School Supply Shopping for the Common Core

I am back from a great vacation in Isle of Palms, South Carolina.  The weekend I arrived in SC was the statewide "tax free" weekend for school shopping. Wow...we don't have THAT in Ohio!  The first thing my daughter wanted to do when we arrived home was to go out and buy her school supplies.  I remember how exciting it was to buy new crayons and pick out cool pocket folders. Now that I am a curriculum director, I still get excited about the start of school - but I have a different list of "supplies" that I think teachers need for this coming school year.

Mrs. Shryock's Common Core Supply List 2012-2013

Language Arts

• Assignments focusing on helping students to acquire vocabulary...in context.
• Variety of fiction and non-fiction materials that create a continuum of complex texts for student reading.
• Graphic Organizers and strategies to help students build and organize knowledge 
• Engaging writing prompts that allow students to write persuasively or support an argument
• Opportunities to go back into the reading materials to find information to support a discussion
• Opportunities to work with a group to build reading comprehension by listening to and commenting on the arguments and reflections of others.

Mathematics

• Activities that help students build fluency with basic math facts, formulas and applications
• Opportunities to apply math concepts in real world settings
• Assignments that allow students to persevere in solving a problem and explain the process they followed
• Manipulatives and Simulations that will allow students to model mathematics
• Opportunities to work with a group to build math knowledge by listening to and commenting on the arguments and problem solving strategies of others.
• Assignments focusing on helping students to acquire vocabulary...in context.

Science

• Lab activities that fall on a continuum of inquiry from teacher led and controlled to student driven.
• Assignments that allow them to research science topics to build arguments.
• Assignments that teach strategies for reading technical papers or science journal
• Opportunities to read non-fiction materials related to class topics
• Assignments focusing on helping students to acquire vocabulary...in context.
• Opportunities to do real world tasks that involve being presented with a problem that needs to be solved.
• Opportunities to design their own experiments based on their observations and research.
• Opportunities to use technology tools to gather design data, present data and simulate experiments

Social Studies

• Opportunities to read primary source materials related to events being studied.
• Assignments focusing on helping students to acquire vocabulary...in context.
• Opportunities to read non-fiction materials related to class topics
• Opportunities to go back into the reading materials to find information to support a discussion or debate.
• Time-line activities that help students organize and make comparisons using historical information
• Real world lessons that help them develop financial literacy skills
• Assignments that allow students to write an argument or persuasive paper based on research.
• Opportunities to use technology tools to gather data, present information and collaborate on ideas.

Fine Arts

• Opportunities to read non-fiction materials related to class topics
• Assignments focusing on helping students to acquire vocabulary...in context.
• Assignments that integrate the fine arts into topics being covered in other content areas.
• Opportunities to see how technology can be used within the arts as a way to create, collaborate or share art and music.

Physical Education

• Opportunities to read non-fiction materials related to class topics
• Assignments focusing on helping students to acquire vocabulary...in context.
• Assignments that continue to build life-long fitness