How can you prepare your child for Common Core Writing?
The goal of the Common Core State Standards, above any other, is to prepare our students for the world of college and career. For perhaps the first time, the states will have standards that accurately reflect the skills needed to compete on the international stage. One of those key skills is the ability to communicate, specifically through writing.
Think about it. A student entering the workforce in this century can expect to work with people from around the world, usually through email. If that person lacks writing skills, the message can be lost.
Writing in the classroom
So we can expect English/language arts teachers to spend more time than they usually do on writing instruction, right? Maybe, but they also have to teach reading (shifted toward non-fiction, so a new curriculum there as well), as well as research and speaking. But something having to do with English isn’t the only job field where you use writing skills.
That’s right. Math teachers (and the other subject areas, once their standards come online) will be expected to have students write, just like ELA teachers. It’s the easiest way for students to demonstrate their critical thinking skills, which is another key goal in the Common Core.
What does this look like?
A sample assessment item released by Smarter Balanced, one of two consortia charged with designed assessments for the Common Core, handles this skill quite differently. There is an animated video of five swimmers.
“Five swimmers compete in the 50-meter race. The finish time for each swimmer is shown in the video. Explain how the results of the race would change if the race used a clock that rounded to the nearest tenth.”
Then there is a text box. You heard that right. Not only will the students have to write in a math test, but they will also have to explain their reasoning regarding the skill at hand, much as if someone would have to do if rounding digits was part of their job.
How you can help
Instead of asking them questions that simply call for them to recite facts and figures, ask them to explain to you why they think what they think and where they came up with their ideas and conclusions. Knowing how they came to a particular solution is a lot more valuable in class these days than simply having the right answer.