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Showing posts from 2013

What Happened to Ebonics?

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Turmoil in 1980s Oakland Leads to Continued Definitive Conclusions about Language’s Impact on Education in the 2020s by Matthew Bamberg Photo by Kiana Bosman on Unsplash The Ebonics debate has often been misunderstood. It refers to the dialect of AAVE (African American Vernacular English). This type of language is prevalent in the Black community and has also spread into popular culture through lyrics in rap music and similar genres. I be workin’ Yes, I be workin’ on this article. This can be defined as: I’ve been working on this article for a while, although not necessarily at this very moment. I begin here because using AAVE helps readers understand the importance of training teachers to use it in our classrooms. Before getting into the meat and potatoes of the point, AAVE is an important dialect and, therefore, should be treated with the utmost respect, especially when dealing with it as a teacher. Slavery was Brutal The history of AAVE in the United States began in the 17th and 18t...
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Professor Matthew Bamberg's Writing Process Quick Guide

To be honest, writing wasn't always easy for me, but I have developed a few techniques that help. When I write a sentence, I think about it in terms of a set of phrases that are put together so that they include a subject and verb. Of course in complex and compound sentences there are often more than one subject and/or one verb. I also write using the traditional steps--brainstorm, outline (for longer pieces), rough draft written using as the outline as a guide, revision, editing to produce a final draft. 1. The first is to go over that webpage I have written (http://www.commoncorestandardslinks.com/2013/09/three-common-grammar-errors.html) about the three errors. I grade a lot of papers, and most students make the same errors. 2. I proofread twice, once when I'm finished with a sentence and once when I'm finished the draft. This usually catches most errors. If the work is for an editor or other professional purposes, I sit on it overnight and edit it once more the next da...
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Three Common Grammar Errors

Since common core requires testing written work, I'll go over the three most common errors in grammar, mechanics or style that I have found in students' essays: 1.  One of the most common errors I note in students' composition papers is that students confuse a plural (which refers to more than one) with a possessive (which means ownership). For example: consider the errors in this sentence: The course's that I have taken at Ashford have been challenging, yet rewarding. Note that the word courses indicates more than one class so you don't need the apostrophe. The sentence should be: The courses I have taken at Ashford have been challenging, yet rewarding. Now if you wanted to write about a characteristic of a class (something the course takes ownership of), you could write a sentence like this: The course's textbooks are brilliantly written. Course's here can be rewritten as textbook of the course . If this sentence were written with the apostrophe ...
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PowerPoint Blog Presentation for National University Poster Presentation for Blog Research at National University
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Book Review Recipes

Here's the case where the comment for a link is better than the link itself, which was a blog post for the Common Core standards . Note the cleverness of this comment, added to a blog post by a teacher: These sound like fun activities that kids can connect to their daily lives. I love teaching writing, and my students also have enjoyed writing book review "recipes" as an adjective/parts of speech writing exercise. Take " George's Marvelous Medicine " for example: 2 c. Magic 1 c. Wicked 1/2 c. Humor 2 tbs. Suspense 1 tbs. Revenge 1 tsp. Greediness   Directions: Pour the magic, wicked, & humor into a large bowl and mix well! Slowly sprinkle in the tablespoons of suspense, revenge, and greediness one at a time. Stir them all together for one delicious story!
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Ten Vowel Sound Lesson Plan Links for First Grade

Nowhere can you see Common Core in actions than in a basic vowel lesson. The Core doesn't have first grade teachers teaching long vowels and short vowels as isolated subjects, but instead addresses them together: English Language Arts Standards>Reading>Foundational Skills>Grade 1>Phonological Awareness                         Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words.   Here are some lessons that involve this standard with the topic of this standard covered: 1. short a           https://www.commonsense.org/education/lesson-plans/short-vowel-aa 2. short vowels   http://www.commoncoreelalessons.com/2013/01/its-short-vowel-time.html 3. long vowels   http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/long-vowels-lesson-plan 4. short vowels  http...
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Common Core--Shared Responsibility of Every Teacher

