New mcps 6th grade course: historical inquiry into global humanities 6?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From Jack Smith last year...

Historical Inquiry into Global Humanities 6
This course is built around the core Grade 6 social studies curriculum; however, it is enriched with
additional content, exploration of deeper connections to today, investigative inquiry to strengthen
writing through Document Based Questions, and connections through literature.

FWIW, I hate these course descriptions. They are meaningless. What will be the additional content? Novels to read? A history text? what is "deeper connections to today"? Are they reading newspapers, writing papers about modern issues that result from history? WTH is "investigative inquiry" and why the hell does everything have to be focused on the ridiculous, inauthentic AP writing style of "document-based questions"? what are "connections through literature? Are they actually reading full, original works of literature? What are they? Or are they only reading excerpts or abridged versions?

This kind of info is worse than worthless.

Really? What I got from this is - it will include the Grade 6 social studies curriculum, but it will have additional materials and tasks (to be determined). I don't think that's worse than worthless.

Seriously, your bar is kind of low!

Those of us who have older kids or have been in the county a long time have been through this before -- the many ways that MCPS says that it is elevating the curriculum, but doesn't really. "Honors" classes in HS which are really a mixture of on level and above grade level kids and are taught at a level all can understand. In my DC's "honors" English class, the teacher spend a lot of time reading aloud and acting out the parts of the novel. DC told me one of the brighter kids in the class literally couldn't stay awake in the class, it was so boring. Also "Advanced English" classes that all students were placed into. "Enriched" classes which consist of reading heavily abridged versions of what would have been challenging books before abridgment, etc.

Your first clue that MCPS isn't really serious about elevating the materials in a class is that they won't actually disclose what it is they intend to do. Especially as it is now less than 2 months until school begins, which means either they don't want to disclose because they are afraid of criticism, or they haven't actually figured it out yet, which doesn't augur well either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From Jack Smith last year...

Historical Inquiry into Global Humanities 6
This course is built around the core Grade 6 social studies curriculum; however, it is enriched with
additional content, exploration of deeper connections to today, investigative inquiry to strengthen
writing through Document Based Questions, and connections through literature.

FWIW, I hate these course descriptions. They are meaningless. What will be the additional content? Novels to read? A history text? what is "deeper connections to today"? Are they reading newspapers, writing papers about modern issues that result from history? WTH is "investigative inquiry" and why the hell does everything have to be focused on the ridiculous, inauthentic AP writing style of "document-based questions"? what are "connections through literature? Are they actually reading full, original works of literature? What are they? Or are they only reading excerpts or abridged versions?

This kind of info is worse than worthless.

Really? What I got from this is - it will include the Grade 6 social studies curriculum, but it will have additional materials and tasks (to be determined). I don't think that's worse than worthless.

Seriously, your bar is kind of low!

Those of us who have older kids or have been in the county a long time have been through this before -- the many ways that MCPS says that it is elevating the curriculum, but doesn't really. "Honors" classes in HS which are really a mixture of on level and above grade level kids and are taught at a level all can understand. In my DC's "honors" English class, the teacher spend a lot of time reading aloud and acting out the parts of the novel. DC told me one of the brighter kids in the class literally couldn't stay awake in the class, it was so boring. Also "Advanced English" classes that all students were placed into. "Enriched" classes which consist of reading heavily abridged versions of what would have been challenging books before abridgment, etc.

Your first clue that MCPS isn't really serious about elevating the materials in a class is that they won't actually disclose what it is they intend to do. Especially as it is now less than 2 months until school begins, which means either they don't want to disclose because they are afraid of criticism, or they haven't actually figured it out yet, which doesn't augur well either.

Or I don't expect complete information instantly. It's the summer, right now. I'm sure there will be a full report on DCUM in the fall about the classes.

[Anonymous]

Intelligent people don’t fall asleep when they are bored. They entertain themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Intelligent people don’t fall asleep when they are bored. They entertain themselves.

