Day 159
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
Conventions of Standard English:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.2.2
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
2.2.A
Capitalize holidays, product names and geographic names.
2.2.B
Use commas in greetings and closings of letters.
2.2.C
Use an apostrophe to form contractions and frequently occurring possessives.
2.2.D
Generalize learned spelling patterns when writing words (e.g., cage > badge; boy > boil).
2.2.E
Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings.
For much of this detailed busy work, teachers are relying on worksheets. In class or sent home, there are many, too many. Schools are purchasing worksheet books and having children go through them page by page, every day at school, every night at home. All I’d like to say in this post is that worksheets are deadening rather than enlivening, and I wonder how many adults would be able to sustain interest in such “seat work” so-called. At any rate, here is an example, labeled CCSS, for proper noun capitalization. Look at it with an eye toward whether it’s a fitting substitute for creating beautiful books that record and illustrate every lesson, beautifully, every day.
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.
