As part of a community night at Ellis B. Hyde Elementary School in Dansville last Wednesday, parents of students in primary and elementary school heard of changes coming to their students’ classrooms.
“We’ve always had standards, but what’s different in the Common Core is there are some shifts,” reading teacher Mary Ellen Webster explained.
The changes at Dansville are happening at schools across the state to align curriculum in New York with 44 other states and three U.S. territories.
In the area of English and language arts, kids will be exposed to non-fiction at younger ages and it will become as much a part of their reading as fiction. Webster said students will not only be learning to read, but they will learn about their world at younger ages.
“We want them to have exposure to both,” Webster said.
In addition, students will read more complex books along with those they have already mastered.
“Helping them work through a tough text is important for them,” Webster told parents.
Beyond reading a more rigorous list of books, students will be required to discuss what they read and be able to explain it in their own words using evidence.
“We want kids to tell us how they know something,” Webster explained.
Changes to ELA curriculum doesn’t stop with reading. Even as they develop their first writing skills, kids will be asked to write from sources, make arguments and compare texts.
Finally, young students will be building a stronger academic vocabulary.
“The more words they know, the more words they can use and the more powerful they feel over text,” Webster said.
Also highlighted at the parents night are changes to math curriculum. Renee Bacon led the discussion for parents. She said one of the biggest changes is that students will spend more time, going deeper into fewer concepts in an academic year.
“It’s not just about teaching them the tricks,” she said, indicating that it’s not enough for students to demonstrate they can do math, they need to understand why it works.
Bacon told parents that Dansville has purchased a testing tool that will help teachers identify each student’s skill level and then develop lessons that focus specifically on what students need.
She also said students will spend more time on real-world examples — story problem as they may be more commonly known. The goal is to get kids to think faster about their basic math skills and to be able to solve real world problems.
“Make it real, make it relevant,” she said.
Both Bacon and Webster referred to the state’s engageNY.org website, which contains resources for both parents and teachers and is constantly updated to reflect the latest changes to standards and curriculum.
As part of a community night at Ellis B. Hyde Elementary School in Dansville last Wednesday, parents of students in primary and elementary school heard of changes coming to their students’ classrooms.
“We’ve always had standards, but what’s different in the Common Core is there are some shifts,” reading teacher Mary Ellen Webster explained.
The changes at Dansville are happening at schools across the state to align curriculum in New York with 44 other states and three U.S. territories.
In the area of English and language arts, kids will be exposed to non-fiction at younger ages and it will become as much a part of their reading as fiction. Webster said students will not only be learning to read, but they will learn about their world at younger ages.
“We want them to have exposure to both,” Webster said.
In addition, students will read more complex books along with those they have already mastered.
“Helping them work through a tough text is important for them,” Webster told parents.
Beyond reading a more rigorous list of books, students will be required to discuss what they read and be able to explain it in their own words using evidence.
“We want kids to tell us how they know something,” Webster explained.
Changes to ELA curriculum doesn’t stop with reading. Even as they develop their first writing skills, kids will be asked to write from sources, make arguments and compare texts.
Finally, young students will be building a stronger academic vocabulary.
“The more words they know, the more words they can use and the more powerful they feel over text,” Webster said.
Also highlighted at the parents night are changes to math curriculum. Renee Bacon led the discussion for parents. She said one of the biggest changes is that students will spend more time, going deeper into fewer concepts in an academic year.
“It’s not just about teaching them the tricks,” she said, indicating that it’s not enough for students to demonstrate they can do math, they need to understand why it works.
Bacon told parents that Dansville has purchased a testing tool that will help teachers identify each student’s skill level and then develop lessons that focus specifically on what students need.
She also said students will spend more time on real-world examples — story problem as they may be more commonly known. The goal is to get kids to think faster about their basic math skills and to be able to solve real world problems.
“Make it real, make it relevant,” she said.
Both Bacon and Webster referred to the state’s engageNY.org website, which contains resources for both parents and teachers and is constantly updated to reflect the latest changes to standards and curriculum.
