Cross Curricular: Two Big New Units Bringing Every Subject Into Typing Practice

For years, our cross-curricular content has been one of the most popular features on Typing.com-lessons that let students build typing skills while learning about real subject matter. But the existing unit has been small (~50 lessons total, mostly ELA-adjacent), and it's been the same content regardless of what grade the student is in.

We're fixing both. The rebuilt cross-curricular content is now two much larger units, each with grade-specific, standards-aligned content across nine subject areas. Every keystroke does double duty: students build typing speed and accuracy while reinforcing what they're actually learning in their other classes.

What's New?

The biggest change is structural. Instead of one general-purpose cross-curricular unit, we now have two focused units that together cover the full breadth of K-12 academic subjects:

• Cross Curricular 1 - Worlds and the Arts - Social Studies, Geography, Health, Arts & Music, World Languages, Life Skills

• Cross Curricular 2 - STEM - Science, Math

Both units are grade-specific, meaning a 9th grader sees 9th-grade content and a 4th grader sees 4th-grade content. No more one-size-fits-all.

Cross Curricular 1 - Worlds and the Arts

This is the humanities-and-life-skills half. Here's a sample of what 9th graders see when they open the unit:

Social Studies

• The Renaissance

• The Printing Press and Information Revolution

• Age of Exploration and Early Modern Empires

Geography

• World Regions and Cultural Geography

• Population, Urbanization, and Migration

Health

• First Aid and Emergency Response

• Mental Health and Stress Management

• Healthy Decision Making

Arts & Music

• Renaissance and Baroque Art

• Jazz and Classical Music Origins

World Languages

• Spanish Health and the Human Body

• Spanish Culture and Travel

• French Travel and Food

Life Skills

• Taxes and Paychecks

• Budgeting and Critical Thinking

• College and Career Planning

That's just one grade level. Each grade has its own lineup tuned to what students are working through in their other classes.

Standards Alignment

Cross Curricular 1 aligns to a broad set of subject-specific frameworks:

• ACTFL World-Readiness standards for World Languages

• National Core Arts Standards for Arts & Music

• C3 Framework strands (History, Civics, Geography, Economics) for Social Studies

• National Geography Standards for geography content

• SHAPE America, CASEL/SEL, Health Education, and First Aid & CPR Guidelines for Health

• Jump$tart/CEE Financial Literacy, CASEL/SEL, ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors, Career Readiness Standards, and CFPB Financial Education for Life Skills

Cross Curricular 2 - STEM

The science-and-math half. Here's what 9th graders see:

Science

• Cell Structure and Organelles

• Cell Transport and Homeostasis

• Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration

• DNA Structure and Genetics

• Ecosystems and Biodiversity

Math

• Solving Linear Equations

• Writing and Interpreting Expressions

• Graphing Linear Functions

• Inequalities and Their Graphs

• Exponents and Intro to Quadratics

Again, that's one grade. Younger grades have their own grade-appropriate science and math content-light, sound, and vibrations in 1st grade; energy transfer and collisions in 4th grade; and so on up the curve.

Standards Alignment

Cross Curricular 2 aligns directly to the two major frameworks that matter most for science and math content:

• NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) for science content

• Common Core State Standards for Math (CCSS Math) for math content

How Does It Work?

Cross-curricular lessons are typing-first-students see academic source text and type it as their typing practice. The content itself is the lesson. Students who type the photosynthesis passage finish having both practiced typing and read a clear explanation of photosynthesis. The same goes for The Renaissance, Linear Equations, First Aid, or any other topic in either unit.

Unlike the other rebuilt Beyond Typing units, Cross Curricular lessons don't include themed video intros-the academic content carries the lesson directly.

Why This Matters

Two reasons.

First, the typing practice is finally aligned to what students are actually studying. A 9th-grade biology student who types about cell structure and photosynthesis is reinforcing real coursework while building typing skills. The cognitive load isn't wasted on random source text-it's doing double duty.

Second, the breadth has expanded enormously. ELA is no longer the only subject worth typing about. Students get exposure to subjects they might not be studying yet, encounter age-appropriate financial literacy content, and even practice typing in Spanish and French. For teachers, that opens up cross-curricular collaboration in ways that weren't possible before.

A Note on Free vs. PLUS

Today's free Cross-Curricular Typing unit (~50 lessons) is available to all users. When the rebuilt Cross Curricular 1 and Cross Curricular 2 units replace it in July 2026, they'll live under Beyond Typing, which is PLUS-only.

If you've relied on the free version of cross-curricular content, make sure your PLUS subscription is set before July - otherwise free users will lose access to that content when the swap happens.

How Does This Help You?

This rebuild means you can:

• Make typing practice reinforce real learning. Students type about Renaissance history, photosynthesis, linear equations, and budgeting-not generic source text

• Hit the right grade level. Every grade has its own lineup of subject-appropriate content

• Cover way more subjects. Nine subject areas across two units, instead of mostly ELA

• Support cross-curricular teaching. Coordinate typing assignments with what students are studying in social studies, science, math, health, or world languages

• Meet subject-specific standards. NGSS, Common Core Math, C3 Framework, National Core Arts, ACTFL, SHAPE America, Jump$tart, and more-alignment depends on the subject, but it's all there

Where Can I Find It?

You'll find Cross Curricular 1 - Worlds and the Arts and Cross Curricular 2 - STEM in your Curriculum section under Beyond Typing, in the group called "Beyond Typing 2026/27 PREVIEW." Both units are ready to browse, preview, and assign right now. Anything your students complete today carries over when these units become the standard Beyond Typing curriculum in July 2026.

Ready to Dive In?

Cross Curricular 1 and 2 are two of seven units being rebuilt for 2026-2027-check out the full summary of what's coming for the bigger picture. Or jump straight into the preview and try a lesson. Once you've watched students learn about ecosystems or the Printing Press while practicing typing, the old random-source-text approach is going to feel pretty quaint.