Kids Code

Yes, even very your students can learn to code. Check out scratch. This is a free program that was created by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at MIT. It allows children to code by dragging and dropping blocks. It's a great introduction to programming for younger students.

Hour of Code

This week students K-12 are encouraged to participate in an Hour of Code. This will be an hour in which students throughout the United States engage in programming.

Why should we do this? The obvious answer is that coding is a 21st Century skill. It is certain that there will be a wide variety of jobs that require computer coding skills in the future. There is a more important reason for this. Computer coding is a new way of thinking about and understanding our world. Teachers find that student's math and reading comprehension skills improve because coding gives students a deep sense of the logic that underlies communication. It is a great creative outlet. It also builds confidence. Coding is not that hard, but because of its "brainiac" aura, students take great pride in being able to actually write a line of code. Parents also enjoy having bragging rights.

Instruction in computer coding can begin as early as kindergarten. You do not have to be a computer whiz yourself in order to teach elementary programming lessons. You don't even have to have access to computers. There are a wide variety of free and easy materials to help you teach programming to your students.

More Than One Right Answer

On conventional multiple choice tests, there is only one right answer for students to choose. Typical test skills instruction focuses on helping students to eliminate incorrect answers and select the one correct answer. These strategies can be helpful.

However, the new Common Core aligned tests will contain some questions that have two or more correct answers for the students to select. To do well on these tests, your students will need to read the questions carefully. They may be explicitly asked to select two or three answers, or they may be told to select all of the correct answers. Make sure that your students practice multiple choice tests that have a mixture of one answer and multiple answer questions so that they don't fall into the habit of expecting each question to have only one right answer.

The World's Hardest Multiplication Fact

According to researchers in Great Britain, the most difficult basic multiplication fact for students to learn is
8 x 6. It's tempting to haul out the flash cards and have the kids go over their facts again and again until you have the facts drilled into their brains. But the reality is that 8 x 6 isn't hard at all if you let go of rote memorization and teach for understanding.

A good place to start is with The Best of Times by Greg Tang. He presents the times 8 facts as doubling three times. So I begin by reading the book to the class. Now as much as I love Greg Tang's work, the illustrations in his books can be a little confusing. I like to show the math problems in a more straight forward way because it makes the underlying concept more clear. I will show various multiplication problems as a table.

Here is the table for 8 x 6:

This makes the concept of doubling three times more clear. So 8 x 6 is 8 groups of 6.

6 + 6 = 12, 12 + 12 = 24, and 24 + 24 = 48.

Greg Tang also has a web site for students to practice math. There are many online sites for practicing math facts. I prefer Tang's site because he focuses on the underlying concepts rather than just rote memorization.

Care Packages for Vets

A special way to remember our veterans is to have your class send a care package. I especially like Books for Soldiers because it highlights the idea that books are important. If you have some reluctant readers who think that books aren't for "tough guys", here is a great way to do some good and dispel a stereotype. You can go to the site to look up specific requests. Be sure to include a letter of thanks from your class. 

Building Vocabulary Is More Than Just Words

We often hear about the word gap in which children from disadvantaged households come to school knowing many fewer words than do middle class children. It is tempting to react to this by creating a list of words for students to memorize, but learning vocabulary is about more than just words. It is about communication skills and building knowledge about the world.

This clip gives better insight in how to help children build their vocabulary.

Connecting to Vets

While there are a number of fun activities that you can share with your class this Veteran's Day, I believe that the best way to honor our veterans is by helping your students make a personal connection. Have your students write to a service man or woman. Bring a veteran in to speak to your class.

I remember many years ago when I invited a World War II veteran to speak to my sixth grade class. It was the most inspiring speech I have ever heard. He had been captured by the Japanese and sent to a prisoner of war camp in Japan where he experienced terrible hardships. He spoke of the day when the prisoners woke up and the guards were gone; The allies had won the war. They managed to signal some American planes, and supplies were dropped to the camp. Among the supplies was an American flag.  He explained that they valued the flag even more than the food. "The food meant that we would stay alive. But so many of us had died. The flag meant that the country would live, and our sacrifice had meaning." He ended his talk by telling us that he had no anger or bitterness against his captors.

Actually meeting a soldier can bring the meaning of Veteran's Day alive for your students.

