Things I like about Common Core

This is my list for things I like about the changes in Oklahoma's Standards for World History.

1. Reduction of content to emphasize MODERN world history.
• It was taking too long to get even to World War II. Many teachers got bogged down in topics that do not have a direct affect on the modern world. If students want to take a specialty class on Ancient Egypt in college, let them do it. But they need to be educated in what directly concerns them.
2. Time to do more with primary sources and get away from the textbook a little.
• With the reduction in content comes an emphasis on reading primary sources and doing analysis from the time periods we are studying. Nothing beats this kind of history. It is far more interesting than reading a textbook.
3. Teaching READING AND WRITING, while at the same time teaching content.
• I have a banner in my room that says I am a reading and writing teacher first. Student learn the content at the same time as learning to read, interpret, and write. I enjoy this approach more than spoon feeding the content. Students are lazy. They expect to be spoon fed. But the challenge is to get them to feed themselves. That is what this approach does.