Why kindergarteners in NYS are learning about the Pilgrims in March, not November

On Board Online • March 2, 2015

By Cathy Woodruff
Senior Writer

The frosty air and shamrocks of March are sure signs that it's almost time for kindergarteners in the Greece school district to start learning about Christopher Columbus and the Pilgrims.

While the Columbus Day and Thanksgiving holidays of autumn might seem to be more sensible times for those lessons, the 15th Century Italian explorer and Plymouth Colony settlers actually are right on schedule to sail into many kindergarten classrooms around New York this month.

It's a change inspired by the Common Core and the concept of "core knowledge," which was conceived at the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia during the 1970s. Rather than building their curriculums around holidays, teachers in early grades are covering topics in sequences designed to build on each other.

Using state-developed curriculum modules as guides, teachers in Greece spent the fall and early winter months leading kindergarteners through lessons on topics such as plants, farms, Native Americans, kings and queens, seasons and weather, said Suzanne Pettifer, literacy coordinator for the district.

"By the time they get to Columbus, they know much more about why he was coming and the difficulty of that," Pettifer said.

But the students aren't just learning about history and science as they move through the lessons. They're also building better vocabularies.

Parents report that students are using a surprising array of new words in conversations at home, Pettifer said.

That is just the kind of result that state officials say they have been expecting as local lessons are aligned with Common Core Learning Standards.

"What we know from decades of research is that, when students read text about the same topic, or 'domain,' they end up being able to read more about that topic, and their overall understanding improves," said Kate Gerson, a senior Regents research fellow for Common Core with the Regents Research Fund. "If we sequence student reading around topics or domains, their ability to consume new knowledge and vocabulary will accelerate."

Gerson leads state training efforts to help teachers get comfortable with the instructional "shifts" that help students meet the Common Core learning standards and to familiarize teachers with lessons aligned with the standards.

The concept of reading in specific "domains" of knowledge also is related to the Common Core's emphasis on introducing students to more nonfiction material, which can spark their interest in subjects related to science, history and geography.

The idea is that once their interest is kindled, children tend to get curious and motivated to read more about a topic they like, Gerson told On Board. The more they read on a specific topic, the more likely they are to encounter sophisticated vocabulary that makes them stronger readers on any topic.

Educators describe sharks as a common favorite topic for young readers. When students read more books about sharks, even though it seems like a narrow focus, Gerson said, they are likely to master a wide array of new vocabulary.

"Transferable, high-value words show up over and over," Gerson said. Those range from simple ones - fin, tail, and tooth - to more complex ones - surface, depth, and transparent.

But despite research supporting the value of deep, focused reading on particular subjects, the idea runs counter to conventional wisdom that suggests students should learn more words if they read books on a greater variety of topics. While many classroom shelves still are filled with books on a wide range of subjects at a narrow reading level considered appropriate for children in that grade, haphazard collections of unchallenging books do a disservice to children, Gerson said. Studies show that children reading "leveled" material do not master as many new words, and they aren't as capable of discerning the meaning of new words through context, she said.

Tupper Lake, a rural district in the Adirondacks, is using the state's optional curriculum modules to help support deeper reading and encourage vocabulary growth.

In just two years of using the new curriculum, Elementary Principal Carolyn Merrihew said Tupper Lake teachers and administrators also are starting to notice a difference. She said she was impressed by the progress first graders made last year from simple one-word answers to full sentences that offered explanations for their answers.

Last year, for the first time, every Tupper Lake kindergartener was considered "a reader" when the spring semester wrapped up, according to Michelle LaMere, reading coordinator for the elementary school.

Two years ago, the district started informing middle and high school students of their reading level scores, Superintendent Seth McGowan said. The aim is to help the students select sufficiently challenging books about subjects that interest them, whether they want to read about sharks or baseball or zombies.

Tupper Lake school librarian Rebecca Buerkett monitors what subjects are catching on with students. "I try to make sure that I have those high-interest books on multiple levels," she said.

Buerkett also has beefed up parts of the elementary library collection that line up with the new English Language Arts curriculum modules and the domains covered. For fifth graders, that means more books about human rights, the rain forest and sports.

"The rain forest is an easy sell," she said. "The kids are fascinated by it."

But even a topic that draws interest from relatively few students can be worth stocking at multiple reading levels, Buerkett said.

"I have a little girl who learned about Egypt in one of her classes when she was younger," she said. "Ever since, she's been into that topic and she's still reading books about Egypt."

The state's "Listening and Learning" curriculum modules used in Tupper Lake and Greece were produced by the Core Knowledge Foundation. The foundation was among three winners of federal grant-funded contracts worth $12.9 million to develop optional elementary curriculum modules for New York.

The non-profit foundation was founded in 1986 by University of Virginia Professor Emeritus E.D. Hirsch Jr., an intellectual leader of the Common Core reform movement.