Veteran's Day

Veteran's Day will be here on November 11. Veteran's Day used to be known as Armistice Day and was established to commemorate the end of World War I. The name was changed after the Second World War. In countries that are part of the British Commonwealth it is known as Remembrance Day.

The net has some great Veteran's Day lesson plans. You can also print off posters and worksheets. There are online games for early elementary an well as games for older students. 

My personal favorite Veteran's Day activity is to have students make cards or packages for soldiers who are currently serving or for disabled or elderly veterans. You can locate veteran's facilities here.

What Does Common Core Math "Look Like"?

The Common Core math standards are very different from what we have been used to teaching in more traditional math programs. Another problem is that a number of commercial math programs are trying to cash in by labeling themselves as Common Core aligned without really providing instruction that follows the new guidelines. That's why I was pleased to find the Illustrative Mathematics website. It is a nonprofit online resource. This has some of the best Common Core math materials that I have come across. It lists both the practice standards and the grade level standards along with suggested lessons. Best of all, it gives clear examples of what proficiency on each standard should look like. It includes videos of students demonstrating what learners should be able to do to show mastery of each standard.

It's About Time

In writing, the Common Core State Standards call for students to be able to write over extended time periods as well as over shorter periods of a day or two or a single sitting. Looking over the proposed standardized tests, it is clear that the only writing that will be tested is that which occurs in a single sitting or over a couple of days. Does this mean that teachers should neglect the longer research based writing assignments in favor of  more short term assignments? No, and here's why. Longer projects of a week or more are crucial for helping your students to build stamina and to perfect their writing skills. 

At the same time it is important to expose your students to the short term writing that will be expected for the tests. Students should be doing single sitting writing assignments nearly every day. This will give them the confidence to "just dive in" and to edit and proof read as they go. In addition, students should be completing two day writing assignments several times each month. It is important that these shorter writing assignments not consist of nothing but a free response to a writing prompt as has been common in the past. Students will need to be able to write a nonfiction essay referring to two or more sources within both a single sitting and two days.

The other question concerning time and the Common Core has to do with math. The standards require that students be fluent with math facts. This should not mean that we should return to the old style timed math sheets. The Common Core assessments are not going to have anything similar to a 25 facts in three minutes format. Accuracy is valued over speed. The problem with timed tests is that they can lead students to rush and make mistakes. In some cases, they can even lead to math anxiety.

To Ace the Common Core Assessments, Move Beyond Just Covering the Standards

With the Common Core Standards, there is the problem of "covering" the standards while failing to achieve the deeper learning that will lead to improved performance. A teacher might put one or more standards at the top of their lesson plans and post the standards in the classroom. This can lead to disappointing results. It is important to pay attention to the actual assessments in order to achieve success.

For example, the Common Core Standards require students to be proficient in grammar and punctuation. This is similar to existing standards, so it is tempting to simply recycle old grammar lessons with the idea that you are covering the new standards. But the new grammar standards will not be tested in isolation. Grammar will be tested through actual student writing, not on stand alone questions. If you are relying on old style worksheets and textbooks that have students practice grammar in isolation, your end of the year results are not going to be pretty. It is essential that your students practice the use of grammar and punctuation in the context of actual writing.

What About Creative Writing?

We know that the Common Core State Standards require students to be able to write real or imagined narratives. How does this play out in the light of the upcoming Common Core tests?

I have looked over a wide variety of writing and language tests that are aligned to the Common Core Standards. I do this so you don't have to. It is important to note that I used only official sources as opposed to commercial programs. I have seen too many commercial sites that have slapped the Common Core aligned label on their offerings without making any real changes.

The Tennessee tests for this school year are the most different from what we have been used to having our students do. The only writing tasks they will require are summarizing and writing from nonfiction sources.

The PARCC and the Smarter Balanced practice tests and sample items do include questions that require students to create and/or revise writing using the narrative structure. However, that majority of the writing tested, over three fourths, is nonfiction writing from multiple sources.

This will require a shift away from traditional writing instruction that, especially in the early grades, has focused on teaching children how to write imaginative stories. Most of your writing instruction should focus on informative texts. At the same time, don't neglect narrative writing. Focus on quality. Students are expected to be able to heighten interest by including dialogue and vivid descriptions.

A Very Different Type of Writing

The Common Core State Standards and their related tests are going to call for a very different type of writing from our students. Students will be required to produce nonfiction writing based on information from two or more texts. In the past, students have been expected to write a narrative or opinion in response to an open ended prompt. This is not going to be what is required on the Common Core aligned assessments.