Well, when you're a kid in a classroom, where the teacher is reading aloud a book that is far too simplistic and slow for you, and you are not allowed to be doing anything else or have anything else out on your desk, then you might fall asleep too. The same teacher took away a kid's copy of King Lear, which he was hiding and reading under his desk and chastised him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Intelligent people don’t fall asleep when they are bored. They entertain themselves.

Well, when you're a kid in a classroom, where the teacher is reading aloud a book that is far too simplistic and slow for you, and you are not allowed to be doing anything else or have anything else out on your desk, then you might fall asleep too. The same teacher took away a kid's copy of King Lear, which he was hiding and reading under his desk and chastised him.

I cannot agree with this more!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Intelligent people don’t fall asleep when they are bored. They entertain themselves.

Well, when you're a kid in a classroom, where the teacher is reading aloud a book that is far too simplistic and slow for you, and you are not allowed to be doing anything else or have anything else out on your desk, then you might fall asleep too. The same teacher took away a kid's copy of King Lear, which he was hiding and reading under his desk and chastised him.

I cannot agree with this more!

So you are advocating that kids should be allowed to choose their own alternative activities during class time? Unless the teacher is repeatedly reading the same book, kids can listen to books at many levels. Adults can enjoy children's books...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Intelligent people don’t fall asleep when they are bored. They entertain themselves.

Well, when you're a kid in a classroom, where the teacher is reading aloud a book that is far too simplistic and slow for you, and you are not allowed to be doing anything else or have anything else out on your desk, then you might fall asleep too. The same teacher took away a kid's copy of King Lear, which he was hiding and reading under his desk and chastised him.

I cannot agree with this more!

So you are advocating that kids should be allowed to choose their own alternative activities during class time? Unless the teacher is repeatedly reading the same book, kids can listen to books at many levels. Adults can enjoy children's books...

Over many days, the teacher is reading aloud successive pages of the same book. The faster readers in the class finish the entire book for themselves in a few days at most. Meanwhile, in class, they listen to the teacher read aloud things that they already read, or pages which they can read silently in half the time. Meanwhile, they are chastised if they turn tbe pages faster or read something else.

Yes, as a teacher, I would let anyone in my HS class silently read whatever they want; that is not at all disruptive to class. This kind if teaching is totally inappropriate for an honors level class.

You would not like it if you had to go to a staff meeting at work where someone read Dr. Suess books aloud for days on end and you were not allowed to do anything else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Intelligent people don’t fall asleep when they are bored. They entertain themselves.

Well, when you're a kid in a classroom, where the teacher is reading aloud a book that is far too simplistic and slow for you, and you are not allowed to be doing anything else or have anything else out on your desk, then you might fall asleep too. The same teacher took away a kid's copy of King Lear, which he was hiding and reading under his desk and chastised him.

I cannot agree with this more!

So you are advocating that kids should be allowed to choose their own alternative activities during class time? Unless the teacher is repeatedly reading the same book, kids can listen to books at many levels. Adults can enjoy children's books...

Over many days, the teacher is reading aloud successive pages of the same book. The faster readers in the class finish the entire book for themselves in a few days at most. Meanwhile, in class, they listen to the teacher read aloud things that they already read, or pages which they can read silently in half the time. Meanwhile, they are chastised if they turn tbe pages faster or read something else.

Yes, as a teacher, I would let anyone in my HS class silently read whatever they want; that is not at all disruptive to class. This kind if teaching is totally inappropriate for an honors level class.

You would not like it if you had to go to a staff meeting at work where someone read Dr. Suess books aloud for days on end and you were not allowed to do anything else.

I was a GT student. My kids are GT. All champion daydreamers, not nappers. The problem is that we feed kids so much content that they have to rely on external entertainment rather than their own creativity. I wrote books in my head in fifth grade because I had mastered the curriculum for fifth and sixth already. When I got home each day, I recited what I’d composed into my dad’s dictaphone. Halfway through the year, my parents finally won and had me switched into the sixth grade class, but I had already done that work as well. The next step was a private middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Intelligent people don’t fall asleep when they are bored. They entertain themselves.

