View this thought provoking video about Common Core Standards.
Read like a detective and write like a consceintious investigative reporter!
This high end lecture presentation on the shifts required to meet the Common Core Standards for English Language Arts.
Shifts promoted by the CC Standards
Major move toward reading informational texts at all levels is the main message.
Writing at the high school is dominated by personal opinion / narrative? The shift is to writing that conveys an arguement that can be supported with facts. Narrative is not eliminated, but takes second place to informative writing.
As a heart and soul writing teacher I've taught writing in the context of personal narrative. Using this mode remains the best way to teach fundamentals. However I have to agree with the lectures statement that in general "People don't give a shit about your opinions." His point being that writers should be able convey information and support their opinions with facts.
I don't worry about writing being sidelined. That's already happened after years of distorted emphasis delivered by NCLB.
I hope that the CC standards will help us shift our teaching to the point where critical thinking and being able to 'write like a conscientious investigative reporter' becomes a more common reality in classrooms across the country.
I wouldn't be a teacher if I didn't have an enormous capacity for hope. ~ Dennis
