Day 163
For one year, 365 days, this blog will address the Common Core Standards from the perspective of creating an alternate, ambient learning environment for math. Ambient is defined as “existing or present on all sides, an all-encompassing atmosphere.” And ambient music is defined as: “Quiet and relaxing with melodies that repeat many times.
Why ambient? A math teaching style that’s whole and all encompassing, with themes that repeat many times through the years, is most likely to be effective and successful. Today’s post will continue reviewing the Common Core ELA standards, which are listed in blue and are followed by their ambient counterparts.
English Language Arts Standards > Language > Grade 2
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.4
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple meaning words and phrases based on grade 2 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies.
Reading may not be happening yet, and that’s fine. A rock-solid foundation is being built for excellent reading and writing skills through exposure to classic literature and verse. Grade 2 reading need not be the watered down version necessary for independent comprehension and accessibility at that age. The meanings of unknown and multiple meaning words and phrases are acquired holistically and naturally. A storehouse of skills is built effortlessly through a love of literature.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.4A
Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
Making sense of sentence level context happens continually while listening to stories or fables. Aesop’s fables from Ancient Greece, medieval legends of saints, or classic heroes’ tales posses an integrity of language that resonates deeply with 8 year olds. As the stories are told, complex structures are puzzle-pieced together in the children’s developing minds, and an integral part of that process is a vocabulary building that has no rival in any one of a broad array of strategies.
Knowledge ensues in an environment dedicated to imaginative, creative knowing, where student and teacher alike surrender to the ensuing of knowledge as a worthy goal. Tune in tomorrow to continue with the Common Core ELA standards and their ambient counterparts.
