In this Haiku Deck, I will brief some helpful Common Core ideas for parents that can be incorporated at home. Ultimately, these ideas will help get their child ready to tackle the Common Core framework, and ultimately life as an intelligent and successful human being.
I would like to credit my son's 1st grade teacher for the great resource that she provided all of her student's parents. Thank You, Miss Gibson!

The Common Core emphasizes critical thinking. It requires students to analyze more, discuss more, evaluate more, justify more & explain their thinking and understanding deeply, especially in writing.

Take-Away: Really thinking deeply is hard! Let it BE hard; help them talk it out.

The Common Core emphasizes learning across disciplines (reading with math & social studies standards, combined into one task). Students spend more time working together with different settings, structures and tools.

Take-Away: Problems & Solutions happen everyday in the real world.

The Common Core emphasizes proof & evidence. Long gone are the days of worksheets, fact memorizations and skill & drill. Students are not taught this way and they are not assessed this way.

Take-Away: The new tests will require students to explain how they know.

1. Ask, "Why" when children tell you they want something or want to do, or not do something, and include the word, "because" after explanations, rather than just saying, "Yes" or "No".
2. Give reasons and expect reasons in return.
3. Encourage questions and explore answers; no simple yes or no answers.
4. Explain and discuss issues or problems in your home, neighborhood & community; together, brainstorm solutions.
5. Compare how things are alike and different, ie: videos, movies, food; Look for patterns.
6. Describe & categorize stuff; ie: Solid, liquid, slow, fast.
7. Tell your children what you value and why.
8. Encourage and celebrate opinions.