I just got the math curriculum from my school for the upcoming year. This is my third year at the school, and I was NOT expecting what I got. We adopted common core this year, and the curriculum map the school drafted is out of control! The kids have to know numbers 1-50 by Thanksgiving, and 1-100 by Christmas! They have addition and subtraction problems with carrying/borrowing in February. By the end of the year, they are expected to add and subtract fluently within 20. They have to decompose numbers to 20, and know fact families to 10. In April alone, there are 7 different topics!!!! That is less than 1 week per topic! What do I do? I don't see us being able to meet these benchmarks! The map for language arts is not quite so advanced, but they are expected to know all the letters and sounds, including long/short vowels, by Thanksgiving. Aaaaaahhhhh!
Try to plan it out to cover what the curriculum map has you covering. Set those high expectations and focus on the curriculum. However, if students have not mastered the content, you will need to continue with some students and move on with others. It will require lots of differentiation.
Thanks mopar. I think I was just overwhelmed by the huge difference in the map from last year to this year, and the fast pace the curriculum has now. I guess I will be getting tons of experience differentiating my instruction, because I know that most of my kinders who come in with no prior school experience will struggle to meet those benchmarks that quickly.
Yes, the ones who come in with little prior knowledge definitely will struggle. But this is where the RtI team will step in and provide extra instruction.
That seems like a lot to expect. If I was in your position, I would start thinking about home activities that you can present to parents and differentiation of the concepts now and see how the year goes. Keep impeccable documentation of what you have done and keep in contact with other kindergarten teachers in your school and district. If at the end of the year it was ok, then do it again and if not, you can think about presenting the data to the principal or seeking a job elsewhere.
No specialists. We have one person in charge of "special services" for our K-8 school, and she spends most of her time providing ESE services.
That kindergarten map is insane! Your map requires more than the standards require! We don't have any reading or math specialists at our school or in our district. We do have a consultant for each, but they don't work with the kids. I saw each of them once last year.
I know! Our school (but not kindergarten, obviously) has decided that Common Core is our baseline, but the students should be working at least a full grade level above their current grade.
Wow! That makes as much sense as NCLB and that ALL children will be reading by 2014! Come on people...common sense! I think your map is ridiculous and not developmentally appropriate! People are making decisions as to what they expect a 5 year old to do and they have never even worked with a 5 year old... Number recognition to 20, writing to 100, and addition stories to 12 are more kinder appropriate!
That's what I said! But the teachers who were asked to be in charge teach 3rd and 4th grade and have NEVER stepped foot into a kindergarten classroom.
*Sigh* Those 3rd and 4th grade teachers are going to be very frustrated in a few years when they get kids with bad attitudes from years of being pushed too hard and too far, who still can't perform the way we want them to. When are we ever going to learn that the way to get kids to excel is not to cram more material down their throats, but to teach them age appropriate material in developmentally appropriate manner? Sorry, just my vent.
Don't apologize. My reaction to the map has prompted a meeting with the 3rd and 4th grade teacher to discuss the map. I highly doubt the content will change, but I'm hoping to slow down the pacing. I am meeting with them tomorrow... or I guess today, haha. Hopefully good things happen! :unsure:
Yeah the common core goals that they want kindergartners to reach i feel is extremely ridiculous! Expecially to kindergartners who hav never stepped into a school... and has no concept of numbers or letters... let alone counting to 100!
That does sound advanced, but I agree with Mopar (well, I usually always do). Go for it, and differentiate and work with small groups as needed. You know, I always wonder what they do in Asian countries because those kids are so advanced in math! Most of my 1st grade Korean students already know multiplication, so I think it shows that they do have the ability to do much more in math than what we think, or have even been pushing them to do.
Update: I conferenced with the curriculum map team, and they were really excited to have input from a kindergarten teacher. Together we fixed the pacing issues and stretched the complicated skills out throughout the year. It is still a very advanced curriculum for kindergarten, but the pace is much better. Thanks, everyone, for your input!
I'm glad that you were able to at least make the pacing more reasonable. The trick is really going to be documenting this year and making changes as needed.
Where do you teach in FL? (Just asking .) I teach in Polk County and we've been doing the common core standards since last year. That is way more than we teach. We only teach numbers 1 - 20 and adding is through 10 (I think) along with shapes and measuring, etc. We do the higher numbers when we do patterning and stuff. What you described sounds more like the 1st grade standards. You might want to check the New Generation Sunshine Standards. I think they are the CCS or pretty close to.
I teach at a charter school in Hillsborough. Our school has decided that the common core standards will be used as baselines, and we will teach the students information from the following grade as well. They made the map using the common core standards, but accelerated the map to include 1st grade standards as well. We'll see how it goes this year. The only part that concerns me is that they want to use their accelerated map as a tool to consider retention.
Hey we're neighbors! hehe . I think making it accelerated kind of defeats the purpose of the standards IMO but the kids can learn it. They just don't master it because you are moving so fast. Up until last year we were teaching all of that stuff in K here. It has been nice to really slow down and spend time letting the kids really master the skills which is one of the main purposes. It does get boring after you've done the same skill for 20 days but the kids really get it.
My very large, urban district is adopting ccs for the next school year. They worked on the mapping right after school got out. The people writing the sequencing had to have taught the grade this past year so I know that it will make sense. I am glad that you got yours more under control for your classroom. Please keep us posted on how your year is going.
Sounds like you are going to have a busy school year! Not that any year isnt... but mentally planning and integrating everything will have you tired! But then we can use you as a support when we transition over. I havent heard big talks of it in my district yet.. but neighboring districts have begun too. Being that I'm in a montessori environment we do the majority of the academics already... but for those who continue to struggle it will be interesting to see how they pick it up!
Wow, that is nuts! Way higher expectations than CC actually contains. Actually, I think the kinder math CC standards are reasonable.... count to 100, add/subt fluently within 10, compose and decompose within 20, and the rest is basic geometric knowledge of shape names, etc. Coin recognition and time to the hour isnt even expected until 1st grade!Your school is going way beyond whats developmentally appropriate.
We learned about asian schools in one of my college classes. Many of the kids go to tutoring after school for up to 3-4 hours (even at the age of 5), and they have several hours of homework at night that they are expected to complete. From what I can remember, they also don't allow students with special needs to go to public school or get a free education. For the OP- that is really crazy! I know at our school the kids didn't start doing multiple digit add/sub. with carrying and borrowing until around January of 1st grade! I never have kinder students so I'm not sure what their curriculum is, but I'm positive it can't be anything lke yours if our kids aren't doing the carrying/borrowing until mid first grade.
It's like a competition rather than drafting something that makes sense. I'm all for high expectations as long as it doesn't set the kids up to fail.
wow scary stuff.... if it keeps going like this K will be teaching multiplication.... yeah, lets not developmentally appropriate in Fl. Every county wants to "say" they are teaching the most rigorous curriculum. I wish we were allowed to teach the students.
No lie... basic multiplication to 10 is in the first grade curriculum map, and is supposed to be mastered by October of 2nd grade.