I am concerned that I am seeing a lot of old style writing prompts be relabeled as "aligned to the new Common Core Standards". Remember, if the writing does not require citing a text, it is not going to be similar to what your students will be required to do on the Common Core tests. For your students to do well on the new tests, you will need to focus on two types of writing: writing summaries of a text and writing about a subject citing information from two or more texts.

Writing Summaries

The new Common Core state assessments will require every student K-12 to be able to write a summary. This will be different from past tests in a number of important ways. Students will be required to summarize a nonfiction text. This text will be either a science or a social studies passage. The text will be written at the high end of the the grade level spectrum. And, here's the kicker, the writing tests will be given in February to allow time for the tests to be hand scored. This means that your students will need to be reading at the high end of their grade level several months before the end of the school year. This is going to require you to seriously speed up your time schedule.

There are a number of good online resources on teaching summarization.

If your students are going to be able to read these higher level texts, they are going to need to have their phonics skills down perfectly. This means that they will need to know all the major phonics patterns, not just some of them. They will need to be able to apply these patterns when sounding out multiple syllable words, and they will need to be able to read with fluency.

Hidden Standard: Keyboarding Secrets

Keyboarding may not be an official Common Core standard, however, if you want your students to do well on the Common Core assessments keyboarding is essential.

There are a number of free online tutorials and games that are perfect for children. Check out this video from the BBC:

Common Core Month

It's Common Core month on the Teaching Channel.

Common Core Writing Rubrics

Most school have developed writing rubrics for scoring student essays and guiding writing instruction. The most popular basis for writing rubrics, especially in elementary school, has been the Six Traits model. Sometimes this has been expanded to Six Plus One Traits to include presentation. While this has been an effective model for many years, you will need to move beyond this if you want your students to do well on the Common Core writing tests.

Here is a sample writing rubric based on the Common Core Sate Standards:

 There are a number of differences. The most important one deals with the use of resources. This is not covered by Six Traits, but it is required in the Common Core. Students will need to be able to cite sources in their writing. Another difference will be the focus on nonfiction writing.

A number of Common Core aligned rubrics can be found here.

When a Student's I-pad Freezes

If you have a personal i-pad, you may be confused by the title of this post. May happy i-pad users have never had their i-pad freeze. But a class set is different. Children, as we all know, do not always treat technology correctly or even gently. Also, with between 20 and 30 (or more) students using and i-pad, there are that many more opportunities for something to go wrong. A frozen i-pad is not that difficult to fix; You just need to know how.

Of course, this applies to all tablets, not just i-pads.

Common Core Templates

If you are looking for templates that incorporate the Common Core State Standards the Literacy Design Collaborative is a great place to start.

Tablets and Teaching

Tablets are an increasingly popular way to integrate tech into education. We know the Common Core standards require that students be fluent in the new technologies. The trick lies in using tablets to enhance education with out letting them become a distraction.

Social Studies Framework

The new social studies framework is meant to be compatible with the Common Core state standards for reading and language arts. The idea is for these standards to support and reinforce the common core standards in the context of social studies.

So how does this work? First, it's important to understand that this is a frame work rather than a curriculum. It provides a way to approach the teaching of social studies along with giving the core competencies that students should achieve at various grade levels. It is not a detailed list of the content that schools should be covering. For example, students are expected to be able to develop claims using evidence. They can do this using a standard expanding horizons curriculum, the Core Knowledge curriculum (my personal favorite), or with any curriculum chosen by your particular state or district.

C3 Framework Organization

Dimension 1: Developing Questions and Planning Inquiries	Dimension 2: Applying Disciplinary Tools and Concepts	Dimension 3: Evaluating Sources and Using Evidence	Dimension 4: Communicating Conclusions and Taking Informed Action
Developing Questions and Planning Inquiries	Civics	Gathering and Evaluating Sources	Communicating and Critiquing Conclusions
	Economics
	Geography	Developing Claims and Using Evidence	Taking Informed Action
	History

Much of this will look familiar to anyone who has worked with the Common Core state standards. What I find interesting is the part about developing questions and planning inquiries. While these skills are not explicitly called for by Common Core, they should be very useful in leading to the type of deep learning that the Common Core is calling for.

Talk Like a Pirate

I got a kick out of the take on why pirates say are.

