Effectiveness of Thematic Teaching in Curriculum Design and Implementation in a Third Grade Classroom, Including a Planning Process Model Using the Michigan Model Core Curriculum.

This paper investigates the thematic study approach in theory and practice as it applies to the elementary grades, specifically to third grade. Part 1 defines the theme study approach and explains the theories and assumptions that support it as a viable approach to teaching and learning. Part 2 examines research supporting the thematic approach. It concludes that theme teaching connects the aesthetic with the cognitive and teacher process as well as content. Part 3 examines the specific problems concerning the crowded curriculum and pressures to prepare students for the MEAP test, given in fourth grade, for which third-grade teachers are often held accountable. A full-scale theme study is then described, using the theme of "The Voyage of the Mimi" with the subtopic "whales." Subject areas integrated into the theme included reading, writing, spelling, social studies, and science. Learning activities included in the theme's 13 units are described. The concluding section provides a method for planning and developing a theme study, and presents an example of a theme study planning model using the Michigan Model Core Curriculum to provide the basic structure of the skills and concepts that need to be taught. The paper also includes a 28-item bibliography and two appendixes providing background information on "The Voyage of the Mimi." (Contains 16 references.) (JDD)