Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Back to Basics?
I like the idea of going back to the basics....reading, writing and arithmetic, but then where does ancient Mali fit in? Does China have a place in an elementary school when students are reading below grade level? Should students memorize words like Appalachian Plateau when they have not yet memorized all of the basic sight words? I think we know answers to these questions, but the VA DOE isn't asking us, they are telling us, so are these really questions at all?
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ReplyDeleteSo agree Ann! I really believe that with the rigor of everything increasing so much we should be concentrating on the basic math and reading skills. Sure, incorporate reading about the other subjects, and I'm all for the scientific investigation portions which can double as reading nonfiction as well as math skills, but if all of our students can't read and comprehend and master the basic math skills, what good in the grand scheme of life is knowing the ancient cultures and tribes (and really do those same students really know it, or do they struggle with the vocabulary). One of the main things I've noticed throughout the years is that many of our students are missing the background knowledge that we all take for granted.... what is Virginia like? What is the weather like? What animals live on farms? What do they eat? I could go on and on... so making connections necessary to understand and master the more abstract science and social studies often feels like hitting my head on a wall. The one nice thing this year in 2nd is having that IE time where we can go on to some of the other things above and beyond the basics, while our struggling students are getting more language and reading instruction.
DeleteWe are expecting our kids to be jacks-of-all-subjects and masters-of-none! What if they became master readers??
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