Amanda's Blog

"Common Core State Standards" I never realized how many parts of common core there are and that they vary through grade level. I mean obviously it makes sense that you should be learning new material every year I just didn't realize that I was doing that while I was in school. This is in the relation of like specifics, not necessarily that we were reading a new book. It makes me somewhat nervous as a teacher to have to follow all of these guidelines but I'm sure that they will come easy to me in the years to come. Its nice that for each grade level common core uses the same 4 categories to keep things organized. These sections include: Key Ideas and Details, Craft and Structure, Integrations of Knowledge and Ideas, and Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity. I have always heard about common core and what seems to be an ongoing battle about it, but this is the first time I have actually delved in to what common core is actually about. Something I found intere...

"Discussion as a Way of Teaching" I didn't realize how much I didn't know about discussions until I read "Discussion as a Way of Teaching". There are so many elements and techniques that go into having an exceptional classroom discussion. I will definitely be coming back to that article as reference in my teaching career. I'll probably even link it somewhere in this blog so that it is easily accessible. I mostly took notes from the beginning of the article about different ways in which you create ground rules to follow before even starting a discussion. As an introverted student myself, sometimes I find it difficult to speak up in fear of looking or sounding stupid. So I give other the opportunity to talk first so I know my brain is on the right track. If I were teaching a student like myself I would definitely use the circle method that forces the student to speak. They also know when it is about to be their turn so that gives them the time to prep ...