However, my favorite use of "Pirate talk" is to help students with those tricky r controlled vowels. I introduce one sound at a time in my reading group. I test the student's ability to read words with the target sound and move on as they find success. They love the chant:

AR says "arrr" like a pirate.         art, park, star
Or a pirate can say more.             more, for, your, floor, board
Will a pirate steer near here?       steer, near, here
A pirate can get tired.                   tire, fire, wire
Er-er-er the pirate is unsure.        Her girl sure learns words.
When they're there, 
the pirates wear their fair share.  fair, share, wear
                                                      there, their, they're

Those last three are the trickiest. I explain that "there" is a place like here, there, everywhere. The "their" with an "i" in the middle shows belonging. "It is their treasure." And "they're" is the contraction for "they are". It helps the children with spelling these words correctly to point out that each of them begins with the word "the".

What Does Explaining Your Answer Look Like?

There is a lot of talk about having children explain their answers, but what does this look like? This is especially challenging in the younger grades. This video give an excellent example of kindergarten children explaining their math reasoning.

More or Less

When I showed young children how to use number lines, I used to take advantage of an old teacher trick and tell them to count "hops" on the line. This stopped them from counting one for the number they were already on  and getting an answer that was one less than the actual answer.

I don't do that anymore. I came to realize that this did not lead to deeper understanding. Instead I work with the children on the concept of more and less.

I start with objects. First we work with two groups of different sizes to identify which group has more objects and which has less (or fewer) objects. Then we work on adding one more, two more, three more, ect.

From this foundation we can move to the number line.  To use the number line to find 5 + 1, I say "Five and one more." Then I point to the number line as I say "Five, one more than five." We move on to two more than, three more than, ... Later I will compare the two ways of using the number line to add. I might show 5 + 4 and count one while pointing to the 5 and end landing on 8, and then do it counting one as I point to 6 and end landing on 9. I ask the students to think about which way of doing this is correct and why. After they have had some time to think, I call on a student to tell the class which way is correct and to explain why.

I do something similar with less than. This leads to a much deeper level of understanding than the old "Let's count hops" trick.

It's Time to Get Your Learn On!

My kids got a kick out of seeing this video from Kid President. It's a great introduction to writing a persuasive essay. It's also good for helping students distinguish facts from opinions. Even my reluctant writers were excited. This lead to some of the best writing I have seen this early in the year.

Common Core Tests and Accessability

The accommodations that will be permitted for students taking Common Core test will depend on which consortium is creating the tests. The rules regarding these accommodations are complex. Elementary students who are taking tests developed by the PARCC consortium will be allowed to have the tests read aloud to them if they have a documented need for this. If the tests are read aloud this will be noted with the test results. The standards required by the Smarter Balanced consortium are more stringent and somewhat controversial. For grades 3-5, students will not be permitted to have the tests read aloud to them even if they are blind and do not know braille! Am I the only one who thinks that Smarter Balanced has gone off the deep end on this issue?

What Do Parents Know About Common Core?

With all the talk of Common Core is the education world, it's easy to imagine that everybody knows about the Common Core Standards. Not so...

Happy Grandparent's Day

Today is Grandparent's Day. It's not too late to have your students make a card or write a letter for their grandparents. I believe strongly in the importance of this special day. That's why I have kept the cost of my Grandparent's Day packet so low. It's just $2.99. Even if you don't use the packet, be sure to have your students do something for the older people in their lives. I really want this holiday to catch on.

PARCC Sample Items

The PARCC consortium has released sample items. It is useful to compare these to the Smarter Balanced online practice tests. As you would expect, they are actually fairly similar because they are aligned to the same standards..

It is important to note that the final version of the Smarter Balanced tests will be computer adaptive. This means that the test will respond to the answers given by the student and will present high achieving students with more difficult questions. The currently available practice tests do not have this feature.

There will be two expectations that will be very different from what has been expected of students in the past. In math, it will be important for students to be able to explain how they got their answer. For English Language Arts, students will be expected to use two or more texts to write a multiple paragraph essay.

Calculators and Common Core

The use of calculators during math instruction has long been a contentious issue. Some educators have suggested that using calculators can free students from the drudgery of basic facts and allow them to focus on gaining a deeper understanding. Other educators have argued that using calculators, especially in the early grades, interferes with the development of fluency in calculation.

