October Book Blog- Pathways to the Common Core Ch. 1-4

"Pathways to the Common Core" Reflection

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"The Common Core Standards are a big deal. Adopted by forty-five states so far, the standards represent the most sweeping reform of the K-12 curriculum that has ever occurred in this country. It is safe to say that across the entire history of American education, no single document will have played a more influential role over what is taught in our schools. The standards are already affecting what is published, mandated, and tested in schools--and also what is marginalized and neglected. Any educator who wants to play a role in shaping what happens in schools, therefore, needs a deep understanding of these standards. That understanding is necessary for anyone wanting to be a co-constructor of the future of instruction and curriculum and, indeed, of public education across America." (Calkins, 1)

When reading this book, this is one of the very first quotes that stuck out to me, mainly because the Common Core Standards are such a big deal. I remember when I was interviewing to become a teacher and every single principal must have asked me "So what do you know about the Common Core?" I remember being bewildered not having a clue what they were even talking about. I quickly learned and became very familiar with the standards. This quote resonated with me particularly because of what it says how the standards are affecting what is marginalized and neglected in schools. The new standards call for teachers to not just teach students the "what" and the "how", but it also requires them to dig into the "why" as well. For many years, that was often the big piece of the puzzle that many students were missing and were just in school just to be in school but not really understanding why they were learning what they were learning. Because of this was the main reason that this quote squared with my thinking about the implementation and use of the Common Core State Standards.

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"When NCLB expectations became the law of the land, there was zero emphasis on writing. Writing was not even mentioned in those mandates. What a reversal! Now, in these new standards, the emphasis on writing standards is parallel to and equal to the emphasis on reading, and furthermore, one can't help but think that reading will be assessed through writing, making writing even more critical." (Calkins, 10)

When I read this quote I initially got excited! Anybody who knows me, knows how passionate I am about writing and why I think it is so important especially with young children. The fact that in the past there was zero emphasis on writing really concerns me on how my generation and the generation before me was taught when the subject of writing was considered. It excites me to know that with these new standards, an emphasis is placed that reading and writing somewhat go hand-in-hand. As Flint says, "Children learn to read and write by reading and writing." Being that I am a Kindergarten teacher and that I plan writing for my team, I am grateful to have been able to engage with the text and understand how to better make use of the standards in the classroom and help my students to understand them as well.

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"Undoubtedly students will need explicit instruction in high-level comprehension. They'll need a repertoire of strategies that undergird these reading skills. They'll need skills broken down into manageable steps, and then they'll need to practice these steps and get expert feedback along the way. They'll need lots of repeated practice, on a variety of texts. As they do this practice, teachers will need assessments that will allow them to carefully calibrate their teaching, to move kids up levels of skill and text difficulty. They'll also need structures that will make reading work visible--structures such as reading partners and clubs, which give students opportunities to have the rich literary conversations about fiction and nonfiction that the standards call for. Teachers will also need to focus on methods of giving feedback while kids are practicing these skills, with gradual release and decreasing scaffolds, to lead students to internalize these skills." (Calkins, 30)

This particular quote still circles around in my head because it describes the methodological process of how to explicitly teach high-level comprehension. Although I agree with the build upon process the author has set in place, that still doesn't lower my anxiety about properly executing this in the classroom. For some reason this year I feel as if I am constantly being observed and instead of focusing on if whether or not what I am doing is truly benefiting students and meeting their needs, I am more focused on "Am I doing this right?" I am working to shift my mindset about this but I can't help but to feel if I am one step off that my students might not fully learn and master all that they need to know before they leave my care and head toward First Grade. Because of this, I am thoroughly excited about continuing to read and learn about how to use the Common Core Standards in an effort to inform my practice and work for the betterment of my students.