Response to CCSS

After reviewing the ELA CCSS, I say the bar has been set bar higher than previous administrative revamps and presents challenges for us as teachers.

Are there lessons that we can teach that will help students use reading, writing, and research skills proficiently in other subject content areas such as science? Perhaps spending a minute of a lesson on research discussing how to look into topics in science could help students apply skills in unfamiliar settings. Perhaps we could teach a novel like Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea that deals with a lot of scientific issues and we could ask questions of the class that relate to some of the scientific themes of the novel.

Are there ways we can modify lessons to implement speaking and listening? Maybe by using some of the techniques we read in "Discussion in a Democratic Society" we can foster speaking and listening skills in our classrooms. Having students present the information they research and formulate into papers or assignments rather than only submitting assignments should help achieve CCSS too.

Implementing these tougher standards is a significant challenge in a classroom where a significant amount of students may not be reading or writing at grade level. Can we remediate students while achieving more of the CCSS? Most students are uneducated with grammar and language, yet a solid basis in usage is required to write well. Perhaps we can do two usage-based grammatical mini-lessons a week.

Though the CCSS are set at a higher standard, there are clever ways to adapt instruction to help meet those standards. It will require work and dedication, and a bit of craftiness.