Posts on “ common core state standards ”

Tim and Moby break down how to distinguish between truth and opinion in BrainPOP’s newest movie, Fact and Opinion. Students are presented with the concept that facts are supported by evidence that can prove the validity of the statement, while opinions are based on personal beliefs and judgements. They’ll also walk away from this movie understanding the difference between an informed opinion and an uninformed one, and how bias or conviction can blur the line between truth and fiction. The creation of this movie further expands our collection of content that supports the rigorous standards today’s students are expected to meet. Forming sound, evidence-based arguments and critiquing others’ claims are central components of the Common Core and the Next Generation Science Standards. These skills have broad academic and “real world” applications, from science to English to media literacy. A solid grasp of the difference between facts and opinions–as well as how facts must underpin informed opinions–is a building block for these habits of mind.

Wednesday, February 20th at 3:30 PM ET- Getting to the Core of It: BrainPOP & The Common Core State Standards Join members of the BrainPOP Educators team for an exploration of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the ways BrainPOP supports student achievement to meet them. We’ll also tell you how the Common Core has influenced our plans for future content and features on BrainPOP Educators.

With the large scale adoption of the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts and Mathematics, the education world is preparing for impending assessments beginning in 2014.  The 2014 assessments are being developed by two organizations: PARCC, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers  and the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium.  The exact formats for the assessments are currently undetermined as the organizations work with various stakeholders to create them.  However, we do know that the assessments will continue to include “selective response” or multiple choice and open-ended, “constructive response” questions that require students to share processes and demonstrate understanding in ways rarely measured before on standardized tests. Fortunately, BrainPOP’s Mixer™ tool allows you to find or create your own “open response” questions, perfect for capturing “evidence based” answers that are more difficult to assess via standard multiple choice.  Using the Mixer, you can explore pre-written open-ended questions by clicking the filter and selecting “open-ended,” or write your own.  Either way,  the open-ended question format can elicit higher order thinking from your students – the kind that will be assessed on the future tests. Looking for good question prompts? Take a look at the FYI section on each of our topic pages. Full of high-interest… Read the Rest»