D is for DEAD DOGS

Welcome to Yes, This Will Be On the Test.

Waving to visitors, new followers, and fellow A to Z participants. I’m sending virtual hugs to you all for taking a moment to stop by.

I’ll be sharing my “take-aways.” All those snigglets, golden nuggets, and lessons learned from other creative sources.

Yes, you read that right - 

Dead Dogs

Spoiler alert: if you haven't read the books below - this post constitutes a four legged mortality zone.

I've been teaching in the 5th and 6th grade trenches for over a decade and deceased canines are a reoccurring theme in our grade level kid lit.

You've all heard of -

Grab the tissue - right? I checked to see if my dog was foaming at the mouth for months after I read the book.

Just when I thought it was safe to get attached to my pooch, here comes -

Double dog death here. 

My first experience with "Red Fern" was reading it aloud to my class before I'd read it myself. I did some serious "booger crying" when I hit the sad part of that one.

Really - must we subject the kids to offing man's best friend even if the books are beautifully written? So says grade level core literature lists and excerpts appearing in reading texts. 

I guess such a theme falls under the "life lesson" category.

Just when I'd vowed to NEVER read a book involving dogs of any kind to my class again, along came redemption - 

Gordon Korman is my hero! Wallace Wallace the MC in this book challenges the rampant doggie disasters in the classics. It's a hilarious read and did wonders to bring my students back from the brink of serious DDD - dog death depression.

TAKE AWAY - 

Blast an accepted theme to smithereens. I'd love to see Pollyanna or Anne of Green Gables start spewing gloom and doom. Twist a trope and see where it takes you.

Was there a book you read in grammar school that bummed you out?

View From the 5th Grade Trenches: Common Core Standards #1 - What and Why?

It's time for me to hop into the national conversation (or should I say "freak out") on the Common Core Standards.

*Dons 5th Grade Teacher Hat*

This will be first in a series of bite-sized posts that will hopefully demystify the Common Core Standards. 

There are a lot of statements and opinions flying around out there. Let me be clear that I believe the Common Core Standards are a gift to our students.

What are the Common Core Standards?

Simply stated, they are a set of learning objectives/goals that have been agreed upon by a consortium of 46 states so far to create an equity of educational focus across the country. 

A small portion of the Common Core Standards will remain state specific. Each state will decide on that piece for themselves.

Why do we need the Common Core Standards?

We need to refocus education for 21st Century learners. We not only need to teach kids what to think in order to pass an annual standardized test, but HOW to arrive at information, and judge its relevance.

Simply put: Instead of list or name something - prove with evidence your knowledge of...

Research -  Question - Judge With Criteria - Extend - Apply

(News Flash: Effective teachers have been doing this since education began.)

Higher education and the workplace have become environments of think tanks, collective problem solving, and technological savvy.

We owe it to our children to prepare them for the rigors of this reality.

Standardized testing HAS NOT been an effective measurement of the capabilities necessary for future success on the world stage.

Here's a funny commentary on why implementing the Common Core Standards is the way to go for our kids. 

I'd love to hear from you. If you have any questions about The Common Core Standards, pop them in the comments and I will do my best to address them during this series.

Common Core Link of the Week: Common Core State Standards Initiative

View From the 5th Grade Trenches:October 2013: Supa-cool Kids Reading List

Leslie is posting? 

Whaaaaaaa? 

It is not an illusion. This is a new post.

I hope no one dropped their laptop from shock when 

they saw this post.

Don't get excited. It's a quicky.

I found this supa-cool link with supa-cool books for kids to read. Interesting to browse from both my teacher and writer perspectives.

It's from NPR - Do you think me classy and erudite?

Enjoy.

100 Must Reads for Kids 9 - 14

Coming Soon:

Just what is all this Common Core hoopla?

View From the Fifth Grade Trenches: March 2013 - Put the Creative Back in Writing

Have you heard of the Common Core Standards? If you haven't, they are basically a new set of academic expectations that will hit public education across the country in the next year or so. 

The good news is CCS are rigorous and give our kids the chance to take their critical thinking out for a spin. The new standards will dignify and challenge intelligence while promoting the spirit of cooperative learning.

With the growing emphasis on research skills and expository writing, I fear for the future of creative writing. Even the current standards here in California lean heavily toward non-fiction reading and writing at a young age. 

Here's my issue. Shouldn't kids be immersed in wonder in equal proportion to the world of information? I agree both are important, but I worry about sending a message that creative writing is a lesser form than its non-fiction cousin.

We've all watched funding for the arts being pushed into the corners of public education. I hate to see creative writing joining it in the shadows.

What kind of balance or imbalance do you see between creativity and information in your schools?

View From the 5th Grade Trenches: October 2012 Halloween Lit

I'm over being silly this week on Charlie Holmberg's blog.

I profess to being a Halloween nut. I love the spooky factor. I love the snap of fall in the air. I love any and all things pumpkin. I love seeing teeny tiny superheroes come a-knockin' at my door. Did I mention the candy?

Most of all, I love Halloween stories. Here are a few of the faves from the 5th Grade Trenches.

A new discovery for this year is a hilarious parody of Madeline by Rick Walton and Nathan Hale.

And some returning hits...

What are some of your faves?

View From the 5th Grade Trenches: August 2012 - Suggestions Please

Now that the new school year is upon us, my monthly feature:  View From the 5th Grade Trenches

where I crack open my classroom door so you can peek at life in 5th grade at a public school will be starting up again.

For the first installment of the 2012-2013 school year I'm going to pick your brains.

What books should I read aloud to my class this year?

I am thrilled to open the year with:

Stand by, Lee for a barrage of questions and comments from my new crop of 5th graders.

I am seriously toying with the idea of following that with:

since I have a "thing" about kids being exposed to the book before they see the movie.

And now, it's your turn.

What is a MUST READ for my kiddos this year?