Well, when you're a kid in a classroom, where the teacher is reading aloud a book that is far too simplistic and slow for you, and you are not allowed to be doing anything else or have anything else out on your desk, then you might fall asleep too. The same teacher took away a kid's copy of King Lear, which he was hiding and reading under his desk and chastised him.

I cannot agree with this more!

So you are advocating that kids should be allowed to choose their own alternative activities during class time? Unless the teacher is repeatedly reading the same book, kids can listen to books at many levels. Adults can enjoy children's books...

Over many days, the teacher is reading aloud successive pages of the same book. The faster readers in the class finish the entire book for themselves in a few days at most. Meanwhile, in class, they listen to the teacher read aloud things that they already read, or pages which they can read silently in half the time. Meanwhile, they are chastised if they turn tbe pages faster or read something else.

Yes, as a teacher, I would let anyone in my HS class silently read whatever they want; that is not at all disruptive to class. This kind if teaching is totally inappropriate for an honors level class.

You would not like it if you had to go to a staff meeting at work where someone read Dr. Suess books aloud for days on end and you were not allowed to do anything else.

OK agreed..why is the teacher reading allowed a book that the kids have read on their own. Sounds like 2nd grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Intelligent people don’t fall asleep when they are bored. They entertain themselves.

Well, when you're a kid in a classroom, where the teacher is reading aloud a book that is far too simplistic and slow for you, and you are not allowed to be doing anything else or have anything else out on your desk, then you might fall asleep too. The same teacher took away a kid's copy of King Lear, which he was hiding and reading under his desk and chastised him.

I cannot agree with this more!

So you are advocating that kids should be allowed to choose their own alternative activities during class time? Unless the teacher is repeatedly reading the same book, kids can listen to books at many levels. Adults can enjoy children's books...

Over many days, the teacher is reading aloud successive pages of the same book. The faster readers in the class finish the entire book for themselves in a few days at most. Meanwhile, in class, they listen to the teacher read aloud things that they already read, or pages which they can read silently in half the time. Meanwhile, they are chastised if they turn tbe pages faster or read something else.

Yes, as a teacher, I would let anyone in my HS class silently read whatever they want; that is not at all disruptive to class. This kind if teaching is totally inappropriate for an honors level class.

You would not like it if you had to go to a staff meeting at work where someone read Dr. Suess books aloud for days on end and you were not allowed to do anything else.

This is teacher specific. Not every MS teacher runs their class like that. I agree that this is a problem but this is not on a curricular level. My child hasn't been read to by a teacher since 2nd grade.

[Anonymous]

This also doesn’t sound like it happened in a social studies class at all, which is the topic of this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Intelligent people don’t fall asleep when they are bored. They entertain themselves.

Well, when you're a kid in a classroom, where the teacher is reading aloud a book that is far too simplistic and slow for you, and you are not allowed to be doing anything else or have anything else out on your desk, then you might fall asleep too. The same teacher took away a kid's copy of King Lear, which he was hiding and reading under his desk and chastised him.

I cannot agree with this more!

So you are advocating that kids should be allowed to choose their own alternative activities during class time? Unless the teacher is repeatedly reading the same book, kids can listen to books at many levels. Adults can enjoy children's books...

Over many days, the teacher is reading aloud successive pages of the same book. The faster readers in the class finish the entire book for themselves in a few days at most. Meanwhile, in class, they listen to the teacher read aloud things that they already read, or pages which they can read silently in half the time. Meanwhile, they are chastised if they turn tbe pages faster or read something else.

Yes, as a teacher, I would let anyone in my HS class silently read whatever they want; that is not at all disruptive to class. This kind if teaching is totally inappropriate for an honors level class.

You would not like it if you had to go to a staff meeting at work where someone read Dr. Suess books aloud for days on end and you were not allowed to do anything else.

I was a GT student. My kids are GT. All champion daydreamers, not nappers. The problem is that we feed kids so much content that they have to rely on external entertainment rather than their own creativity. I wrote books in my head in fifth grade because I had mastered the curriculum for fifth and sixth already. When I got home each day, I recited what I’d composed into my dad’s dictaphone. Halfway through the year, my parents finally won and had me switched into the sixth grade class, but I had already done that work as well. The next step was a private middle school.

