This is a tweet I saw yesterday on Twitter. At first, I just shook my head with the absurdity of it, and then, for whatever reason, I replied to the tweet. Couldn't resist.
Show me the standard that does that. Doesn't exist. “@beth_thomason #CommonCore teaches class warfare and social justice.
There were were several dozen exchanges between the two us. I respected her passion. She sent me Glenn Beck and Michelle Malkin links to prove her points. I responded with first-hand classroom experience and a very thorough knowledge of the math and English Common Core standards. The tweetfest ended cordially, although I can't say "cordial" would describe the tone of the whole thread.
Over the last few months, we've heard a lot about the Common Core and how it teaches "social justice." I'm gonna save a thorough study of social justice for another post, but I wanted to spend a few minutes addressing this assignment we see here today.
First, you need to know a few things about this workbook. It is not necessarily a school text or assignment. The tweet-er saw it at a bookstore and noticed it had "Common Core Aligned" on the front cover. As a Common Core opponent, her interest was piqued, and she began flipping through the pages. Obviously, she paused to take a picture of the image you see above. Let's pause as well and look over the lesson....
I taught 9th and 11th grade histories in a private Christian school, using faith-based texts. I taught about social classes, as well as the caste system in India. IT WAS IN THE TEXT. It's also in the BIBLE. Kids need to know about social classes, as it's an important dynamic in many societies, including our own. Upon looking more closely at the assignment, I remember very similar exercises when I was a child.
The workbook was a Carson Dellosa workbook, often used by parents, including those who homeschool, for further studies. During the summers, I bought similar workbooks to teach my children geography, the skeletal system, and American history. This text is what we call "supplemental material."
The most important thing to note is, and listen carefully, there are no Common Core history standards, at least none that I've seen. The reason this text is "aligned" with the Common Core is because it likely addresses the Common Core History Content Literacy Standards, meaning students will read, write, and think about history.These standards are found in the Common Core English Language Arts document. There is no history content mentioned in them. The teacher can decide the content (although to be fair, that flexibility can vary state to state, district to district).
Just to clarify a bit more, these content literacy standards (for history and science) help our schools address the 70% informational text suggestion in the English Language Arts Common Core Standards. Literacy is to be shared with all content areas, not just the English teachers, which makes a lot of sense. Good history and science teachers have also addressed these standards anyway, so these standards are no great revelations to us. However, they do remind the less than stellar teachers to get their acts together.
So let me bring this all home. When folks talk about "Common Core" pushing social justice, homosexuality, environmentalism, feminism, and socialism (to name a few), remember this: these ideals are not found in the math and English Common Core standards.
Now, I'm not naive. I know much of our media, texts (including some school texts), news, and periodicals have long been on the "liberal" side of things. I get that. However, Common Core standards have nothing to do with that. Folks want to take a stand against far-left material? Go for it, but please leave the math and English standards out of it.
(6th-8th Grade)
Key Ideas and Details
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.3 Identify key steps in a text’s description of a process related to history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).
Craft and Structure
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.5 Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.6 Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.7 Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.8 Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.9 Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.10 By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
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