Common Core Standards

With the lack of knowledge I have on the Common Core State Standards, I have yet to make a decision on where my beliefs are set in the debate. Some people argue that the standards in many subjects are just vague descriptions of skills that contain no value. This might be true in some cases, but I believe that this enables to teacher to be flexible with their lessons. Teachers should not feel handcuffed when it comes to creating lessons that work off of the state standards. It's important for teachers to be educated on the myriad different ways of teaching in order to gain favor with their students and spread desire to learn. 

Others argue that breakdown of the timeline makes it a struggle to keep up and some students inevitably fall behind. I think the standards make it more clear on who is falling behind, creating a much easier way to target struggling students by offering assistance or even changing the lesson around the compensate for their abilities.    

Many of the reading standards make a lot of sense. There seems to be a steady progression of abilities from when they are very young to the skills they need when they approach high school. I think most high school students should learn how to analyze the development of different parts of story's like character's and plot. These skills help them make connections and understand what is happening in their own difficult lives. I do think at times the standards can be tough to measure. Like I stated earlier, many of the standards are pretty vague and teachers would have difficulty in accommodating their lessons the the number of different minds in their classrooms. I hope that throughout this year I gain a better understanding as to what is expected and what should be avoided while teaching Common Core State Standards.