Looped classes connect social studies, English lessons
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Kurt Rowells, U.S. History teacher, instructs students who are part of the social studies-English looped program.
Photo by senior Mike Lubash |
 U.S. History and English III align so closely that it only makes sense to come up with a way for the students in both classes to share experiences. That's why Kurt Rowells, U.S. History teacher, and Luke Mertens, English III teacher, have teamed up to pilot a looped program for some juniors.
A looped program means that a group of students stay together as they move from one class to the other. Sometimes, the teaching team arranges to have both groups meet at the same time.
Rebecca Holst, Social Studies Department Chair, says one benefit of looped classes is for the students "to see how intertwined the curriculums are. You can't do one without the other."
The program requires quite a bit of communication to be successful, Holst says. The teachers, students, and administrators all will be involved in evaluating the program; this will help to determine if there are other natural ways to offer collaborative opportunities between the two departments. For example, Global Studies teacher Morgan Allen and English I teacher Cathy Ingram also are teaming for certain activities for their freshman students.
Physics First and Algebra I looped a couple of classes last year. Due to scheduling conflicts, they were unable to continue the program this year. However, Jori Bowen, Math Department Chair, said the freshman science and math teachers will continue to work together this year to come up with a common language for students as well as collaborative activities that will help the students to see how the two classes work together. |
