Curriculum Changes

I found it difficult to create this post.  I am only a substitute teacher, and do not deal a lot with curriculum.  However, I am going to apply these questions to reading curriculum, because reading is important and something everyone needs to learn.

(1)   What content should be kept? What is essential and timeless?

Obviously, having students read every day is a must and is definitely a keeper.  I think students should be given opportunities to read all the time, every day, for any reason.  I think classrooms should have many different materials for students to read from; books, magazines, posters, labels, lists, online text, newspapers, instructions, etc. I would keep the block of time set aside for reading every day.  Reading allows us to travel in time, and is therefore timeless.  Reading out-of-date books can be seen as a historical lesson rather than just something from the past that may seem irrelevant. 

 

(2)   What content should be cut? What is not essential or dated?

I think that anthologies are out dated and should be cut from the curriculum.  I believe students should be given choice.  Taking responsibility and choosing what interests them is something students should be allowed to do.  Students should read about things that interest them as much as possible, especially when they are first learning to read.  Anything that makes them read more, at their reading level, should be allowed.  Anthologies sometimes have stories that are too difficult or too easy for children.  Some of the stories are boring or not even factually accurate.  For these reasons and probably many more, anthologies (to me) are not essential. 

 

(3)   What content should be created? What is evident and necessary?

I believe the reading curriculum could be added to by using technology.  In an earlier blog post, I talked about how books being read on YouTube videos would be great to incorporate into a listening center.  There are also websites that help students learn to read, for example Teach Your Monster to Read.  I believe books can be enhanced by websites like Google Earth (Google Lit Trips), Dipity (a timeline creator), and Tikatok (students can create their own books to read).  Students can talk to authors and illustrators of books via Skype.  Blogger can be introduced to the class and students can write book reviews that eventually could be posted on websites like Amazon or Barnes&Noble.  By adding the use of technology into the reading curriculum, we are preparing them for their future, because reading online and using some of these platforms will be in their future as older students and adults.