MATATAG Curriculum Makabansa CG Grade 1

The primary aim of the Makabansa Curriculum is to shape students with self-awareness and cultural consciousness, skills for health and creativity, and the ability to engage with others and their community. Specifically, the National Integrated Curriculum aims to achieve the following:

In developing the Makabansa Curriculum as a realm of learning, several processes were considered. Consultation with various studies and literature on curriculum integration was crucial. The Department of Education understands the importance of curriculum integration to enhance student learning.

According to Watkins and Kritsonis (2011), an integrated curriculum provides students with the opportunity to see the meaning and purpose of subjects and learning tools. Students also gain a deeper understanding of these tools.

According to Harell (2010) as cited by (Costley, 2015), there are four ways to integrate the curriculum. Fusion combines two separate disciplines. Incorporation adds one curriculum element to another. Correlation creates connections between two different topics. Harmonization places various curriculum elements together to work collaboratively. There are also three models of curriculum integration: (1) interdisciplinary, (2) problem-based, and (3) theme-based (Mustafa, 2011).

According to Soni (2015), a notable feature of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is encouraging children to explore various experiences based on theme-based learning, inspiring them to investigate their surroundings. Theme-based programs create activities and experiences around an idea or theme that stimulate, emotionally support, and engage learners.

Theme-based learning shapes overall development in children and empowers them to use their abilities to succeed academically. Learning through themes helps young children connect with their immediate world and relate classroom learning to their home and community lives.

According to Sulaiman (2022), the Correlated curriculum style emphasizes unique aspects of each field of study while showing connections between disciplines. The benefits of a Correlated curriculum include: 1) Enhancing students' knowledge through connections, so their information is not separate but interconnected; 2) Increasing student interest when they recognize connections between subjects; 3) Improving understanding of a concept when explanations come from multiple disciplines; 4) Facilitating broader understanding as viewpoints come from various perspectives; 5) Allowing students to apply information more effectively; and 6) Emphasizing understanding and principles through connections between subjects.

Based on these discussions, the Correlation and theme-based models were utilized in developing the Makabansa Curriculum as an integrated aspect of learning/curriculum. Content analysis was conducted on documents from Social Studies and MAPEH subjects, employing the Correlation and theme-based models to identify unique aspects of these two mentioned subjects.