My favorite genre of reading is mysteries. I love the way they bring together many subplots to create an ending that I am eager to discover. How do the authors do that? I start by looking at the organization of their writing. Chapters move along telling a story and then one is thrown in to include background info or another twist, thereby weaving another thread into the tapestry of the general story line. At no time do I read the words, "and then this happened, followed by this..." and yet we find ourselves reading to the last page, eager for the resolution to the essential question (for all mysteries) of "who done it?" [sic]
This is the goal of implementation of the Common Core - to integrate the standards in a unit based on relevant content, not to teach them sequentially or independently of one another.
To achieve that end I shamelessly encourage some type of planning based on the concept of Understanding by Design by Wiggins and McTighe. What is the learning goal? What are the essential questions that drive all planning aspects of the unit? What standards - both Common Core and content will be included? Remember - the ELA standards are to help students achieve literacy. Even including the Standards of Mathematical Practice can bring lifelong applications to most non-math subjects. How will we know they have achieved those desired outcomes - essentially figuring out "who done it?"
This is the goal of implementation of the Common Core - to integrate the standards in a unit based on relevant content, not to teach them sequentially or independently of one another.
To achieve that end I shamelessly encourage some type of planning based on the concept of Understanding by Design by Wiggins and McTighe. What is the learning goal? What are the essential questions that drive all planning aspects of the unit? What standards - both Common Core and content will be included? Remember - the ELA standards are to help students achieve literacy. Even including the Standards of Mathematical Practice can bring lifelong applications to most non-math subjects. How will we know they have achieved those desired outcomes - essentially figuring out "who done it?"
How can we weave a tapestry of content and literacy that will enrich the learning and make it transferable to the real world? That is our challenge. But that also requires us to shift our thinking from the non-thinking world of a checklist to more challenging applications that will not only enhance learning, but enrich our teaching as well.
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