Q: What’s a 5-Letter Word for “Common Core”? A: R-I-G-O-R Peyton White Common Core Basics Common Core for Dummies common core state standards basics for dummies the central, innermost, or most essential part of anything General Brief James B Hunt, Jr Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy Key Points 1. Standards are simply the skills and knowledge young people need to be successful in college and at work. Key Points 2. The CCSS Initiative is a state-led effort to establish consistent and clear education standards for ELA and math, so students will be prepared for success in today’s world. Key Points 3. These standards, relevant to the real world, will establish what students need to learn, while allowing schools and teachers to decide how best to help students. “I’m sorry, but he absolutely insists on bench marks before we go any farther.” COMMON CORE I G O R “Rigor is pushing yourself beyond what is easy. Sports, reading, math, anger management, dieting – to make progress in anything there has to be an element of rigor. Plain and simple.” What is Academic Rigor? by Lori Ungemah “… to students, rigor is very simple: ‘it’ is the gap between the learning outcomes they are accustomed to reaching and those that are required for their college and university courses. The greater the disparity, the more rigorous the course.” Leonard Geddes: “What is Academic Rigor to Students? A View from the Other Side” The Beginner’s Guide to Understanding Rigor --Barbara R. Blackburn, Rigor Made Easy, 2008 1. Each student is at high levels. expected to learn 2. Each student is supported so he/she can learn at high levels. 3. Each student demonstrates learning at high levels. 1. …is expected to learn at high levels:  Decision that every student possesses potential to be his/her best, no matter what.  Higher level questioning is integral part of rigorous instruction.  Teachers push students to respond at high levels; ask extension questions; probe and guide. 2. … is supported… :  Design lessons that move students…while scaffolding. “What extra support might my students need? 3. … demonstrates learning at high levels:  Increased student engagement  Hold students accountable Costa’s 3 Levels of Inquiry --Becky Breedlove AVID Region 9 If you could go anywhere in the world, where Would you rather would it be? go to Boston or Los Angeles? What is your name? Oops! Every rule has an exception. Did you find it? DIY! Sort the questions into 3 piles, according to Costa’s Levels of Questions (Level 1, 2, or 3) Answers (?) 1. Name the elements that make up water. 1 3 2. What will California’s population be like in 2050 if we continue to grow as we have for the past ten years? 3. What is the definition of a trapezoid? 1 4. Imagine that you were in the character’s position. How would you react? 3 5. Distinguish one candidate’s platform from that of the other candidate. 2 6. Recite the Preamble to the Constitution. 1 7. What happened to the litmus paper when inserted in the liquid? 1 8. Create an invention that uses at least three types of simple machines. 3 2 9. Analyze the character’s intentions in the scene. 10. Make a plan to complete your science fair project. 3 11. Evaluate the expression (3x+5)^2 if x= -2. 1 12.Applying the principles espoused in the Fifth 3 Amendment, how would you decide the case of…? 13. Use four 4s and any math operational symbols to create expressions that equal the numbers 1-10. 2 14. Explain how involvement in war impacts the economy. 2 15. Arrange the following numbers in order from smallest to largest: . . . 2 That was the easy part! Write corresponding higher and/or lower level questions for each of those questions… and be prepared to share… ANY piece of text will do… “The Little Boy” Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 “Write About’s” A Parent’s Guide to the Common Core Standards Questions? (They do NOT have to be Level 3’s !) Keep calm, and carry on! Happy New Year… 2013-2014 ! Peyton White [email protected]