INSIDE THE ENGLISH CLASSROOM:

Luciano D’Orazio, ELA/ social studies teacher, PS/MS 71, Bronx

The versatility of the Common Core is one of its biggest strengths. As a teacher of both English language arts and social studies, I have to meet the literacy needs of my students and also provide them a full social studies curriculum. The standards help to cover both: I regularly use rich, engaging texts in history, government, and current events to develop skills in reading and writing.

As sixth-graders study ancient civilizations, they write argumentative essays, an important part of student assessment on the ELA state test. We strive to tackle interesting, exciting topics. Essay questions like “Did iron destroy the Egyptian Empire?” allow students to engage with difficult ideas in a fun, meaningful way. Answering them requires critical thinking skills and a strong command of facts.

Writing about difficult topics requires careful reading, often in translations that are tough to untangle. To encourage collaborative learning, groups of students are given different texts about people or historical periods. In a unit on ancient Greece, students examine whether Alexander the Great deserved his nickname. They work with short selections by ancient biographers like

Plutarch and Arrian, and a modern informational article. Each group follows a protocol or process to analyze the text and pick out necessary facts and ideas without getting bogged down in dry, dull language. Later, the groups come together to share information. Students use this data to develop an argumentative essay either defending or refuting the custom of Alexander being known as “the Great.”

Sample questions:

On the 2017 exam, students will read 11 articles and fiction excerpts, then answer multiplechoice and essay questions.

1) The story “Kathleen: The Celtic Knot” describes a dance performance. Read this sentence from lines 10 and 11 of the story: “I kicked and soared and pranced and whirled, stepped and twirled and spun and flew, tripped and skipped and skimmed and sailed, all over that stage.” The author most likely includes this description of Kathleen’s dancing to:

A. Emphasize that the dance ends quickly.

B. Demonstrate Kathleen’s desire for rec-

ognition.

C. Provide an image of a spirited performance.

D. Demonstrate Kathleen’s skills as a dancer.

2) The article “Getting Lost in a Good Book Can Keep You Healthy” explores research into the health benefits of reading. What is the meaning of the word “simulate” as it is used in line 34 of the article? A. To expect. B. To illustrate. C. To remember. D. To imitate.

3) “Flipped” is about a girl and her father. Why does the relationship between Jthemchange? Use two details from the story to support your response.

ANSWERS: 1. C; 2. D; 3. Two points possible.