Governor Cuomo and DFER Screw First Graders

I was not planning on writing anything tonight. I was cruising through Facebook, catching up on the latest person's dinner, reading the 60th birthday wishes to Geddy Lee, and checking out Badass Teachers Association. I came across this disturbing post by the blogger, Chris Cerrone, over on @thechalkface.

I rarely post someone else's blog verbatim because I feel it is not right, I find it lazy, and I find it not

being original. But this to me is, well disturbing is not the word, fucked up is the word, of what the reformers are doing to education in New York State.

 We have Governor Andy to thank for this and him being DFER's bitch boy. I wonder Governor, does Joe Williams at DFER have the decency to give you a reach around?

I can go into why this is so FUBAR and the train wreck that is coming but I have a new book, "Washington: A Life" by Ron Chernow that I wish to read.


From Chris Cerrone; 

Holy Mesopotamia Batman: First Grade CCSS vocabulary.

July 29, 2013 By Chris Cerrone 17 Comments

 

I have been giving the New York State Education Department’s new Common Core curriculum modules a study over the last few weeks. I see these modules as an insulting scripted curriculum that favors test preparation skills over learning.  I teach middle school social studies so new reforms such as the Common Core have not had much of a direct impact on my classroom yet, but as a parent the Common Core and its related high-stakes testing machine has my full attention.

I came across this First Grade curriculum module on Early World Civilizations that I have found troubling.  I have my doubts about the historical content of this ELA module. I am putting together a piece I hope to finish soon on the random nature of the history topics contained in the NYSED modules so I will pass on analyzing if the social studies content is appropriate for six year olds for now.

So primary grade educators:  I need your help:

  What do you think of the vocabulary contained in this unit of study?

From Core Knowledge Language Arts- New York Edition “Early Civilizations- Tell it Again Read-Aloud Anthology
Follow Chris Cerrone on twitter: @stoptesting15