Common Core emphasizes that literacy is the shared responsibility of every teacher. In this video teacher Sarah Wessling shares her thoughts about thinking aloud when teaching and the difference between teaching English and teaching literacy as per the Common Core. When a teacher thinks aloud, he/she describes the strategies for answering a question or for solveing a problem out loud. From grade to grade, school to school and state to state teaching students how to think, or metacognition is universal. A good example of a teacher thinking aloud is when a he/she models pre-reading. SQ3R (Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review) is one guide teachers can use for modeling. Here's how a teacher may talk to the students, sharing what's going on in his/her head: Now I'm going to read the first chapter in my social studies book : The American Revolution. First, I'm going to look at the headings, subheadings, words in bold print, captions, charts and graphs. Aft...
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Assessment--Take the Common Core Test

Assessments for the Common Core don't begin until the 2014-15 school year, which is about a year away. It seems like a long time away, but remember many school districts will be implementing Common Core this coming school year. Palm Springs (California) Unified School District begins implementing Common Core fully in grades K-2 and partially through grade 5 at the elementary level, though no testing on the standards occurs until the next school year. What do the assessments look like? Not anything like a standardized test has looked before. For one, tests are computerized, meaning no paper or number 2 pencils. The prompts at the third grade level in Language Arts might be research related, that is they have students read articles (referred to as sources ), comparing and contrasting what they've researched . The tests also not only require the filling in of bubbles with a mouse click to answer questions , but also typing in short answers into an input box.  Novel indeed....
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New York Times Article Reveals Common Core's Short History

The New York Times reports that all was relatively quiet as the Common Core standards took effect. That's in contrast to the noisy headlines of Hillary Clinton's Bengazi debacle, which has been in and out of the public's eye for the past year. Why hasn't the public been informed of one of the biggest changes in education in our nation's history? Some of the thinking about the standards reveals that they are a leftest indoctrination; other thinking is that it will add to the continued separation of political will among the electorate and Congress. Whatever is thought, the fact is the testing is the key to Common Core and that's how educators and others will judge its effects. The most important point about the tests is that they're the greatest challenge students have had in filling in bubbles on a computerized form ever (there are also short essays required of students taking the test). The test is hard, really hard. Finally, other than the tests, th...
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Vary Learning Experiences for ELLs to Pass English Language Proficiency Test

What kind of information should you know to become adept at administering Common Core to your students? A good place to start is with ELLs (English Language Learners). Consider the example of the group of students who aren't acquiring the language quickly enough (be aware, though, that it takes about seven years to become FEP, or Fluent English Proficient). The Common Core Modules, which train California educators in using Common Core states that in order for students to pass the CELDT (an English language proficiency test in California)  in greater numbers, they must be exposed to "literacy rich school environments where students are offered a variety of language experiences." How is an educator going to provide these experiences? Check out these lesson plan suggestions from Sacramento State University Education Lesson Plans for K-12 Teachers . The activities are varied, offering a variety of language experiences for all students.
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Common Core Nonfiction--Hurricanes, Tornados and Tropical Storms

As you might have heard the emphasis of common core is nonfiction, that is the standards address the fact that students will be reading more nonfiction titles than fiction ones. A popular and relevant nonfiction topic would be hurricanes and tornadoes--popular because the topic is one that generates a high interest level among students and relevant because of the increased activity of these storms in the United States. The conversation is bound to come up whether you are covering them in the curriculum or not. A lesson about these storms is a must. The first consideration you will want to keep in mind is why these two types of storms are paired together. When students learn about hurricanes and tornadoes at the same time, they get the opportunity to compare and contrast these two types of tumultuous weather events that subtly contrast each other at the same time as having many characteristics in common. From there, students will have the opportunity to write a compare/contrast e...
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Free Common Core Standards App

Technology is now a part of the Common Core. An app has just been released that let's you search for standards by keywords you type into a search box. The Common Core Standards app is free from the iTunes store- a must-have for teachers, students and parents. The app also searches for standards in Spanish and other languages.
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Common Core Standards for Multicultural Literacy

