With implementation of the Common Core across the US, classrooms are seeing a shift in reading, writing, and math standards. Science is also getting a spotlight with STEM and STEAM integration. Social Studies, however, seems to get pushed into the corner. There is an importance in learning from our past and thinking about changes in […]
CCSS
Posted inCommon Core, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Uncategorized
End of Course Test: A Testing Week That Shouldn't Count
Guest Writer: Rebecca Leech [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] This week, the rural Tennessee high school where I teach is finishing our annual TCAP End of Course standardized testing. End of Course tests are given in […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, Uncategorized
"TestingTalk" Website Where Teachers Can "Be Brave"
Education historian and activist Diane Ravitch was the keynote speaker at the 86th Saturday Reunion, March 22, 2014, at Teacher’s College in New York City. Introducing Ravitch was the high energy Lucy Calkins, Director of Teacher’s College Reading and Writing Project, who took several minutes using her “teacher voice” to address the crowd with a litany of […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, Opinion
The Coming Catastrophe in Education
Thought experiments are employed throughout the academic world, from mathematics and quantum mechanics to philosophy and economics. But rarely are they used in the world of education. And yet, like a gathering storm whose birth pangs only emit a gentle and benign breeze, there are early signs that American public education is possibly starting down […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Technology
Week 4, 1:1 iPad Rollout – Digital Learning Day
Did you know about Digital Learning Day nationwide? I stepped up my enthusiasm for digital learning by telling students to SMASH APPS! and tweeted class totals (#dlday). Smashing immediately connotes images of destruction but according to my Twitter community it simply means using more than one app to create something digital. My students had opportunities […]
Posted inCommon Core, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Middle School
Vocabulary Campaigns in the Content Area
While there are whirlwind changes in education such as new evaluation programs, digital devices in school, or flipped classrooms, one element remains constant: vocabulary. In order for students to succeed, they must understand the content area vocabulary in each subject area. “Vocabulary knowledge is fundamental to reading comprehension; one cannot understand text without knowing what most of the […]
Posted inCommon Core, Literacy, Mathematics
Author's Craft Revealed Through Mathematical Patterns: Standard #7!
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] The year 2013 provided one of the best examples of real life detective work investigating a detective story as well as an application of the Common Core Mathematical Practice Standard #7: […]
Posted inFeatured, Fine Arts, Opinion
What If You Are Teaching the Next Picasso?
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] My wife and I just finished our honeymoon tour of Spain, and one place that put me in awe was the Museo Picasso in Barcelona. This collection showcased a completely different […]