Teachers and principals know that students learn best when involved, challenged and inspired. An integrated curriculum offers teachers the tools to engage, extend and enthuse students. Yet today's curriculum seems to be narrowing and becoming restrictive. Assessment-driven teaching, reporting to standards and a pronounced emphasis on individual learning in numeracy and literacy now hold sway. Is it possible to balance standards with innovation? What scope is there for teachers and principals to use their initiative? And what of children's learning as they engage in a curriculum that matters to them? Connecting Curriculum, Linking Learning bridges a gap in the literature on curriculum integration. Based on current New Zealand classroom research, this book provides vivid portraits of teachers' practice, and reveals the strengths and weaknesses of an integrated approach.