Four Ways to Teach the Common Core with Public Media

Matthew Green wrote this article about how educators can use the media in their classroom to meet Common Core State Standards (CCSS). KQED and PBS Learning Media are two aids that are given to help teachers engage students in content that is compelling and directly meets up with the standards. This article points out four different ways that an educator can use media to address some standards. The first is to emphasize informational text. The CCSS puts a big emphasis on students reading nonfiction and information texts. One way to incorporate media into this is to use updated radio and TV-based news coverage. The second is to focus on the argument. The CCSS requires students to read an argument in a text and also to write their own argument that supports a specific claim in a text. The article suggests that a teacher use video clips or audio from Prison break, a new TV series that is about the troubled prison system in California. The third way to use media to teach the common core is to push for media literacy. The CCSS stressed the need for students to be digitally confident and media savvy. One great way the article suggests a student do this is to examine the different way that the media has been used in the 2012 election, and how that has shaped the opinion of the public.  The final way is to encourage students to use the Internet to collaborate together and exchange their own ideas. The CCSS wants students to be a part of these online communities and to express their ideas with others without the restriction of their geographical location. Twitter and other social networks can be a great way for students to interact with other students they would not normally come in contact with.