Kiersten Greene, PhD, is an assistant professor of literacy education at SUNY New Paltz. She was born in the Hudson Valley, and recently returned to the region after living in New York City for 15 years, where she taught 5th grade. When she’s not reading, writing, or teaching, you can find her knitting.
Do you have a homework question for Kiersten? Submit your question here.
Dear Kiersten, My 3rd grader is heading back to school next week. How can I find out more about the Common Core curriculum?
First of all, what an exciting year 3rd grade
can be! The learning curve is literally vertical at this stage. I taught 3rd grade for a year, and remember marveling at the great distance my students
traveled from September to June—it was truly remarkable to watch their
abilities and inquiries grow in leaps and bounds.
As you begin exploring the curricular requirements for
your 3rd grader, it’s important to keep something in mind: despite
what you may have heard, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are not a
curriculum. It’s up to schools and districts to decide how the CCSS will be met.
You might have heard about the Core KnowledgeLanguage Arts Program (CKLA) or Expeditionary Learning (EL)
curriculum modules (termed just “the modules” for short by many New York State educators).
CKLA is geared toward grades K-2, and EL targets elementary and middle school
(and there are plans to develop materials for high school as well).
Many schools throughout New York State have adopted CKLA
and EL. Unfortunately, while they’re not meant to be a script (as clearly stated on the
EL website), they’re being implemented as such at many schools. The
existence of these curricula—and the reliance on them by many schools—has made
it seem like there is such a thing as a “Common Core curriculum” when, in
reality, there is not.
As a teacher educator, it makes me cringe: there’s no
one-size-fits-all curriculum at any grade level.
So while I can’t tell you exactly what will be taught at
your child’s school this fall, I can give you some tips for gaining a better
understanding of what’s expected:
Know the approach.
Check out the school website if there is one, and see if there are any
links to curriculum. Inquire with your kiddo’s teacher at the beginning of the
year to see if there is a curriculum program in place, and how it was
developed. If teachers don’t have input, don’t hesitate to ask why.
Check out
engageNY. A growing number of resources have been collected at
engageny.org—for parents, teachers, and school leaders. Look around the website
and see what questions come up about what’s being taught and how.
Understand your
rights when it comes to testing. There’s a lot of pressure on children
these days when it comes to testing. You and your child have the right to opt
out of the state tests if you’re not interested in participating.
Get to know the
CCSS. You can download a copy of the CCSS here.
While it won’t tell you how your child will learn the skills listed, you can
get a pretty good sense of what your child will be expected to know by the end
of 3rd grade.
Read more answers to Common Core questions