Sam Caudill April 15, 2013 Step #3 Joining the Conversation My story takes place in the middle of Raleigh,

North Carolina in the middle of spring. The sun is shinning brightly and there is slight breeze in the air. The birds are singing their beautiful songs. Since our story takes place in the city everyone is focused on other things. The scene changes and the camera enters into a rented out building that has been set up for a debate on education reform. The room is huge with a high ceiling and a big stage with fancy, flashing light. There are multiple tables set up in front of the stage for all the guests attending the event. Our characters enter the arena dressed professionally. Robert enters first. He is a less than average looking guy with glasses who is a high-regarded journalist for a Ivy university. Next, Derrick enters. Derrick is a husky looking guy who is a journalist for Internet educational reform site. Then, Jack and Jill enter. They are twins from South Carolina who both have their masters in education. Jack specializes in Math and Jill specializes in English. Jill likes to be independent from her brother. Next, John enters. He is an average guy with a medium build who writes education reform books. Also, he has an impatient personality. Finally, Sam enters. He is the most attractive of all our characters. He is very insightful and always willing to help stimulate a conversation. He has an obsession with writing everything in his notepad. His knowledge about Common Core is limited in comparison to the other characters. All of our characters managed to be placed at the same table. All of our characters have an obsession with education reform. Some are more obsessed than other. The debate begins on stage with a talk about the Common Core reform for North Carolina school. *Focus is on the stage and the Debate speaker * Debate Speaker- Common Core is a much needed education reform for this state. Common Core only has benefits to offer this state

*Focus shifts to our characters at the stable* Derrick- Wow! This guy makes it seem like Common Core wont have any repercussions or negative aspects! Common Core has negative aspects as well. These standards will cause an increase in costs when updating textbooks and other materials. John- Youre right. Another negative aspect is its considering all the students to be same. I know from my past education experience as a student that this isnt trueespecially for me. I was the one kid in class who had a different learning style than everyone else. *Laughs*. Though, in Common Cores defense, having benefits like a manageable number of standards would be good. We can devote more time to other impressing matters. *Sam takes out his notepad and begins to write* Sam- What are the impressing matters you speak of and how will more time be devoted towards them? Robert- I will answer that question for you, sir. The other impressing matters will be spent teaching the Math and English aspects of this reform in the classroom. For English, these standards will result in students having to focus more on demonstrating their comprehension of the texts they read. This will result in teachers and students having to re-read texts several times. For Math, a greater emphasis will be put on practicing critical-thinking problems and being able to relate them to other problems as well as constructing viable arguments to use when reasoning with other individuals. That amount of teaching is going to take a lot more effort than most people probably realize. Sam- That is quite interesting. *Sam writes all the information in notepad. After writing, he waits eagerly for the next set of valuable information to be spoken.*

*At this point the debate speaker is still constantly boosting the appeal of the Common Core reform. He is mainly talking about the benefits.* Robert- I wish this speaker would get to the part about the Math and English section of this reform. Sam- Anyone here know a considerable information about the Math and English section so we dont have to wait for this slow speaker? Jack- My sister and I specialize in those sections of the Common Core reform. Sam- Really?! Thats awesome. Do you each specialize in a section or both sections? Either way tell me everything! Jack- We each specialize in a section. I specialize in the Math section of Common Core and my sister spec. *Jill interrupts Jacks and gives him a dirty look.* Jill- I specialize in the English section of the Common Core reform. What would you like to know? Sam- Both of you can give me a rundown of your sections with whatever details you want to add off of what Robert said. Gaining a little more knowledge on these sections would be greatly appreciated. Jack- The Math section is governed by eight goals or expertise that educators should strive to allow students to have. These eight goals are as followed: being able to explain the meaning of the problem, ability to reason the problem with peers, contrast arguments from their answer, apply knowledge of math to everyday life, able to use the correct math tools for the appropriate situation, able to convey mathematical information with precision, able to separate usable information from a problem, and be able to recognize patterns that can be used in future

