If you want to implement a thematic program, you must choose a subject to organize the curriculum around. For example, East Hills Middle School in Bethlehem, PA, uses music as its curriculum theme and it is integrated into all classes. Students study instruments and participate in performance as well as learning how music has influenced the arts, history, science and culture through the centuries.
In a Montessori school, learning is self-directed and often thematic. The student will choose a topic that he enjoys and work on it throughout the grading period, resulting in an intensive final project at the end of the year that might be an experiment and report, a musical score or a novel. The main difference between a Montessori thematic program and programs at other schools is that in Montessori the emphasis is on student choice, the teacher does not select the theme. This technique is also popular in many gifted and enrichment programs.
At the Lincoln School in Providence, RI, the middle school thematic curriculum revolves around a question. At the sixth-grade level, the question is "Who Am I?" and classes are taught with this theme in mind, by exploring personal and community history, the area where students live, immigration and culture, and the science of how life has evolved and changed over the earth's history.
Thematic studies offer more lifelike problem solving and engage students on many levels. This teaching technique makes students draw on previous knowledge to find solutions. Multidisciplinary studies are also multisensory, which is a best practice for teachers because students learn in different ways and because there is more reinforcement of information in a multisensory approach. The downside to this approach is that it can be more difficult to assess. Thematic units are not as easily parsed out into multiple choice bubble tests, and so many teachers opt for authentic assessments, such as a portfolio or final project for grading purposes.