Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/138130
Samantha Leung uses what she calls "backwards planning," where assessments are created before lesson plans. Here she helps Rebecca White, who solves math problems and explains how she determined her answer. don't wait until the last minute to dive in, say WSEA members. Divide teachers by grade levels and subject matter to tackle a chunk at a time; communicate and collaborate; and go slow to avoid becoming overwhelmed. It's not just a matter of tweaking the new standards to the old standards because the two are totally different, so expect changes in pedagogy, they advise. "It's not an option of whether or not you want to change," says English teacher Jennifer Medina, who has been instrumental in the school's switchover. "You have to change, and working together as a team makes it much easier." Mark West Union School District "I'm going to read a story to you," Melissa Anderson tells first-graders at Mark West Elementary School. "Think carefully about the words and events that happen that you do not understand. Afterwards, use the four L's (Look, Lean, Listen, Low Voice) to discuss what you want to clarify about the story with your pair-share partner." She reads an African folktale about animals that twitch, itch and fidget. Many students are unfamiliar with certain words, but sit quietly and listen. When she finishes, they turn to their "pair-share" partner to 18 figure out what they don't know. a recent graduate of Sonoma State University, Elijah Flores demonstrates "fidgeting" whose training has revolved around only to Kenia Martinez, moving jerkily, to make the new standards. One of the strategies his point. Toly used that her mentor found helpful Under the old standards, was asking students who Anderson would write unfadidn't know the right answer miliar words on the board and when called upon to repeat explain their meaning before the right answer after another reading the book, which she student answered correctly. calls "front-loading" infor"I feel very useful," says Toly. mation. Now, using "close "Melissa and I collaborated read" strategies associated on a CCSS unit on gardening, with Common Core, she tells where students worked colstudents to listen to the "gist" laboratively planting seeds in of the story first. Later, with containers, measuring their Susan Gonyo prompting and support from growth, and writing in journals. each other and Anderson, It was a hands-on unit combinstudents fill in the missing pieces and take ing science, math, literacy and writing skills. ownership of the material. Our students were excited about it." "It's wonderful to see them engaged in Mark West Union School District is small, active learning," she says. with just three elementary schools and one Students use "sentence frames" to share junior high school. But the district, located academic language with partners and the in Sonoma County, has made more strides class. It's part of the CCSS emphasis on than many large urban districts when it speaking and listening skills, which students comes to preparation for converting to the are often lacking in the technology age. new standards. A sentence frame, for example, might be It started two years ago, when one mem"I didn't understand what ______ means," ber from each grade level at each school site and students fill in the blank. began collaborating with members of the Helping Anderson with the Common Sonoma County Office of Education — and Core conversion is student teacher Lisa Toly, literacy experts Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey California Educator June/July 2013 Educator 06 June 2013 v2.0.indd 18 6/14/13 9:30 PM