The Common Core State Standards do not prescribe any particular type of classroom practice. However the Common Core tests will not allow 3-5 students to use calculators during the actual tests. Some sections of the tests for older students may allow for the use of calculators.

This will mean that primary teachers will need to make sure that their students are fluent in their basic facts.

Now It's Minnesota's Turn

Ouch! Looks like Minnesota is the latest state to see its scores decline with test aligned to the new Common Core standards. I know that this is discouraging, but remember that this does not have to happen. A few schools have worked hard to implement the standards early and have actually seen their scores go up.

English Language Learners and Common Core

How can we prepare ELL students to meet the demands of the Common Core State Standards? It will be challenging. The new standards have a strong emphasis on challenging texts with more complex language. Even in math, the linguistic demands will be greater. There will be more word problems, and students will need to be able to explain their reasoning.

The good news is that it can be done. In Washington D.C. ELL students actually showed some small gains in math as the district moved to tests aligned with the Common Core. While they showed some slippage in reading scores, they did not experience the dramatic drops that occurred for all student groups in other areas as they moved to Common Core aligned tests.

What needs to be done to help ELL students to succeed as we move to the Common Core? It will be important to focus on direct instruction in tier 2 words. But there is something that is even more important, and gets very little attention. Students need to be taught how to gain word knowledge from their reading. They should be able to sound out unknown multisyllable words. Then they have to be able to infer the meaning of a word from its context. These skills are essential. An individual with a good vocabulary will know around fifty thousand words. You will never be able to teach all of these words directly.

Here is an example:

I am longing to get a pet kitten.

This is just the kind of language that an ELL student is likely to have trouble 

understanding. They will think that they know the meaning of the word longing 

because they know the meaning of the word long. But the idea of length makes 

no sense in the context of the sentence. Students need to be walked through 

sentences like this. Don't just tell them the meaning. Discuss what makes sense 

in context. With my complete phonics program students are exposed to 

vocabulary in context on a daily basis. Their word knowledge grows rapidly 

because they gain the skills needed to grow their vocabulary with independent 

reading.

Grandparent's Day

Are you ready for Grandparent's Day? It's celebrated on the Sunday after Labor Day. That means that Grandparent's Day will be on September 8 this year. It's a great holiday for school children. The timing is perfect. The kids are all settled in for the beginning of the year. It isn't around the same time as any other major holidays. It's early enough in the school year so that the students are still in that “honeymoon” period, and late enough so that the placement testing is squared away. Because it's not a well known holiday, you are free from the stress of trying to meet expectations. Hey, its even got its own song.

The children in my class have always gotten a kick out of Grandparent's Day, and the families appreciate it. It's a great way to start off the year.

Points of Light

Both Kentucky and New York saw their test scores drop as they made the change to Common Core aligned tests. But there are some important exceptions to this, and we should look closer to see what we can learn from them.

As I noted in an earlier post, while most New York City schools saw significant drops in their math scores on the new tests, the Success Academies had a strikingly different outcome. Their math scores were extraordinary. All of the schools did very well, and at one school 97% of students scored proficient in math. It's interesting to note that while they also did well on the ELA tests, it is in math that the results are truly striking. Success Academies have a longer school day, but so do many schools that did poorly on the new tests. It's tempting to write this off as a side effect of excessive test prep, but, once again, many schools that are notorious for their emphasis on test prep saw their test scores fall dramatically. I see two things that really stand out on the Success Academy web site. The program is activity based and the students are encouraged to share their mathematical thinking.

Another bright spot is the District of Columbia. While these results are not as strong as what the Success Academies achieved, they are important because they include a much larger and more diverse group of students. It is clear that the Washington D. C. district has devoted resources to the Common Core transition. I like this series documenting how this transition is working out because it really brings home what this is like for real teachers as they struggle to help their students.

Explain Your Answer

Of all the things required by the new Common Core State Standards, explaining your answer in math is one of the most perplexing. How do we teach this skill? After all, most of us did not have to explain our math answers when we were in grade school. What does this even look like? It can be difficult to know what we should be looking for in an explanation.

That is why I was so glad to find this set of annotated Common Core sample questions. The questions are separated out by grade level. Especially useful are the samples of explanations for math problems. The questions are graded on a 0, 1, 2 scale. This site presents several examples for each grade on the scale. It really helps to make expectations clear.

Could Chess Make a Difference?

