Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Common core curriculum?

Does anyone question some ideas in this new model? I do like the idea that across 48 states the same core goals will be attained, so we're all more on the same page. A couple things I think are interesting/ problematic are 1) it's 50% nonfiction- that's mostly ok for my ds for he loves science. The other thing I just learned is they're trying to teach perseverance. Sounds good, right? Well, what this translated to in my ds kindergarten class is redrawing and redrawing a picture- being told its not non- fiction enough (tracing with pencil, outline with black marker, erase pencil, and color in with color pencil). If its not 100% accurate, redo. I'm thinking this isn't a great idea for ds who already has perfectionist traits. Not to mention, they're only in kindergarten. What are other thoughts?

I only have one thought ... I still can't do that! And I'm 35! lol ... certainly sounds like a disaster waiting to happen!

I don't think that method is in the common core per se-- it sounds to me like a poor (terrible, really) implementation of the common core.

Districts have a lot of leeway about how they teach the common core skills, what curriculum they choose, and how they train teachers to teach to the new standards. That means that teaching isn't going to be standard by any means, only that everyone is now trying to reach the same targets.

DeeDee

Wow, that sounds so dysfunctional it strikes me as downright passive-aggressive on the part of whoever designed that activity.

Zen scanner- I love ds teacher (please note sarcasm). She is very strict in nature to start with. When questioned the principal, she stated this was done because of the non- fiction part of common core. Maybe now I know why said teacher wants me to work on drawing and coloring with ds. (He who hates doing artwork.)
Deedee- I agree there will be different interpretations. Hope no one else receives this one. What a nightmare!

I would agree that this is a bad interpretation of what the common core says. Common core is not a curriculum, but a set of skills/goals that curriculum are supposed to be designed around so that all high school graduates from the US will have the same set of "common core" skills, regardless of the actual content they have been taught.
If the principal accepted the teacher's answer that it was because of the common core that she was doing this, then he needs to look up the common core himself and get a better understanding of them.

I was at a meeting with our district's head of curriculum and they mentioned that they are integrating more non-fiction into the language arts curriculum. With the increase in internet accessibility/usage, their goal is to make sure kids are more critical readers of all of the information that is at their fingertips, to teach them to discern between quality information and all that crap that's out there. I hadn't been convinced that less literature was good until I heard their arguments at that meeting.

So sorry MoN; that's so depressing. I never fail to be amazed at the ways in which American schools find to propel themselves away from excellence. It's almost as though they have sentries posted at the frontier of mediocrity whose job is to ensure that the good stuff stays out.

Master of none- I'm not sure why the teacher said they have to read the same level books. I do know my ds in kindergarten, the teacher sometimes reading to the class, asks a question about the book, kids have to draw a picture that represented the answer and rate the book, then explain to class. My son does rate these books as no good. Yet, he is allowed to read and do AR tests at his level.
I am not inlove with this common core or ds teacher interpretation. Hoping things will get better.

Hmm. DD's reading curriculum seems vastly different than last year's. (Last year they got to choose their own reading and write summaries and book reports; they did do a bit of all-class reading, but it was usually related to science or SS. This year they're all reading the same book, not far above grade level, and answering the same multiple-choice and short-answer questions.) I've wondered about it. Maybe it's Common Core.

Where we are, Common Core is causing some consternation regarding math, in that many people find the new curriculum quite challenging compared to what was used before. It's worth noting that I do live in a low-achieving, poor state. I feel the math book this year is badly written and moves rather fast. (DD8 is subject accelerated a year in math.)