Like Ileana, I did not know much about the Common Core before reading this article. I find it interesting that part of the standard is to integrate literacy and writing into all classes, not just ELA classes. This is something I noticed a teacher doing at the Winston School last semester while I was observing. She taught math classes and before every test, the students were to turn in a biography about a famous mathematician. Some of the students did not enjoy the assignment, but it is a great way to integrate writing into a subject that is typically comprised completely of numbers, variables, and graphs. Even today in my observation, my mentor teacher was integrating writing into the curriculum. As part of the Pre-AP Algebra II students exam this week, they will be asked to write a one-page essay about what they've been learning in the class. The assignment is technically for extra credit, but I think it's a great way to get students to want to write about math.
As far as vocabulary goes, I think that is something that is fairly easy to integrate into all subject areas. It is so important to know the vocabulary when learning a new subject so that you can effectively discuss it in class. This brings me to the next thing-- discussion. I love learning through discussion. If there is ever any material that I'm unsure about, I make sure to try and have a discussion with someone about it. That may be a specific type of learning, but I think it's helpful to all students if they can discuss the subjects they are learning in class.
One of my favorite points of this article was the point about Digital Literacy. When I was in high school, we had one computer class. and we learned the basics about Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, but it would have been nice to have more integration of technology in our classes. I still don't really know how to work and SmartBoard and those are in almost every classroom now. Students are so tech-savvy these days that it doesn't make sense to not assign readings online or to have them watch video clips on the Internet. It seems as if they'd be more likely to pay attention to these things than to pay attention to text.
Overall, I'm very excited to continue learning about the Common Core and all of the changes it is making to all subject areas. I like the integration of several subjects, especially. This reminds me of the last chapter we read where students had long blocks of a class, but the classes integrated several subject areas.
It is excitiing, isn't it? What I most love is that this shift has the potential to help students see every discipline as multi- or inter- disciplinary. There is a connectedness among subjects that I think students don't often see, mostly because we, the teachers, don't help them see it.
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