The Common Core Standards for Multicultural Literacy encourage teachers to cover the following: World literature Comparing web resources to print for a multicultural topic Write an analysis of complex ideas dealing with multiculturalism Write succinctly Develop and organize writing appropriate to task, audience and purpose Use technology to publish writing projects Plan, revise, edit and rewrite works or develop another technique suitable new media Could this mean learn how to write informally for websites such as engadget.com? Conduct research projects to prove a hypothesis Synthesize many works, coming up with new idea(s) ...and more at Multicultural Literacy--Common Core Standards
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Literacy in the Content Areas

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According to the Hunt Institute, the problem with eduction is that many students are unsuccessful in reading and comprehending books, documents, texts, websites and other media in the content areas upon high school graduation. Without literacy in the content areas, the supply of professionals in this area will dwindle because the education system is not meeting the needs of students who want to enter the field. Therefore the standards in these areas--science and social studies, for example--do not merely teach students how to find and cite information, but, instead, to be able to read the media to understand and analyze what it does and doesn't say. The standards were not only developed by educators, but also by professionals in the content area fields, so that they reflect the need for students to be literate in science and social studies and other technical subjects.  In the video below, David Coleman, gives an example of building knowledge through reading and writing a do...
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Common Core Standards and Multicultural Education

Here in California, where I am located, you'll find that multicultural education is an important factor when planning curriculum. This is true for other states also. One good link for addressing the Common Core Standards when assigning a country report is at https://sites.google.com/site/multiculturalliteracy/ There is a twist to this project as students not only study the country in this project, but also a poet in the country. You can assign a country report and add the one or more of the following topics for students to integrate into that report to address the Common Core Standards for the country report assignment . 1. a politican 2. a poet (as in the link) 3. a novelist 4. a muralist (great for Mexico and Latin America) 5. a painter 6. a business 7. a photographer 8. a journalist 9. a teacher 10. a doctor
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Anchor Standards for Language

Anchor standards are the same for kindergarten to twelfth grade, each providing student knowledge to move into the future by providing a realistic approach to education, building upon each year's goals and objectives for reading , writing , speaking/listening and language . The standards are tools to stimulate and build upon prior knowledge about a subject and relate it to the real world. They're relevant to every grade level. The standards for each grade level relate directly to the Anchor Standards for consistency and focus in student learning of the academic subject matter. Anchor Standards for Language
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Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening

As the building blocks for students' successes after high school graduation, Anchor standards are those those that you follow to educate your students from kindergarten to twelfth grade, enabling students to build upon each year's goals and objectives for reading , writing , speaking/listening and language . They're relevant to every grade level. In other words, the remaining standards from which they branch are their subsets. They have teachers thinking about the skills students will face when entering the working or academic world. Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening
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Anchor Standards for Writing

Anchor standards are those those that you follow to get an overall look at what students should know by the end of twelfth grade.  There are anchor standards for reading , writing , speaking/listening and language . They are applied to every grade level. In other words standards for each grade level are structured by the anchor standards. They have teachers thinking about the skills students will face when entering the working or academic world. Anchor Standards for Writing
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Anchor Standards for Reading

Anchor standards are those those that you follow to get an overall look at what students should know by the end of twelfth grade.  There are anchor standards for reading , writing , speaking/listening and language . They are applied to every grade level. In other words standards for each grade level are structured by the anchor standards. They have teachers thinking of graduation from the get-go, which means starting in kinder. Anchor Standards for Reading
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Common Core Standards for Math--Making Math Approachable

Many students have difficulty with math. They find it a challenge to approach any type of math assignment or math lesson. Some of that difficulty stems from a negative attitude, so as a teacher you should suggest to students the advantages of being good at math (cold hard cash when they get older because of the great jobs that involve math) and how a change of attitude can help them to better. The last thing you want to hear a student say is, "I'm terrible at math" or "I can't do math." If they are saying these things, talk about how that type of thinking will not help him/her do better in math. Talk to him/her about metacognitive skills regarding math, such as take problem solving one step at a time and when he/she begins a math assignment to be sure to look over the examples carefully so that math will be easier to understand. Finally, talk about that feeling of satisfaction when you've solved a problem correctly or have gotten an "A" ...
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Common Core--Math and Modeling

