APS Lucy Calkins- how does this happen?

[Anonymous]

FCPS used Lucy Calkins until about 3-4 years ago. My older child was taught how to read using the look at the first letter and guess based on the picture approach. We spent thousands of dollars on tutoring to teach her the proper, backed by science, way of reading. Thank god FCPS switched to Wilson/phonics by the time my younger child started K.

[Anonymous]

There is no systematic explicit teaching of spelling, grammar, or vocabulary. The spelling has really gone down hill over the years. The kids are expected to write (in the Lucy Calkins) workshop approach with little to no training in content, vocabulary, grammar, spelling, etc. it’s simply not explicitly taught. It’s…. Here’s a piece of paper—write a memoir, or poem, or realistic fiction… There’s no fundamental skill build up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lucy Calkins has ruined so many youngsters reading classes for years!
https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/teachers-college-to-dissolve-lucy-calkins-reading-and-writing-project/2023/09

Finally, the tide is turning. Wake up FCPS!

+1. Thanks for the update!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is no systematic explicit teaching of spelling, grammar, or vocabulary. The spelling has really gone down hill over the years. The kids are expected to write (in the Lucy Calkins) workshop approach with little to no training in content, vocabulary, grammar, spelling, etc. it’s simply not explicitly taught. It’s…. Here’s a piece of paper—write a memoir, or poem, or realistic fiction… There’s no fundamental skill build up.

+2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no systematic explicit teaching of spelling, grammar, or vocabulary. The spelling has really gone down hill over the years. The kids are expected to write (in the Lucy Calkins) workshop approach with little to no training in content, vocabulary, grammar, spelling, etc. it’s simply not explicitly taught. It’s…. Here’s a piece of paper—write a memoir, or poem, or realistic fiction… There’s no fundamental skill build up.

+2

So is there any push to get rid of the Calkin's curriculum for writing? I don't know how this works but wouldn't teachers be able to supplement with something evidence based in the meantime instead of using something that is known not to work?

I'm also curious about how many teachers are still convinced that balanced literacy is a good method and will resist curriculum changes?

It's a very sad reality that many parents will opt, if they can, to teach their children themselves, and those who (reasonably) expect the school to do it will suffer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FCPS used Lucy Calkins until about 3-4 years ago. My older child was taught how to read using the look at the first letter and guess based on the picture approach. We spent thousands of dollars on tutoring to teach her the proper, backed by science, way of reading. Thank god FCPS switched to Wilson/phonics by the time my younger child started K.

I think it's a mistake to trust the schools to teach children what they need to know. What could illustrate this more than the so-called reading wars and Calkins' influence over curricula in schools for so many years? There's also $ invested in other latest trends in education that will eventually be shown to be a waste of time. Good to lobby for better, but definitely wouldn't wait on them to ensure my child is literate and numerate.

This book came out almost 15 years ago and slams the whole-word approach and reading wars, and highlights that part of the ongoing fall out is resistance of teachers. https://www.amazon.com/Reading-Brain-New-Science-Read/dp/0143118056

[Anonymous]

Every year in elementary school in FCPS, my kids are asked to write (or do a powerpoint) about something they know. No research, no guidance - nothing. My daughter wrote about horses every year for 4 years straight. In 6th grade, she basically recycled the same report she did for 5th and 4th. My other daughter is currently in 3rd grade and it will be her 4th year of doing the same. They are given weeks to work on it. It is the craziest, most useless use of time I can imagine. Could they not even be asked to read a nonfiction book and write on that? Pick a sea animal and write about that? This is that Lucy Calkins dumbing down of education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no systematic explicit teaching of spelling, grammar, or vocabulary. The spelling has really gone down hill over the years. The kids are expected to write (in the Lucy Calkins) workshop approach with little to no training in content, vocabulary, grammar, spelling, etc. it’s simply not explicitly taught. It’s…. Here’s a piece of paper—write a memoir, or poem, or realistic fiction… There’s no fundamental skill build up.

+2

So is there any push to get rid of the Calkin's curriculum for writing? I don't know how this works but wouldn't teachers be able to supplement with something evidence based in the meantime instead of using something that is known not to work?

I'm also curious about how many teachers are still convinced that balanced literacy is a good method and will resist curriculum changes?

It's a very sad reality that many parents will opt, if they can, to teach their children themselves, and those who (reasonably) expect the school to do it will suffer.

This isn't really a thing. You don't need to worry about it for your DC. Teachers teach what they're told to teach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS used Lucy Calkins until about 3-4 years ago. My older child was taught how to read using the look at the first letter and guess based on the picture approach. We spent thousands of dollars on tutoring to teach her the proper, backed by science, way of reading. Thank god FCPS switched to Wilson/phonics by the time my younger child started K.

I think it's a mistake to trust the schools to teach children what they need to know. What could illustrate this more than the so-called reading wars and Calkins' influence over curricula in schools for so many years? There's also $ invested in other latest trends in education that will eventually be shown to be a waste of time. Good to lobby for better, but definitely wouldn't wait on them to ensure my child is literate and numerate.

This book came out almost 15 years ago and slams the whole-word approach and reading wars, and highlights that part of the ongoing fall out is resistance of teachers. https://www.amazon.com/Reading-Brain-New-Science-Read/dp/0143118056

You know, when we were kids, schools did teach us what we needed to know. Parents didn't preteach or afterschool teach. It's not absurd to expect schools to teach academics.