While most schools did show significant drops in test scores for the new Common Core aligned tests in New York, not all schools showed these declines.

When I checked out the web sites of schools that had shown improvement with the switch to the more rigorous standards, I saw things that anyone might expect. These schools showed a strong emphasis on math discussion. Students were expected to justify their answers both orally and in writing.

I did see one thing that I had not expected. Many of these schools offered chess programs for elementary students. Could this be part of the answer? Chess teaches patience and problem solving skills. The game format may even be helpful. Elementary school chess is part of the curriculum in many countries known for their high achievement in math. It could be worth trying in your school.

Ouch! Scores Fall with Common Core Assessments

As expected, New York's reading and math scores have dropped with the move to new Common Core aligned tests. Something similar happened earlier with test scores in Kentucky when they switched to tests based of the Common Core State Standards.

Why is this drop happening? Part of the explanation lies in the fact that the tests are harder. In addition, the tests are different. They last longer and require more stamina. This is especially challenging for younger students. Just having the tests online presents new challenges. Schools have to have the infrastructure to support the new testing, and students need to be comfortable with a variety of computer skills. These tests also require more writing than students have had to do in the past. The need to explain math answers is another hurdle.

Scores do not have to drop. But to prevent this, schools will need to be proactive. Most states still have until the 2014/15 school year before the new tests are adopted. It is important to be aware of the changes that are coming and to prepare your students.

What I Love and Don't Love about the New Standards

If you want to know what I love about the Common Core State Standards, you don't have to look any further than this. The new standards really do encourage a depth of understanding that had been missing in the past. I love the way these students are encouraged to explain their thinking and collaborate with their peers. The CCSS really are encouraging a higher standard for teaching and learning.

What is it that I don't love about these new standards? It's the over the top stress on standardized tests. Test scores are dropping with the new standards. Kids are stressed out. Teachers and schools may be judged unfairly.

I do support testing and accountability. And even I would agree that these new tests call for much more in the way of higher order thinking skills. But even the best tests have their quirks. I wish that policy makes would join the call for a testing moratorium to give us the time to work out the kinks in these new tests.

Interpreting Visual Information

Under the Common Core, students will need to be able to use pictures, photos, and graphs as sources of information. The Common Core Reading Anchor standard number 7 says that students are expected to be able to “Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.” This is not something new. Teachers have been talking young children through “picture walks” for years. And older students have long been required to answer questions about graphs and charts.

What is different is the way this plays out in the CCSS tests . Students will be expected to cite an image as a source for an essay. This is not necessarily difficult, but it is different from traditional essays.

So how can you prepare your students for this challenge? Start out by teaching students how to refer to a graph, chart, or picture in an essay. The information contained in a graph or chart is relatively straight forward, but how can students use the information contained in a photograph as evidence in an essay? Get images from the internet and display them for a class discussion. For example, what does a photograph of astronauts on board a space station suggest about living conditions in space? How would you write about that? It will be important for your students to refer back to the image. You may want to give them sentence stems:

The photo shows that... 

According to the chart … 

The graph demonstrates that …

For younger students, you will want to teach them how to draw conclusions from pictures. How is the child in the picture feeling? How can you tell? Also, make sure that you are including nonfiction pictures in your discussions. What does the picture tell us about frogs?

I'm confident that your students will actually enjoy this challenge. It's fun for children to look to visuals as a source of information. They just need some explicit instruction.

Another Hidden Standard: Time

Like Kentucky, New York City has decided to implement testing for the new Common Core State Standards before the rest of the nation. It is expected that test scores will drop in New York City as they did for the CCSS aligned tests in Kentucky last year.

Is there something to be learned from these concerns? An important concern raised with the NYC tests that were given last spring was the issue of not having enough time. These tests will require more in the way of written responses and essay questions. Many students were not used to writing essays with such a limited amount of time and were not able to complete the tests in the time given.

If you want your students to do well when the CCSS tests are rolled out in the 2014/2015 school year, you will need to help your students become comfortable with writing under time pressures. I have mixed feelings about this. Students really grow in their writing ability when they are given repeated opportunities to review, discuss, and revise their work. You do not want to eliminate this important practice. However, you may need to add timed independent writing assignments, so that students students become used to wrapping up a piece of writing in a limited time.

Hidden Standards in Math

Check out this online fraction quiz. Now we all know that a deep understanding of fractions is needed to set students up for success in algebra. The CCSS Math Standards focus on this deeper understanding and are important to teach.

