An inservice training session triggered a crisis of confidence for the author, a veteran teacher, but it also inspired the author to rethink their approach to teaching reading and writing. While the author attended a conference, the state presenter explained that the new curriculum represents "shifts" in philosophy about teaching…

In this article, the authors begin this inquiry by describing their research with a class of middle school writers who played "Quandary," a free online educational game designed to teach argumentation, as part of a unit on writing arguments for environmental action. Regarding the subject area of English language arts (ELA), research has…

The author explores the tension between the social and cognitive definition of "argument" in the Common Core's theoretical rationale and the structural approach to argument reflected in the exemplars of student writing, evaluating the implications of these inconsistencies for the high school English classroom.

One World Education (OWEd) is a college-ready writing instruction program with the goal to ultimately have students participate in their own discourse communities. This qualitative analysis of One World Education reports on student and teacher impressions of the program by analyzing the results of surveys, informal interviews, and focus groups the…

In this article, the author presents two snapshots that document how No Child Left Behind (NCLB) influenced her writing instruction. She uses Dewey's concept of inquiry to frame the disastrous effects that high-stakes testing can have on the students with the greatest needs. Finally, she looks ahead to consider how the Common Core text exemplars…

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS), released by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State Schools Off icers in 2010, are the culmination of at least 25 years of emphasis on systemic school reform, using high-stakes assessments as a lever to improve the achievement of American schoolchildren. To help readers understand…

As districts continue to implement the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), English language arts (ELA) teachers and content-area teachers may find themselves collaborating in surprising and welcome new ways. The CCSS's emphasis on reading and writing across all content areas provides an opportunity for ELA teachers to emerge as literacy experts in…