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Here’s What the Common Core Will Change I hear all kinds of good and bad things about Common Core. What is likely to change at my children’s school?
First of all, Common Core is the new state standards initiative preparing America’s students for college and a career, as well as making sure that all children are literate in the twenty first century, both in print and digitally. Almost every state has adopted these standards, which are for English language arts/literacy and math. Implementation of the standards will begin in your children’s school this year. There will also be standardized testing aligned with these new standards.
You will notice that the English language arts/literacy curriculum will have a greater emphasis on literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects in grades 6 to 12. You will also notice your children reading more nonfiction. In addition, the standards do require students to read to cite answers, not just rely on their opinions.
Plus, students will be required to show that they can listen and speak clearly. Your child will definitely be required to explain concepts and be able to find information primarily from expository texts. And there will be more use of the Internet.
In mathematics, there actually will be a considerable change. No longer will teachers be covering as many topics as possible. Instead, teachers will be going into more depth each year in fewer mathematical areas. The idea is to eliminate content that is not helpful. Having students develop a deeper understanding of basic mathematical principles will help them move on to more advanced mathematical topics.
You can see exactly what the new standards include for each grade level (K-12) by visiting corestandards.org.
Tell Your Own Story with Wordless Books What’s the best way to read a wordless picture book with my 4-year-old daughter?
Start your reading session by looking at the book’s cover and tell your child the name of the story. Then go through the book looking at each page and examining the pictures together. Do talk about what you both see in each illustration. Note objects, colors, and what each character is doing. Then go back through the book telling your child a story about the pictures. Often after turning a few pages, your tot will take off “reading” the book to you from what she sees.
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