I feel the first sentence of this inaugural blog documenting our shift to the Common Core Social Studies Framework should be eye-catching and super witty. Was it? Well, I tried. I am much better in the classroom, I promise.
First, some background about our (amazing) students. The Canandaigua City School District is located in a suburban Upstate New York community, proudly serving over 3,400 students. According to the NYSED report card (2015-2016), 26% of CCSD students are economically disadvantaged. (source) As the Canandaigua Braves, it is always exciting and moving to sing the national anthem at sporting events- especially the “Home of the Braves” part. Yes, we love that!
Me? This Fall marks my 14th year teaching (all at CCSD). I taught 8th grade for 9 years and currently serve as the Social Studies Lead Teacher for grades 6-12. I will be writing most if not all of these blog postings to document our journey to full implementation of the Common Core Framework.
Like other districts across the state, our shift to the Common Core Framework started two years ago with the NYS Inquiries. These tools were seen as models to transition our own instructional shift from lecturing to inquiry-based teaching and learning. My next blog will showcase how this worked in our district and what lessons we learned.
Our most daunting challenge is currently before us: starting in September we need to change all of our assessments in grades 6-9 to prepare students for the new Global Regents. Future blog posts will document this process – both successes and work in progress moments. Our hope is other districts can benefit and provide us advice throughout the process.
Bottom line: This shift in Social Studies is monumental in size. It is an exciting time, yet needs to be well thought out and student centered. Thankfully, the Social Studies faculty at CCSD is the perfect group for this task. Last Summer I read the popular book, Innovator’s Mindset, by George Couros. If you have not read the book, get it tomorrow and start! Here is one of the many motivating quotes that guide my decision making:
“If we are going to help our students thrive, we have to move past the way we have always done it and create better learning experiences for our students. That does not mean replacing everything we do, but we must be willing to look with fresh eyes at what we do and ask “Is there a better way?”
I look forward to sharing our work with you this year.
Kris
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