tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9539359.post112526213552132599..comments2023-10-24T10:06:05.391-05:00Comments on Instructivist: Crayola curriculum reduxInstructivisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01652458042291988959noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9539359.post-1135094243102204082005-12-20T09:57:00.000-06:002005-12-20T09:57:00.000-06:00Thanks, anonymous. That's a great site!Thanks, anonymous. That's a great site!Mathewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14582916140198600709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9539359.post-1134265445174650042005-12-10T19:44:00.000-06:002005-12-10T19:44:00.000-06:00I'm a second grade teacher and I teach the Open Co...I'm a second grade teacher and I teach the Open Court program and it's not true that it doesn't allow for any teacher input. Teachers have to show creativity in teaching the program in order to be successful with students. <BR/><BR/>There's an excellent site full of supplemental resources created by teachers. It's not the official SRA site, it's at http://www.opencourtresources.com I believe it's totally free. It gives you an idea what can be done with the program.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9539359.post-1125580487168529542005-09-01T08:14:00.000-05:002005-09-01T08:14:00.000-05:00Being able to draw well is more important than bei...<I>Being able to draw well is more important than being able to read.</I><BR/><BR/>Uh oh. Wish you hadn't written that. If Chancellor Klein reads it, he'll probably send me to art school.NYC Educatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12188066345722781723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9539359.post-1125404729522589802005-08-30T07:25:00.000-05:002005-08-30T07:25:00.000-05:00"As a parent, I am appalled by Open Court, because..."As a parent, I am appalled by Open Court, because the teacher has no imput or flexibility in using it. My son's both read (and were tested) at least two grade levels ahead.....and are often bored stiff by the content of Open Court Activities."<BR/><BR/>Oh, please. The diabolical Open Court is designed to be a basal reading program, not a college-level literature course. At least the majority of the students will be able to read--which is more than can be said for the Whole Language stupidity. Even out here in the wilds of the Midwest, when our young'uns are readin' beyond grade level, we hop into the buggy and go to these places called...libraries. Down the road in the big city, besides the general store and the tack shop, they have stores and flea-markets that sell armloads of books for a couple of $.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9539359.post-1125359821676453912005-08-29T18:57:00.000-05:002005-08-29T18:57:00.000-05:00This doesn't seem to happen in my school district ...This doesn't seem to happen in my school district (in southern California). One activity I have for my History 7 students is to read something, then create a 6+6....six panels illustrating what they read, with a caption for each panel. The quality of the artwork has decreased dramatically in recent years with the advent of the district office mandated OPEN COURT Reading program. They just read and answer comprehension questions, JUST LIKE ON THEIR STANDARDIZED TESTS. <BR/><BR/>As a parent, I am appalled by Open Court, because the teacher has no imput or flexibility in using it. My son's both read (and were tested) at least two grade levels ahead.....and are often bored stiff by the content of Open Court Activities. The teacher cannot give my third grader grade 5 open court material that is appropriate for his reading ability and might challenge him and help make him a better reader. But, she does let him read his Accelerated Reader book after he completes the Open Court stuff in five of the 20 minutes it is supposed to take to complete it. <BR/><BR/>Sounds like those schools you visited have FAR to go for their kids......Structure and monitoring are needed....do those classrooms have TEACHERS or Facilitators?Dan Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13397636504405471939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9539359.post-1125316485770362952005-08-29T06:54:00.000-05:002005-08-29T06:54:00.000-05:00Not surprising. A couple of years ago I observed a...Not surprising. A couple of years ago I observed a class at a "high poverty" HIGH SCHOOL in which students wandered around, talked, surfed the web, while the teacher nattered on to a few students. This was followed by an "Honors Class" in "sociology" in which students spent the period cutting up magazines to make collages.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com