When I teach Animal Farm by George Orwell I have the opportunity to teach propaganda techniques. I provide the students with the definitions and examples of several different types of propaganda techniques. Then, as we read, I have them find these techniques in the novel.  Students also find and share propaganda in advertisements they see in other media, on TV […]
Valerie Strauss
Posted inCommon Core, Elementary School, From the Front Lines, High School, Kindergarten, Literacy, Uncategorized
Take the Test and Sit, Sit, Sit, Sit
An interesting graphic came across my screen this week. The purpose was to call attention to the hours spent testing elementary students by comparing them to the tests for college or graduate school: Standardized testing is not new to schools in the State of Connecticut. Many schools will be using the Smarter Balance Assessment (SBAC) […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, From the Front Lines, Uncategorized
Product Marketing a Test that Markets to Students
The New York State Department of Education’s new standardized tests were administered last week. The tests for grades 3-8 were developed by the educational testing company Pearson and contained new “authentic” passages aligned to the new Common Core State Standards. State tests might have been routine news had not several teachers also noticed that the English Language […]