Week 1 assignment #1

Understanding Common Core for ELA and Literacy

Teachers and the education department are constantly working on improving the education system. In the 1980s, teachers got together to try to create a standard of learning for students. At first, each state began trying to create their own standards, but they realized that this would be challenging, which is when the Common Core Standards came about. The idea of these standards is to set goals and expectations to prepare students for higher education. These standards are broken up into four categories reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language. The standards focus heavily on reading including reading closely, making logical inferences, citing textual evidence, complex literacy and informational text. Common Core reading standards also focuses on adding more non-fiction reading into the curriculum.

#2 Who is responsible?

In K-5, the ELA teachers are responsible for teaching reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language. In grades 6-12, the ELA teacher is responsible as well as content subject teachers like science and social studies.

Reading

This standard focuses on students growing in their reading level throughout the grades. They should be able to understand what they read, cite textual evidence, and make connections in there reading.

Writing

Students should be able to connect their reading into writing skills. Some writing skills include: the ability to plan, revise, edit, and publish works. Students should also be able to write argument pieces, informatives, and narratives.

Speaking and Listening

Students collaborate and communicate in working together to listen to each other’s ideas and integrate information from various sources including media.

Language

This standard includes understanding written and oral language. The standard also focuses on vocabulary building for students.

#3 Teacher interview

Do you use technology when teaching ELA?

Somewhat

Can you share some technologies that you use?

First, I get a lot of my information including lesson plans and worksheets from ELA sites online like readwritethink and scholastic. I use many songs and videos from YouTube for my students and they learn a lot from it and find it a lot of fun.

Do you face any challenges when using technology in your ELA instruction?

If I am using a technology in which the students are using, there is a wide range of their technology skills. It sometimes becomes difficult to monitor struggling students when students work individually.