Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/315828
h ttp://www.tolerance.org/print/immigration-myths h ttp://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2013/05/29/ addressing-and-discrediting-7-major-myths-about-immigration h ttp://easyyolk.blogspot.com/2012/05/who-would-jesus-deport.html editor's Note Dancing with the Common Core The Fontana Teachers Association mem- ber talks like she's running a marathon, discussing student successes and the links between physical movement and critical thinking skills. Nicole, hands gesturing, talks about how dance is in the Common Core State Standards. " R e a d i n g t e x t i s n o t j u s t r e a d i n g a book. You read a painting; you can read a dance. There are elements there that you need to look for, evidence to support your o p i n i o n s . L o o k a t t h i s s t a n d a rd : Wr i te informative and explanatory text. From a d a n c e p e r s p e c t i v e , w r i t i n g m e a n s ch ore ograp hy, i nt ro du cin g a to pic an d organizing ideas, developing a topic with we l l - c h o s e n a n d s u f f i c i e n t f a c t s , u s i n g varied transitions and sentence structures. Besides my sister, Nicole Robinson is the only teacher I've met who can talk so fast and cover so many topics with such enthusiasm all in one breath that I am winded by the time she fi nishes a sentence. I visited the visual and performing arts teachers about her CTA Institute for Teaching (IFT) grant funding her students' participation in the San Diego Trolley Dance project (see details at cta.org/ift). When we think about sentence structure, we think about phrase, which is basically a dance form. I'm reworking my chore- ography rubric template to identify these Common Core ideas." All of this in one breath, I swear! California educators are finding their f o o t i n g a r o u n d t h e C o m m o n C o r e . I n o t h e r s t a t e s , i m p l e m e n t a t i o n w a s rushed, and literally millions were spent o n c o m p a n i e s p r o v i d i n g " C o m m o n Core" curriculum and assessments. For ex a m p l e , N e w Yo r k a d m i n i s t e r e d n e w assessments aligned with the Common C o r e s t a n d a r d s l a s t y e a r, a n d s c o r e s plummeted because students were tested on topics they had not yet been taught. Lesson plans tied to the Common Core w e r e o f t e n n o t a v a i l a b l e , n o r w e r e te a c h e rs a d e q u a te ly p re p a re d to te a c h Common Core-aligned lessons. That's not happening here. In an effort to see whether common sense prevails when it comes to the Common Core, we're doing something a little different in this month's Educator. While there's plenty of angst to go around, it seems debate has been healthy, and some districts are doing brilliant work implementing the standards, collaborating, and providing resources and time. Others not so much. Read about the struggles and successes of members to accept and understand the standards, find resources and implement change. Inside, you'll find stories about lesson planning, talking to parents, using technology, and bargaining implementation. We even ques- tioned members who write the questions for the new assessment. Cynthia Menzel E D I T O R I N C H I E F editor@cta.org Common Core m eets common sense in C alifornia Common Core Rum dellatem endenimus es aritatur s equi deligent eosapererum raectes t iurit ab. Sit, sus elitati orerem etur m agnis excessit pligenectem. See this icon here? It indicates an arti- cle on a Common Core-related topic. The rest of this issue features cheer- leading in schools, suggesting perhaps it's time for cheerleading to be consid- ered a real sport (page 50). And for your convenience, find your colleagues' recom- mendations for the June primary election (page 41). Feel free to rip the page out and take it to your polling place. I rather e n j oye d t h e l i s t o f s u m m e r r e a d s " f o r adults only" (page 25). I'm not sure how many of the books will make you breath- less, but they're all a good read. A s y o u r e a d t h r o u g h t h i s m o n t h ' s magazine, I hope you learn a little, and perhaps have an "aha!" moment or two. Maybe discuss what you read with col- leagues. Talking with Nicole, I learned a lot about the Common Core, and even more about dancing. 8 M AY 2 0 1 4 Educator 05 May 2014 v1.6 int.indd 8 5/16/14 3:21 PM