So boredom is your teaching tool for GT kids? Please ?.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Intelligent people don’t fall asleep when they are bored. They entertain themselves.

Well, when you're a kid in a classroom, where the teacher is reading aloud a book that is far too simplistic and slow for you, and you are not allowed to be doing anything else or have anything else out on your desk, then you might fall asleep too. The same teacher took away a kid's copy of King Lear, which he was hiding and reading under his desk and chastised him.

I cannot agree with this more!

So you are advocating that kids should be allowed to choose their own alternative activities during class time? Unless the teacher is repeatedly reading the same book, kids can listen to books at many levels. Adults can enjoy children's books...

Over many days, the teacher is reading aloud successive pages of the same book. The faster readers in the class finish the entire book for themselves in a few days at most. Meanwhile, in class, they listen to the teacher read aloud things that they already read, or pages which they can read silently in half the time. Meanwhile, they are chastised if they turn tbe pages faster or read something else.

Yes, as a teacher, I would let anyone in my HS class silently read whatever they want; that is not at all disruptive to class. This kind if teaching is totally inappropriate for an honors level class.

You would not like it if you had to go to a staff meeting at work where someone read Dr. Suess books aloud for days on end and you were not allowed to do anything else.

I was a GT student. My kids are GT. All champion daydreamers, not nappers. The problem is that we feed kids so much content that they have to rely on external entertainment rather than their own creativity. I wrote books in my head in fifth grade because I had mastered the curriculum for fifth and sixth already. When I got home each day, I recited what I’d composed into my dad’s dictaphone. Halfway through the year, my parents finally won and had me switched into the sixth grade class, but I had already done that work as well. The next step was a private middle school.

So boredom is your teaching tool for GT kids? Please ?.

That’s your takeaway?

[Anonymous]

Re: reading aloud in HS.

I went to a fancy private school with brilliant teachers. My honors English teacher had a PhD and was involved with the Folger Theater. She would read passages to us for a variety of reasons: to demonstrate proper articulation of Shakespeare (which isn't intuitive for all students), to focus attention on a scene we would discuss further, to help everyone understand something important, etc. I doubt the entire class is listening to the teacher read for an entire class. It sounds like that poster's kid is exaggerating. And perhaps the teacher is slowing it down and reading aloud to help students who are struggling...and the pp's kid could be in that boat.

Lastly, I had college professors read aloud, too. It's a positive teaching strategy.

Anyone else think it's really sad that mcps has become such a cookie cutter teach to the test experiment that parents like that pp are proud that their kid can "read fast"? Um, literature isn't meant to be read "fast." Literature should be read at a leisurely pace and prompt reflection. Just because you can read Romeo and Juliet in 90 minutes doesn't mean you should.

[Anonymous]

Teacher reads the Cat in the Hat aloud to the class four days in a row. Here’s the difference in GT vs. non-GT students’ thought processes and actions:

Non-gifted student #1: I’m bored.

Non-gifted student #2: I get it already, Lady!

Non-gifted student #3: If she’s repeating it, it must important. I’m going to see if she is emphasizing the same words each time.

Non-gifted student #4: Zzzzzzzzzzzz

Gifted student #5: Where is the dad? Maybe he’s a government scientist who has experimented on talking animals. That would explain the Cat and the Fish. The Fish looks nothing like the ones I saw last week at the aquarium. I wonder what species it might be. Let’s see... it doesn’t have stripes, so it’s not a...

Gifted student #6: What happens if I change Dr. Suess’s writing style? I’ll rewrite this page as a haiku. And the next as a sijo.


Parents and some untrained teachers confused the attitudes of students 3 and 4 with giftedness. The gifted student has a transformative experience when engaging content repeatedly. Think of a highly gifted young musician who may quickly learn a new composition, but their execution of each gets richer and more textured with each practice. Repetition is an opportunity to dig deeper that even GT kids need.