts

In this workshop, the Ross School Domain Chair for Science Patty Lein, describes different ways to use technological tools to promote inquiry learning in the science lab. While this approach yields important scientific data, it also effectively engages students by making their everyday experience with technology a subject and tool for academic inquiry. The presenter demonstrates use of the Vernier digital probe and accompanying software as well as other forms of technology with classroom applications, including iPhoto, iMovie, and cell phone technology.
Length: 45 minutes
Categories: Middle School, High School, Curriculum, Science, Technology