Is your district looking for a way to improve students’ critical thinking and writing abilities? Take a look at Learning List’s reviews of ThinkCERCA for Practical Writing.
ThinkCERCA is a supplemental literacy program that supports English language arts instruction for grades 3 -12. Learning List recently reviewed the material for high school Practical Writing. This fully digital program scaffolds instruction through close reading and academic writing.
Is your district looking for a way to improve students’ critical thinking and writing abilities? Take a look at Learning List’s reviews of ThinkCERCA for grades 9-12.
ThinkCERCA is a supplemental literacy program that supports English language arts instruction for grades 3 -12. Originally submitted for state adoption, this product was withdrawn and submitted to Learning List for review instead.
Learning List recently reviewed ThinkCERCA, which was submitted for state adoption in Texas in response to the Texas Education Agency’s Proclamation 2019 call for K-8 English language arts and reading (ELAR) products aligned to the new ELAR Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). ThinkCERCA is an online learning platform that helps students in grades 3-12 develop literacy and critical thinking skills across the core subject areas. Instruction focuses on developing close reading and academic writing skills. ThinkCERCA’s Texas Edition addresses the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for English language arts/reading (ELAR) and supports instruction in blended learning environments. Learning List reviewed materials for grades 6-8.
ThinkCERCA focuses on developing students’ ability to read texts and produce written responses using the CERCA framework: (1) make Claims, (2) support claims with textual Evidence, (3) explain their Reasoning, (4) recognize Counterarguments, and (5) use language that appeals to a particular Audience. Core instruction is presented in modular “CERCA Sets” that cover content from across the core subject areas (i.e., English/language arts, science, mathematics, and social studies). Many CERCA Sets are not grade specific. [Read more…]
In a recent op-ed appearing in The Hill, ThinkCerca’s founder and CEO, Eileen Murphy Buckley, describes the challenges she faced as a novice English teacher working at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, one of Illinois’ best high schools and Michelle Obama’s alma mater. Like many first-year teachers, she struggled with classroom management, planning relevant and engaging instruction, and mastery of her content area. She received sage advice from veteran colleagues, but she “confesses” that her strongest supports as an inexperienced teacher were the instructional materials she used in the classroom.
She writes:
So, there is my confession after all these years, but I make it to say that the products we use in schools matter. The quality of those resources matter so very much because they are what empower students, regardless of which teacher they end up with. The materials shape teachers and teacher practice, and they shape the teachers they raise through years of side by side work.
These products must answer to students and teachers as well as buyers — the admins and school boards who are the stewards of our future, our culture, our democracy. Products have material impact on the lives of our children and grandchildren — who will be caring for us and our country in the very near future.
Simply put, reading materials impact the quality of teaching in much more significant ways than you might know.
At Learning List, we understand the importance of high quality materials. We recognize that instructional materials influence how teachers teach as well as how and what students learn. And this understanding shapes how we review products.
Our editorial reviews examine the supports each material does or does not provide for teachers. Our reviewers explain whether teacher resources include background in content and pedagogy; provide pacing information, lesson plans, and guidance in differentiating instruction; and offer professional development opportunities and professional communities that facilitate collaboration and sharing with other teachers who use the same product. Our reviewers note when they feel a product is particularly appropriate for novice teachers. Such products include comprehensive discussions of the required content knowledge and pedagogy, and offer detailed, often scripted, lesson plans to support instruction. [Read more…]
Learning List has reviewed ThinkCERCA materials for grade 6. ThinkCerca is an online learning platform that helps students in grades 3-12 develop literacy and critical thinking skills across the core subject areas. The supplemental program focuses on developing close reading and academic writing skills. Content addresses the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and supports instruction in blended learning, flipped classroom, and self-paced environments. …[read more]
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