Fwiw, I can see the big changes in the past couple years in what my older DC was taught and what my younger DC is being taught. And even in what my older DC is being taught now compared to several years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS used Lucy Calkins until about 3-4 years ago. My older child was taught how to read using the look at the first letter and guess based on the picture approach. We spent thousands of dollars on tutoring to teach her the proper, backed by science, way of reading. Thank god FCPS switched to Wilson/phonics by the time my younger child started K.

I think it's a mistake to trust the schools to teach children what they need to know. What could illustrate this more than the so-called reading wars and Calkins' influence over curricula in schools for so many years? There's also $ invested in other latest trends in education that will eventually be shown to be a waste of time. Good to lobby for better, but definitely wouldn't wait on them to ensure my child is literate and numerate.

This book came out almost 15 years ago and slams the whole-word approach and reading wars, and highlights that part of the ongoing fall out is resistance of teachers. https://www.amazon.com/Reading-Brain-New-Science-Read/dp/0143118056

You know, when we were kids, schools did teach us what we needed to know. Parents didn't preteach or afterschool teach. It's not absurd to expect schools to teach academics.

Fwiw, I can see the big changes in the past couple years in what my older DC was taught and what my younger DC is being taught. And even in what my older DC is being taught now compared to several years ago.

I agree it's not an absurd expectation--they are schools after all--but unfortunately it's naive and many will fall behind as a result. Combine this with low expectations on the part of the schools in terms of what children are capable of and when, it's not surprising that the college students I teach cannot write sentences.

But I'm glad to hear you see big improvements, though it seems like others may not be experiencing the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no systematic explicit teaching of spelling, grammar, or vocabulary. The spelling has really gone down hill over the years. The kids are expected to write (in the Lucy Calkins) workshop approach with little to no training in content, vocabulary, grammar, spelling, etc. it’s simply not explicitly taught. It’s…. Here’s a piece of paper—write a memoir, or poem, or realistic fiction… There’s no fundamental skill build up.

+2

So is there any push to get rid of the Calkin's curriculum for writing? I don't know how this works but wouldn't teachers be able to supplement with something evidence based in the meantime instead of using something that is known not to work?

I'm also curious about how many teachers are still convinced that balanced literacy is a good method and will resist curriculum changes?

It's a very sad reality that many parents will opt, if they can, to teach their children themselves, and those who (reasonably) expect the school to do it will suffer.

Not every school uses Lucy Calkins.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Every year in elementary school in FCPS, my kids are asked to write (or do a powerpoint) about something they know. No research, no guidance - nothing. My daughter wrote about horses every year for 4 years straight. In 6th grade, she basically recycled the same report she did for 5th and 4th. My other daughter is currently in 3rd grade and it will be her 4th year of doing the same. They are given weeks to work on it. It is the craziest, most useless use of time I can imagine. Could they not even be asked to read a nonfiction book and write on that? Pick a sea animal and write about that? This is that Lucy Calkins dumbing down of education.

6th grade teacher here. There is a whole research unit. Here are the following units for 6th:

Memoir, Literary NF, Journalism, Poetry, Research, Historical Fiction, Persuasive Essay, Choice Unit.

Your child should have 7-8 published pieces including 1 research project.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FCPS used Lucy Calkins until about 3-4 years ago. My older child was taught how to read using the look at the first letter and guess based on the picture approach. We spent thousands of dollars on tutoring to teach her the proper, backed by science, way of reading. Thank god FCPS switched to Wilson/phonics by the time my younger child started K.

FCPS never exclusively used Lucy Calkins and they tended to use it for writing rather than reading.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every year in elementary school in FCPS, my kids are asked to write (or do a powerpoint) about something they know. No research, no guidance - nothing. My daughter wrote about horses every year for 4 years straight. In 6th grade, she basically recycled the same report she did for 5th and 4th. My other daughter is currently in 3rd grade and it will be her 4th year of doing the same. They are given weeks to work on it. It is the craziest, most useless use of time I can imagine. Could they not even be asked to read a nonfiction book and write on that? Pick a sea animal and write about that? This is that Lucy Calkins dumbing down of education.

6th grade teacher here. There is a whole research unit. Here are the following units for 6th:

Memoir, Literary NF, Journalism, Poetry, Research, Historical Fiction, Persuasive Essay, Choice Unit.

Your child should have 7-8 published pieces including 1 research project.

They wrote those 7 pieces every year and are simply re-using their work and topic from the previous year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every year in elementary school in FCPS, my kids are asked to write (or do a powerpoint) about something they know. No research, no guidance - nothing. My daughter wrote about horses every year for 4 years straight. In 6th grade, she basically recycled the same report she did for 5th and 4th. My other daughter is currently in 3rd grade and it will be her 4th year of doing the same. They are given weeks to work on it. It is the craziest, most useless use of time I can imagine. Could they not even be asked to read a nonfiction book and write on that? Pick a sea animal and write about that? This is that Lucy Calkins dumbing down of education.

6th grade teacher here. There is a whole research unit. Here are the following units for 6th:

Memoir, Literary NF, Journalism, Poetry, Research, Historical Fiction, Persuasive Essay, Choice Unit.

Your child should have 7-8 published pieces including 1 research project.

They wrote those 7 pieces every year and are simply re-using their work and topic from the previous year.

First off, the units are different from year to year, so I don’t buy it. If for the nonfiction unit and research your child is choosing to take the easy way out and reuse a topic, that is on them and the teacher.