Common Core blunders

Sacks, A. (2012). Two common core blunders to avoid--and how to do it. On the Shoulders of Giants (blog). Accessed at http://teacherleaders.typepad.com/shoulders_of_giants/2012/08/two-common-core-blunders-to-avoid-and-how-to-do-it.html on August 30, 2012.

 Sacks states out that the new CCSS guidelines say that students should spend 70% of students reading and writing activities should be non-fiction/information, and 30% should be narrative or fictional. She then points out that she has a friend whose social studies teaching time is being cut down so that more non-fiction and informational reading and writing can be done (huh? isn’t that exactly what happens in social studies?) and another teacher who is cutting her curriculum from four novels down to two novels, in order to put in two new non-fiction sections. Sacks says that instead of making such rash, dramatic decisions, all teachers and administrators should be pushing to integrate reading and writing into all subject areas in order to help shift the percentages to this recommended 70/30. She then goes on to recommend practical tips for reaching this 70/30 split.