problems. The hope is a student will have these once they graduate therefore being more college ready. Jill- Blah-Blah-Blah. Youre boring the man with your math talk, Jack. They already know this is to develop more college ready students otherwise there would be no point to this debate. English is set up in a similar way as the section. There are a few goals that educators should teach...blahtheir student.blahcollege ready. You already understand that part. These goals will define a literate person in 21th century terms. To be a literature student, they need to be able to read complex works of literature attentively, search and sort through large amounts of information, offline and online, able to seek conversation that will develop them intellectually, and able to reason ones findings and support them. (English Language Art Standard,) *Debate speaking is still talking yet no one is listening.* Sam- Thank you, Jack and Jill. Thank you all for an interesting conversation. I have learned a lot. I know you alls sole intent wasnt to teach someone but thats what ended up happening. I hope the rest of you were able to learn as much as I did from each other. I would like read the combined knowledge of what Ive learned and what I already knew. Would you all mind telling me if my information is correct? Everyone- Sure. Sam- The Common Core reform will have a huge influence on North Carolinas education and bring about change in various ways. Like all changes, this will bring both positive and negative changes. Some Positive changes are with the tests being standardized scores will be compared accurately; increases the difficulty in classroom leading to more intelligent students; and enhance teacher collaboration. A few negatives are textbook will be obsolete resulting in a demand for new ones which may not be filled depending on the socioeconomic status of the

school; increased cost to upgrade computers since the assessments will be online; and the possibility that one form of learning/education doesnt work for every student. Though there are many more, these few provide us an understanding of the importance of the pro and cons. While these pros and cons are used to refer to the entire school. These changes will have an effect on the classroom as well. The classroom will have a demand for skills. One of those skills is Greater Focus resulting in fewer topics to cover. These select topics will studied in detail allowing students to grow intellectually. Also, classes will have more Emphasis on Practice. This will lead to a student being able to reason through a problem. The classroom will Focus on Evidence which would benefits students pick out appropriate information when reading. The changes in the classroom result in goals that need to be met in each subjects such as English and Math. English is looking to create literary student of the 21st century. These students need to be able to read attentively and enjoy literatures that are complex and challenging. They should have the ability to find the necessary sources for research within the vast amount of information online and offline. They pursue engagement that require with high-quality literary skills. These engagements are expects to expand their own knowledge, experience, and perception of the world. A student should be able to use reasoning and provide evidence to support his claim in order to settle situations that may arise. (English Language Arts Standards) Math is similar to English in that its goal is to produce mathematically proficient students. Math students should be able to explain the meaning of the problem, evaluate their work progress, and check their work by using a different equation. They should be able to understand their data and their relationships in problem at hand. Students should apply their knowledge of math in solving problems that may arise in their everyday life. Students should be able to calculate numerical values to the degree of precision appropriate for the problem they are working. (Introduction

Mathematics- Common Core State Standard) Ultimately, both English and Math want to create students that are prepared for college. Robert- You definitely have a firm understanding of the concepts of the Common Core reform for North Carolina. Would the rest of you agree? John- Yes. Jack- Yes, I do. You have a solid concept of the math. Jill- I agree. Your knowledge of the English concept is excellent. Sam- Thanks again. *Sam leaves the building and walks to his car. He pulls out a cross bow and finds the first few zombies in sight, (.yes, zombies), cries out Walkers!!!! and shoots them in the head like Daryl from The Walking Dead.*

Work Cited Page "English Language Arts Standards." LearnNC. UNC School Of Education, n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2013. <http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/ccss2010-english>. "Introduction Mathematics-Common Core State Standards." LearnNC. UNC School of Education, n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2013. <http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/ccss2010mathematics?p=3>. Kendall, John. Understanding Common Core State Standards. Denver, CO: McRel, 2011. Print. Meador, Derrick. "Pros and Cons of the Common Core Standards." About.com Guide. Web. 31 Mar. 2013. <http://teaching.about.com/od/assess/f/What-Are-Some-Pros-And-Cons-OfThe-Common-Core-Standards.htm>. Rothman, Robert. "Nine Ways the Common Core Will Change Classroom Practice." Harvard Education Letter 28.4 (2012): 1-2. Web. 31 Mar. 2013. <http://www.hepg.org/hel/article/543>.