A derivative from one of my packaging pursuits during the evolution of the lesson and continued fine art exploration in the concept of packaged pages ... or in other words, a book, I became fascinated with the study of paper engineering (pop-up technology and creating movement through linkages and levers).  Approaching this intriguing field from several modes of inquiry, I began to establish multiple cross-curricular connections, possibly more so than in my packaging investigations.  The most obvious was the link to the Language Arts -- where else would one go to find a pop-up, but in a pop-up book?

Beginning my quest to obtain a plethora of pop-up examples, I soon discovered many other associations across the curriculum: pop-ups could be used to illustrate Mathematic concepts [parallel, perpendicular, slope/rise/run, obtuse angles, acute angles, measurement, geometric shapes and forms, symmetry, optical illusions, etc.]; the evolution of pop-ups stem from a rich history throughout Europe and pop-ups books are considered highly collectible artifacts to bibliophiles; and, the creating movement aspect of pop-up engineering addresses Science concepts [potential and kinetic energy, linear versus rotary motion.]  Below is a sample lesson that I further developed for a third grade class explaining rotary motion (portfolio pages are included as well); this lesson is one of five developed by the Delaware UPDATE team to support the instruction of Math/Science/Technology concepts as related to rotary motion in the Playground Contextual Learning Unit. [To access each page, click on the 'thumbnails' below.]

Stemming from my early exposure to interdisciplinary connections in writing curriculum for Project UPDATE, it became necessary to provide concrete information proving the Contextual Learning Units' ability to address national or state Content Standards.  In an effort to provide my administrative personnel with 'proof' that a field trip to HersheyPark would be 'educational' for eighth grade students, I embarked upon a little research of my own. [Access the 'thumbnails' below to view links of the American History Theme Park activities to the State Performance Indicators.]

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