Common Core State Standard L.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: Video of a current news event is presented for discussion to encourage student participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the video. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event, draw out the main ideas and key details, and review different opinions on the issue. Then, students should present their own claims using facts and analysis for support.
09/04/2017
What is the 30 million word gap?
There's a major gap in preparedness between low-income children and their higher-income counterparts when entering elementary school. That gap is roughly 30 million words. The idea is that children typically hear as many as 45 million words by age 4. On the low end, that number is 13 million words, thus the roughly 30 million word gap. The issue of childhood literacy has a possible solution: giving more children in low-income communities access to books.
■Class discussion: Did someone read to you as a young child? Did you own any books before you started kindergarten? How often do your parents read books for entertainment? Do you enjoy reading? Why or why not? What do you like to read? Are books easily available to you? Does your school have a library? Does your town have a library?