Every district has their own curriculum and Sioux Central does a great job at choosing curriculum that follows the Iowa Common Core. As educators we need to make sure that our students are reaching the state benchmarks to guide them to success in school. In Kindergarten we really focus on reading standards. For whole group reading Mrs. Tunink uses the curriculum Journeys. The Journeys curriculum is not completely aligned to the core, however it has wonderful components that can be used to get students to reach the standards. The Journeys curriculum comes with authentic text that are rigorous and relevant for students. These text come in a variety of genres and our designed to get students to think critically. Another important component to …show more content…
Tunink use “The Next Step in Guided Reading,” by Jan Richardson. This reading curriculum is aligned to the Literacy Common Core State Standards. The resources from Jan Richardson that we use for our classroom focus on the foundational skills and reading concepts for Kindergarteners. Specifically, it guides instruction on print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics, word recognition, fluency, craft and structure, integration of knowledge, range of reading, text complexity, key ideas and details. In Kindergarten we don’t state the exact standards or objectives for the day to the students. Instead, I use student friendly terms to introduce big understandings, concepts, and generalizations. For example, I would say something like, “Today we are going to be learning about how to read with expression. This is important because it makes this it helps me understand what is most important when I am reading and it also makes my reading more interesting.” A big understanding that we have been working on this week is blending techniques as well as working with the letter g. This goes with the transfer goal, “students will be able to independently use their learning to use their knowledge of letter sounds and blend to effectively read.” This understanding and transfer goal align with standard RF.K.3 which states, “know and apply grade–level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding
...tary level. Studies show a correlation between structured programs with a comprehensive systematic way of presenting curriculum is essential for helping students make progress in school). Explicit instruction is critical in teaching reading (Graves, 2004). Incorporating the CAFÉ strategies in whole group mini lessons and then allow student to participate in the Daily 5 reading activities seem to be a place where everyone is on the same page in teaching reading. The Daily 5 structure follows the characteristic of what “good literacy instruction” should be. It is consistent, and well designed in instructional routines. It has opportunities for authentic practice in reading and writing. It is highly motivated and engages students. Assessment is on going with each student and the class as a whole and learning objective build and change over time. (Teale, 2009)
The Common Core has been a highly debated educational initiative based in the United States that provides children of all race, religious denomination, and socioeconomic background the same educational path from kindergarten through senior year of high school or the 12th grade. The Common Core provides six standards on its website that serve as its oath. “The standards are: 1. Research- and evidence-based. 2. Clear, understandable, and consistent. 3. Aligned with college and career expectations. 4. Based on rigorous content and application of knowledge through higher-order thinking skills. 5. Built upon the
“To ensure all students are ready for success after high school, the Common Core State Standards establish clear, consistent guidelines for what every student should know and be able to do in math and English language arts from kindergarten through 12th grade” (What Parents Should Know, n.d.). Children are entering a world that is requiring more and more than before. Society is changing meaning education must change to keep up with society. “The standards were drafted by experts and teachers from across the country and are designed to ensure students are prepared for today’s entry-level careers, freshman-level college courses, and workforce training programs” (What Parents Should Know, n.d.). The focus is to allow students to think critically and be able to problem solve; skills needed in life. The Common Core State Standards are also providing ways for teachers to track each student’s progress as they grow and learn throughout the year. Common Core has many good qualities, but nothing is perfect. There will always be issues no matter the
Reading goals must be realistic. Students will not engage if the reading is not authentic. I want to encourage my students in reading and give them the tools they need to succeed while allowing them to choose what they read. I also want to implement different reading assessments that are creative rather than just textbook responses. Genuine reading experiences will help my students find their own passion for reading. These experiences may come from allowing students to pick their own books, having parent involvement, giving specific feedback, or alternative ways of assessment. I believe the more options I give my readers the more realistic my chances of connecting with them are.
Literacy is an on-going skill that teachers and students alike should commonly study and practice in all grades. Problems faced by teachers, especially teachers in higher grades, are not having the skills to be effective teachers of literacy. To effectively teach literacy across content areas, a teacher would need skills such as knowledge of the reading process and the ability to cultivate the knowledge gained in order to make informed decisions within their classrooms (Clary, Oglan, Styslinger,
“It is not enough to simply teach children to read; we have to give them something worth reading. Something that will stretch their imagination—something that will help them make sense of their own lives and encourage them to reach out toward people whose lives are quite different from their own.” – Katherine Patterson
Before the lesson is prepared, the teachers must have a clear understanding of the objectives of the lesson to be taught. By having an understanding of what they students will able to accomplish at the end of the lesson, the content remains focused and thorough. The teacher must then express these objectives to the students including the standards for performance. Students can then be held accountable for expectations that are known.
Often time’s curriculum is thought of as a set of rules and standards given to teachers to follow. However, more goes into a curriculum than just what meets perceived. Teachers are not just the vehicles from which a curriculum flows but in a sense, they embody it. There are four main different avenues in which curriculum is constructed. It’s constructed through government agencies, publishers, school systems, and teachers. It can be defined as “content, a set of specific educational plans, a changing series of planned learning experiences, or as everything that learners experience in school” (Van Brummelen, 20). A curriculum is strongly built behind a worldview. “A worldview is a comprehensive framework of basic convictions about life. Worldviews
The curriculum that the state requires to be taught is core based. The basics are taught; English, math, social studies and science. On average, these subjects are taught about three hours more a week than in private schools. This is beneficial because there is more time to discuss in topics in depth, and to also ...
Vukelich, C, Christie, J & Enz, B 2002, Helping Young Children Learn Language and Literacy, Allyn & Bacon, Bosten MA.
“The single most important activity for building knowledge for their eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children,” a report from 1985 by the commission
In this essay, I will talk about the components of a lesson plan, the benefits of planning with clear and appropriate goals, selecting age-appropriate goals and objectives that align with state academic content standards, and selecting goals and objectives that are differentiated for varying abilities and learning styles and for multiple intelligences.
Curriculum Differentiation One of the most urgent challenges teachers face today is creating a classroom environment where all students are simultaneously engaged in meaningful activities. Too many times students may either become lost as the teacher continues on with the lesson or the material may not be advanced enough, thus becoming boring for students. The implementation of curriculum differentiation is a sustainable solution to this prevalent dilemma. In some parts of the world, the teacher will come into the classroom, write the title of the lesson on the board, and ask one of the students to read aloud as the rest of the class listens. When the student finishes reading, the lesson is considered to be taught.
LITERATURE REVIEW: The given article is the work of Mark K. Smith. In this article ‘Curriculum theory and practice’,he explores the meaning of curriculum and four different approaches to curriculum in relation to informal education. He relates curriculum with formal and informal education. Mark K. Smith is a researcher and educator based in London at Developing Learning. He was the Rank Research Fellow and Tutor at the YMCA George Williams College, London (a college linked to Canterbury Christ Church University) and a visiting professor in community education at the University of Strathclyde.
Educators refer curriculum as an organized framework, which consists details of what children are going to learn, how and when teaching and learning occurs. The terms curriculum and syllabus are widely used and mean different things to British and American writers. As a result of this difference, people are often led to getting them confused as having the same meaning. The meanings of these terms are simple once they are explained clearly, the term “curriculum” refers to the total content that is aimed to be taught within the school or educational system. The term “syllabus” on the other hand, refers to the content of an individual course.