I just finished a video chat with Nancy and among other things we talked about the problems Mason is having in his English class … particularly with writing. I started this “vent” yesterday because of what  the new curriculum (based on the “one-size-fits-all Common Core Standards) is doing to my own grandson.

Anyway … when my vent ran out of steam I decided that I would NOT “publish” this one even though Richard and Marle would be the only people who would see it – unless I might decide to send the link to someone else.  So … during our phone call I told Nancy all about it since she’s both a teacher and a grandmother too and will soon run into the same thing with her 6th grade grandson … since the system has become even more standardized and the “one-size-fits-all” curriculum is now computerized and it feels like teaching  and learning have lost their heart … and soul … 🙁

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HERE’S my VENT from yesterday:

 

My grandson has run head-on into the Common Core and I have to vent before I’m going to be able to write anything coherent. I feel safe doing that here since this is my “secret” blog and I can use it to figure out what I really mean to say. Right now I don’t even know where to start. So I’ll just jump in …

The “assignment” he was given was to self-reflect on some of his own previous work.  Since don’t have access to that work, I can only look at the assignment and try to figure out what was expected of him … to understand why he got “0” out of 20 possible points.

The assignment was in two parts:

Writing Reflection – Due: Jan 17, 2019 at 9:00 AM

1.  Fill out the “AS English I Mastery Passport.”  Focus your reflection on the first semester writing skills ONLY.  I will collect a hard copy of that document in class.  Be honest with your self-reflection.  I already know whether or not you have mastered those skills.  This reflection is to inform your growth as a writer. 
2. The second part of the assignment is on the back of the sample AP essay packet.  Make sure that you read the assignment carefully and make the reflection meaningful.  Use your “First Semester Skills Checklist,” your AP Sirens essay, the writing feedback you have received throughout the year, and your general feelings about your writing to drive your response.  This portion of the reflection will be submitted on Canvas. 

Remember, you also need to score your essay using BOTH the 4 point teacher created rubric and the 9 point AP rubric.  Make sure to justify your scores using THE LANGUAGE OF THE RUBRICS.

Final reminder: Any word processed document needs to be in basic MLA fomat second semester.  I have attached a document as a reminder if you need.  I will not give points during the second semester for word processed documents that do not adhere to basic JLA guidelines.

(Link to MLA Formatting Guidelines here.)

 

So … that was the assignment.  It’s a Self Reflection … similar to what I was calling Self-assessments 20 years ago. At that time most teachers hated that idea because they thought if they let kids “assess themselves” they would be easy on themselves.  Not so.  Never so!  Kids are so harder on themselves than a teacher would ever be – especially when they are even confused about assignment – so much so that they can’t formulate a question.  So, like Mason, they will give up before they ever get started.

 

Mason’s “Self Reflection” was simple:
“I feel that my writing stinks and that my analysis is just me summarizing what I just said. 

I also feel that my thesis is good but then I don’t know what to make of it.” 

 

So … I have SO many questions for Mason and I know that if I could sit down and talk to him about them I would be able to figure out what’s going on.  As it is, this is just driving me crazy because I want to help but can’t.

Questions to ask:

1. What’s the “AS English I Mastery Passport?  I would need to see that document to be able to figure out any of the rest of this.

2.  What specifically are the First Semester Writing Skills?  From Mason’s Self-Reflection it sounds to me like they probably include analyzing, summarizing, forming a thesis statement and being able to defend it.

So now I can go to the COMMON CORE and figure out what the actual standard for these things say.  The 9th-10th grade Anchor Standards for Writing are buried in a document called College and Career Anchor Standards for Writing  … but they can be found:

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing

 

So … the only way I can possibly figure out what is happening to Mason (and probably millions of other Masons) is to go back to the beginning and try to figure out WHERE this particular assignment came from.  As I said … buried within the Anchor Standards website are the Anchor Writing Standards for 9th-10th grade.  It was fairly easy to copy and paste and put them in a PDF that, with some help, Mason might be able to understand.  Since it took me a very long time to translate the Educationeze into regular English – he will need some help doing it.  Here’s the PDF: ANCHOR STANDARDS for WRITING – Grades 9 and 10-2j0v2mk

So … where does “Self-Reflection” come in?   It’s the LAST Anchor Standard … under Range of Writing: 

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.10
  Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

So … now I know which Standard the teacher is “covering” with this assignment.  So where to the words Thesis – Analysis – Summarize .. come in?  Since I only have Mason’s very short Self-Reflection I’m at a l

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.1

• Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.1.a

• Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among the claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.1.b

• Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying data and evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both claim(s) and counterclaims in a discipline-appropriate form and in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.

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That’s where I stopped writing yesterday because I was all “vented out”!  I was also beginning to realized that what this teacher is doing is basically EXACTLY what I was doing during my last 5 years of teaching.  The only difference is that it’s all computerized … which for me makes it feel impersonal.  Now that I have had time to think about it … and read it through again … I realize that for the “KIDS” – who are now the TEACHERS … but were in the 5th Grade in 1998 … this is realy pretty good!  The problem really is that for some (insane) reason, the teacher of his 8th grade STANDARD English class decided that since he did so well in THAT class he should go into an AP (advanced placement) English class in the 9th grade.

Remember the Peter Principle?????

Mason has been promoted to one level above is level of competency … :-(.

Hopefully the adults who are making these decisions for him will figure that out and put him in a class where he can experience some success … BEFORE he sees that as FAILURE!

That needs to happen BEFORE the permanent decision is made to put him in the BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY ACADEMY which exactly like the “tracking” system that we tried to get rid of in the 1980’s ….

OK … enough venting … I’m going over to the RV Show with Carol and Judy Howard in 40 minutes so time to have lunch so I don’t end up eating a corn dog and greasy onion rings again! (Maybe THAT was part of why I was so upset about all of this! LOL!)