The Common Core Standards are only for Math and Language Arts because these are the subjects upon which other subjects are built. Math standards have been written for Grades 1-8 and the following math content areas for hish school: number and quantity, algebra, functions, modeling, geometry, statistics. Everyone is familiar with most of these math content areas. One-- modeling --might puzzle many educators. Just what is modeling? Modeling is using data from observations to make decisions about a wide range of subjects, including students' daily decisions. Modeling problems involve a number of math content areas. It could be a process used to figure out how to feed and provide water a a city of 1 million after a natural disaster. Or it can be used to analyze the changes in each area of Greenland where the ice sheet has disappeared and predicting what will happen to these areas in the future.
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Welcome to the Common Core Standards Links Blog

The Common Core State Standards, a nationwide initiative, are to replace the current state standards and frameworks that vary state to state. Here's what the standards do: 1. Let parents, teachers and students know what they are going to learn. 2. Contain real world applications. 3. Help students to be successful in their college and working careers. 4. Ensure that each community in the United States can compete globally. Today's link is: Common Core State Standards Initiative Home Each week the Common Core Standards Links blog will summarize an important link for teacher, parents and other community members can use to better understand the new Common Core State Standards that will take effect at the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year. For most educators that means there are going to be big curriculum changes coming this August. This blog is here to help. Note that  Alaska, Minnesota, Nebraska, Texas, & Virginia have opted out from participating in the ...
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Popular posts from this blog

STEM Wildfire Education Necessity

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  California Wildfires Are Getting Worse. Why Schools Must Teach Fire Survival Now From science to social-emotional learning, a comprehensive approach is needed to safeguard communities from natural and man-made hazards Wildfire in the Inland Empire of Southern California as seen from the desert. Photo by Matthew Bamberg Communities in California and elsewhere have shown remarkable resilience in uniting to cope and heal after a wildfire. Yet wildfires will remain a critical challenge, especially during droughts. The future doesn’t have to mirror the past. To ensure a safer tomorrow, California’s education system must prioritize wildfire preparedness and mitigation as a core part of its curriculum. A New Interdisciplinary Wildfire Curriculum The current model of isolating academic disciplines is inadequate for preparing students to face the uncertain world shaped by climate change. A significant curriculum overhaul is urgently needed to equip students with the skills and knowledge t...
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Social Emotional Skills and Holistic Education

Holistic education focuses on students identity in order for them to become good  community members by teachers instituting appropriate  moral, social, emotional, psychological and academic goals for functioning as a productive member of society.  As a teacher, you have to consider what's going on in students' lives order to teach the students coping skills to deal with challenging situations. Holistic education can really help students who are falling behind. Creating engaging lessons that reach all students is the primary focus of planning for instruction in most schools.  You can combine this inclusion with extensive education in all areas. "All students will learn the skills they need to succeed across all domains, including social, cognitive and academic" (Schwartz as cited in Volk, 2013, para. 5). Students perform better academically when teachers address the social emotional needs of students Socio-emotional skills are for school, work and life. They inc...
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Writing a Personal Essay

Writing a personal essay doesn't have to be hard. One would think that the most important part of a personal essay would be writing a draft. This isn't so. While it is important, there are other parts of the writing process that are just as important for writing a focused "A" paper. One of the first tasks you do before you write the rough draft is to have a topic that is appropriate for a personal essay. As you may recall, a personal essay should be written in first person, usually about an account of an event, a story about a person, a travelogue of a place or  an illustration of an object (in words) that is or was special to you. Well, does that mean you should write about your mom, your childbirth (if you're a woman) or your vacation? Any of these topics are a good choice for a personal essay. Recall that the writing process: 1. Brainstorming--Create your topic. Narrow it down. 2. Outlining--Yes, this is necessary! 3. Drafting--Writing your draft f...
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