Common Core Matters
New Literacies and the Common Core
* Reading screen-based texts
* Digital writing
* Collaborate writing
* Working with informational texts
The article is in this month's issue of Educational Leadership.
1. Explore the world outside the classroom (interactive sessions with experts)
2. Do real-world work. Students act as scientists, historians, artists, and curators to create projects that can benefit their own communities.
3. Make connections across the curriculum. Quests span a variety of subjects, from American art to zoo animals, from the depths of the sea to outer space, from current issues to future solutions.
4. Build 21st century skills
5. Foster self-directed learning.
6. Know the environment is kid-safe.
Read an article about Smithsonian Quests here and/or watch the short video:
Book Trailers and the Common Core Standards
What's Going On in This Picture?
This is a great weekly activity from the NY Times, utilizing visual literacy and critical thinking! Every Monday morning, an interesting photograph is posted with no caption, no headline and no helpful link back to an article. To answer the question “What’s going on in this picture?” you’ll have to rely solely on the information you can gather from the image itself — and answer the following three questions:
- What’s going on in this picture?
- What do you see that makes you say that?
- What more can you find?
Students can discuss their ideas collaboratively, write responses, or even comment on the NY Times website. Full information about the image is posted 24 hours later. This activity requires students to "dig" for evidence, which is very Common Core!
Reading Nonfiction Texts Lessons
How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous
Guess My Lexile
According to Donalyn Miller, a 6th grade language arts teacher and book author, "Overreliance on reading level systems hinders children from learning how to self-select books. Bookstores, libraries, and Grandma's bookshelf aren't leveled. Beyond students' and books' reading levels, we must consider content and interests when selecting materials and recommending books for independent reading... Looking at a child's face or a book's cover, I see possibility, not a number. We can't shortcut or disregard knowing books, knowing readers, and building connections between them. Do we teach children how to preview and evaluate books for themselves or teach them that reading and book selection belong to school and we can't trust them with it?" Hmmm... something to think about!