Cross-Curriculum Learning at Bishop Alexander CCSS

Students taking the grade 10 Canadian History class at Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School got a real hands-on learning experience when they began to study World War II recently. As part of the curriculum, students had to learn about different technology including vehicles and weapons used during the war and were assigned the task of re-creating replicas of some of these technologies. Teacher Catherine MacNamara ask her students to choose a, plane, tank, ship or weapon and create a model based on research as well as write a report on its significance or impact on the war, specifically who used it and why. In order to engage the students, MacNamara teamed up with construction teacher Dennis Duchaine who allowed the students to use his shop to help recreate these models during class time. “What a great way to get students excited about learning,” MacNamara said. “When you allow them to use their creativity and really have a hands-on experience, they are much more engaged in the process and get really excited about the project. Even students who are not the traditional learners enjoy this project because it combines history with practical learning and tools – the end result being students who have created amazing projects and are also quite proud of themselves.”
Duchaine was quick to jump in with the project as he too sees the importance of allowing students to experience learning in different ways. “Cross-curriculum activities are a great way to build positive learning experiences for our students,” Duchaine said. “All of the students involved really enjoyed taking part in this project and we are definitely going to look for more opportunities in the future to do this again with other classes.”