You have got to read How Children Succeed by Paul Tough. According to this book academic skills and intelligence are not enough to enable children to succeed. Children also need some important character traits such as perseverance, conscientiousness, optimism, and self-control. This is especially true for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. I find this book very exciting. I can really see what he is talking about as it plays out in my classroom. The most interesting question is whether these traits are something that can be taught. The evidence seems to suggest that teachers and parents can encourage the development of these traits.

I Think I'm in Love...with the Common Core Standards

Pretty much everyone involved with education has heard about the Common Core Standards. They've been adopted by over 40 states as well as the Department of Defense.

I have to admit that I was skeptical at first. After all, my state already has some pretty solid standards. In fact all fifty states have worked out a set of educational standards. I just wasn't sure how the Common Core Standards could improve what we already had.

After looking the standards over, I'm feeling very positive about the change. There really is a move toward higher order thinking. This is just the kind of thing that I have been wanting to see. It really does seem to be replacing low level drills with an emphasis on a more thoughtful approach to instruction. I like the separate section on speaking and listening skills. This area has traditionally been overlooked, but it can be so important, especially for younger students. It also provides a place for foundation skills like phonics and fluency. I'm old enough to remember a time when a faddish approach to teaching reading downplayed these skills. The standards have a more balanced approach that affirms the importance of these basic skills while also emphasizing the importance of comprehension.

This site gives an excellent overview of the standards: http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards

It is easy to navigate and presents all the standards by grade level in a format that is easy to access. In addition, it lists all the states that have signed on to the standards and explains the ideas about learning that shape the standards. I especially love the recommended texts for each grade level. If your state is one of the many that have adopted the Common Core Standards, you will definitely want to check this out.

Word Stretchers

Many children benefit from having a more hands on way of modeling a concept. This word stretcher really works well for my more tactile learners. It's easy to make. All you need is an elastic band, some small, sticky backed Velcro patches, and a set of letters printed on card stock. Put the patches side-by-side on the elastic band, and put the corresponding patches on the back of the letters. These can be used to model stretching out words to isolate their individual sounds and then blending them together by stretching the letters apart and letting them come together.

These patches can also be used on a more solid backing like foam board for holding letters during word work. It's much more sturdy than a flannel board. Here is a set of letters that you can use for this project.