But what I want to focus on are the “hidden standards”. These are things that are essential to helping your students do well on standardized assessments but that may not be explicitly covered in the standards.

Students must read questions carefully. Does the question ask you to order numbers from least to greatest of from greatest to least?

Think story problems through. Draw a picture if you need help in visualizing what the problem is asking you to do. Avoid the temptation to just focus on the numbers.

Do not be mislead by extraneous information. If there are 12 boys in room 306, you may not need to do anything with the number 306.

While it is important to check your answers to make sure you didn't forget anything or make an obvious mistake, don't go overboard in second guessing yourself. Research shows that students who erase an answer are more likely to change a correct answer to an incorrect answer than the other way around. Rafe Esquith points this out in his most recent book and gives a good example of how he teaches his students about this.

A Little Word with Big Results

In my last post, I discussed the power of vocabulary. Today I am going to tell you about the power of one small word to change your students' attitudes and to increase their academic achievement. That magical word word is “yet”. Not convinced? Check it out here.

CCSS Vocabulary

The CCSS standards emphasize the importance of requiring students to grapple with more complex vocabulary. The focus is on tier two vocabulary. These are words that are more advanced than what a student would typically encounter in spoken speech without being so highly specialized that they are of limited use. Thus big would be a tier one word. Immense would be a tier two word. While lithosphere would be a tier three word.

Then there are specific terms that relate to testing. There are a number of leveled lists that can be helpful with this. There are some important things to consider here. If there are multiple words for the same concept, it will be important to include each of these words. For example, students should know how to find both the root word and the base word.

Students will be expected to know common prefixes and suffixes  and be able to apply these the determine the meaning of a word. This has been somewhat controversial because prefixes and suffixes can be misleading. The argument is that if a child believes that un- at the beginning of a word always means “not” then he is likely to conclude that unicycle mean “not a cycle”. As an experienced teacher, I know that teaching prefixes and suffixes has a big payoff as long as you help students to apply their knowledge flexibly and always attend to context.

This brings me to the most important insight about teaching vocabulary for the Common Core. If you want your students to do well on the tests, you must move beyond merely having them memorize lists of words and definitions.

This was brought home to me years ago when our reading specialist explained that some struggling students were unable to pass the state reading test because it asked them to summarize a passage instead of using the phrase “write a summary”. Why should this have been such a problem? They knew how to write summaries and the meaning of the word summarize should have been clear from the context.

The students were anxious. They weren't sure what to do when they encountered an unknown word, so they just shut down. Children need to have a strategy for dealing with words that they haven't seen before.

First, they have to be able to sound out a new word while being comfortable with the fact that their pronunciation may not be perfect. For years I thought that those little appetizers people served at parties were called horse divorces. Obviously, my pronunciation of the words hors d'oeuvres was not quite correct, but it didn't stop me from understanding the basic meaning.

Context is king. Students need to feel confident that they can understand the meaning of a new word from the way that it is used. This is especially important with multiple meaning words. I remember hearing a little girl tearfully explain why she couldn't answer all the questions on the reading test. “It asked about a reading passage. I know about the Northwest Passage, but how can reading be a passage?”

Finally, students need to realize that they can understand the basic meaning of what they are reading even if they don't have a complete understanding of a word's definition. For example, look at this sentence:

The sad man is glum.

It contains a near synonym and it is fairly easy to determine the meaning of the word “glum”. Now read this sentence:

The kitten finds big dogs distressful.

The reader can make a guess about what the word probably means, but the exact definition is unclear. This is typical of most unknown words that your students will encounter in their reading. The exact meaning will not be immediately clear, but each exposure to the word will give them a better idea of what the word means.

This is why I have had so much success with my phonics program. It really works so much better than the traditional “word of the day” vocabulary program. You can never be confident that you have taught your students every word that they might run across. This program sets them up to tackle any word that they see. My kids don't shut down when they see an unfamiliar word, they attack because this is what they have been doing all year. Check out this sample page:

57.Word Attack

1. The bad man will threaten him with his fist.
   
   
2. I ate some bread at breakfast.
   
   
3. She dreaded meeting the mean man.
   
   
4. That is a leaden pipe.
   
   
5. The big blast was deafening.
   
   
6. Jane dove headlong into the lake.
   
   
7. Exercise is healthful.