Skip to main content

Common Core for the classroom: Where does a teacher start?

I do not pretend to know the answer to my own question.  I do not know "exactly" where to start.  What I do know is a "start" is needed; therefore, I chose to begin reading historical fiction, which is a good transition from fiction to non-fiction, in my humble opinion.  

After teaching English for 22 years, it's easy to get boggled down in doing what I've always done.  It's easy to rationalize that what I've always done has brought about, for the most part, effective results.  However, it is folly to imagine that there is not room for improvement.  So, I'm beginning in a way that I see as profitable.  

Most teachers will agree that the more one knows the subject matter they teach, the more effective their teaching.  There is, obviously truth to this.  It's not the only way a student learns, however.  A teacher who can whet the appetite of young readers with books and stories that appeal to their curiosity will go on to read books that the teacher has never read, and may never read.  So, putting good non-fiction into the hands of the students is a great way to start raising their reading level.  

Last year my 8th graders read Night by Elie Wiesel.  I've taught it for many years to various grade levels, 9th-12th grade.  In all instances, I've watched the horror on students faces as they realize the atrocity of the holocaust, as if this "new" knowledge has been their first exposure to the genocide of the Jews during World War II.  

This summer I read the following book: 
For some students it would be a good book to read to learn about the mysteries behind the Nazi regime.  

Also, I've read the following two books, which I believe would be great to introduce to students while teaching Arthur Miller's The Crucible:



Its a beginning, I tell myself.  It reinforces what I've always known: the more a person "knows" the more a person realizes the many things they do not know.  

I believe to be an effective teacher of Common Core, teachers must be willing to do something different.  It's not necessary to do away with all things in the past that you've taught or strategies that have been effective, but it is necessary to add to that repertoire.  
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Best Anchor Charts to Teach ELA

What Makes the Best Anchor Charts?        If I see students referring back, again and again, to an anchor chart in my classroom, I know the space on my classroom wall is being used well. On the other hand, if an anchor chart rarely gets a second glance, the space is wasted.  As difficult as it is to take down a chart you spent time and energy making, and all teachers know we do not have much of either, the space is best used for a more effective chart or resource.   Tips for making anchor charts  Focus on one objective The chart should be easy to read Keep it simple  Use MNEMONICs when possible The anchor chart should be pleasing to the eye The anchor charts, below, are among the top charts that are tried and true resources for students year after year!!  <iframe style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&
Post a Comment
Read more

In Memory of Michelle Blackwell, a loving daughter, teacher, mother and friend

Memories wash over me, slowly, almost painfully.  I've decided upon "bittersweet" to describe that late day in May of 2011.  The excited chant of children at a pep-rally, but this was no ordinary pep-rally.  It was a day to celebrate the student's hard work throughout the year, preparing them for the MCT II that loomed ahead.  I joined a group of bouncing 4th graders wearing matching yellow shirts.  I watched in admiration as their teacher's enthusiasm matched their own.  My own son was privileged to be a part of this group.    From the beginning of the school year, I knew Ms. Blackwell was one of those teachers that a child never forgets.  My son, a good student, but always a bit timid, began to become more animated than I had ever seen him, describing his school day.  I realized he was learning and at the same time having a lot of fun.  This is not an easy feat for a teacher to incorporate into a classroom, especially with the stress of the MCT II, but
Post a Comment
Read more

Boogie Boards in the Classroom

As I was checking out at a store, I noticed these little packaged boxes with "Boogie Board" written on it.  (okay... OKAY... I admit it... I fell victim to the oldest trick of getting people to "notice" things for sale:  Putting it near the check-out counter....)  Anyway, in this case I consider it to have been advantageous, not just for the store owner, but for me, the consumer.   Basically, a "Boogie Board" is about a 1/4 of an inch thick board a little bigger than a 5X7 photograph.  It comes with a stylus, a screen cleaning cloth, and a clip-on for the stylus.  Also, it features an ion battery that never needs replacing.  The way it works is very simple.  You write something on it, and then you push a button, a light flashes, and you have a "clean slate."   Possible uses in the classroom quickly came to my mind, as I was standing there at the check-out counter.  So, what do I do?  I buy it.  The more I got to thinking about it, the more
Post a Comment
Read more