Reply to Benchmark, almost one year done. How are people feeling about it?

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Reply to "Benchmark, almost one year done. How are people feeling about it?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I was a teacher.  I am not familiar with Benchmark, but it is good for new teachers to follow the "directions."

If it is truly based on studies and research, then it is a good idea to follow.   After teaching for a while, I'm sure they will adapt some lessons so that it is not "canned."

I taught with teachers who claimed they did not need a teachers' manual.  I may not have always used it as intended, but I always tried to hit the purpose of the activities provided.

Basal readers have been much criticized.  i liked them--but a good teacher always expands lessons with some creativity.  Some teachers ignored the requirements--such as teaching phonics, which were included in basal programs.  Many call them "see/say." They weren't see/say, but many teachers skipped the phonics lessons and other skills.

I am a big proponent of phonics and always provided additional phonics lessons outside the book company recommendations.  However, there are some kids who really do not get phonics.  Teachers need to be able to provide those kids with other tools.

I do not like the idea of phonics only.  That gets boring if it is not combined with rich literature and critical thinking skills.[/quote]

A kindergartener (and depending on reading readiness, other aged kids) should be getting rich literature from read alouds and critical thinking skills from things like retelling the story or learning deeply about background content (which Benchmark attempts). Kids should learn to love stories from hearing stories. As they develop decoding and comprehension skills, then they can dive into those stories themselves.

Critical thinking - this has been proven time and time again - comes best after knowledge acquisition. You can't think deeply about what you know nothing about. Cram little brains full of facts then teach them logic. People knew this was how to teach kids literally millenia ago.[/quote]

I don't have a kindergartener so I don't know what they're learning right now, but my older ES kids were telling me about what they're learning in Benchmark right now. They're both doing units on ancient cultures and they're both learning a TON. If the kindergarteners are getting the same sort of instruction as the older kids, then they ARE cramming their little brains full of facts. My kid was telling me all about Ancient Greece earlier today. I thought it was social studies, but nope, it's benchmark.[/quote]

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