Curriculum | i run read teach

I’ve been at a conference all weekend and went to a couple of common core workshops that gave a general overview of our new common core standards.

Here are some highlights from the sessions:

1. There are GAPS in the standards where certain standards have been moved to other grade levels. It is the teacher’s responsibility to find these gaps and teach them. Yeah, that’s going to be a doozy! 🙂

2. The common core calls for more rigor. This translates into the kids not just knowing or memorizing the content but being able to EXPLAIN verbally and in writing how they arrived at the answer or why they know it. They will have to APPLY their knowledge.

3. The new standards are a NEW WAY OF TEACHING. Students will have to be able to communicate effectively so this means lots of partner talk, group discussions, and writing about their learning.

4. Then of course there are the 8 mathematical practice standards which are basically “habits of mind” and the 10 literacy strands that are to be implemented in all core subjects.

Here’s the common core website:

Common Core

Here’s a great website that the Alabama State Department has created with the standards, resources, etc. on it. Sort of a central go to place.

Alabama College and Career Ready Standards Website

What kind of training have you been to for these new and rigorous national standards???

My panic meter has risen to an alarming all time high. 🙂 I don’t feel as prepared as I would like to feel for this upcoming year with my social studies that I will be teaching for the first time. Which means I have got to GET WITH IT!!

This is what I did about it last night. Till 3am. (Of course, that was AFTER I got back from the movies!)

I researched (and I do mean R E S E A R C H E D) online until I made a decision on what read aloud novels I would use for 5th and 6th. I picked 2 concepts/themes that I want them to understand and connect with. This is what I came up with:

5th grade- American Revolution and Immigration

Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen

Letters From Rifka by Karen Hesse

6th Grade-Holocaust and Civil Rights

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

The Watsons Go To Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis

Whew! That’s done! 🙂

Here are some links that I will be using all year.

Alabama Course of Study Standards for Social Studies

5th Grade Social Studies Pacing Guide (Courtesy of Morgan County)

6th Grade Social Studies Pacing Guide (Courtesy of Morgan County)

Alabama High School Graduation Exam Standards

I also made a list of the BIG IDEAS or CONCEPTS that we will cover and wrote them on chart paper and taped to the wall in my little office at my house. I have several columns to check off as I figure out the following:

1. Reading over the material

2. Resources to add to my livebinders page (REALLY loving livebinders!!)

3. Coming up with some kind of introduction presentation/hook

4. Attempting to write out a plan 🙂

I will summarize this post by saying once again-

That’s it. 🙂