As educators in a standards-based system, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are always on our mind, especially in developing curriculum, selecting content, and designing assessments. The CCSS are "a set of clear college- and career-ready standards for kindergarten through 12th grade." While the CCSS are a solid set of what students need to know, they do not necessarily take into consideration global education. Thus, it is imperative that educators adapt the CCSS to ensure students are developing global competencies.
There are a few ways that this can be done:
In order to infuse global competencies more intentionally into the CCSS, however, teachers will need to adapt the standards accordingly. While this may seem like a daunting task, it can be done with three simple steps:
When all else fails, consider adapting one thing: add one supplementary reading, do one research activity, use one international resource, include one global issues scenario, create one project-based assessment, etc. Changing just one thing can increase global competencies tenfold.
This document addresses two separate ELA standards (SL 9.9.1.1 and W 9.7.6.6) and how they were adapted with a global focus.
There are a few ways that this can be done:
- Global Competence Grade-Level Indicators: while this is not delineated by subject, it is a framework that requires students to develop skills in understanding, investigating, connecting, and integrating around a number of different themes.
- EdSteps Global Competence Matrices: these are broken down by subject area and include criteria for investigating the world, recognizing perspectives, communicating ideas, and taking action. They are not standard-specific, but they are a place to start.
In order to infuse global competencies more intentionally into the CCSS, however, teachers will need to adapt the standards accordingly. While this may seem like a daunting task, it can be done with three simple steps:
- Select a standard.
- Consider how to integrate global education.
- Plan lesson modifications.
When all else fails, consider adapting one thing: add one supplementary reading, do one research activity, use one international resource, include one global issues scenario, create one project-based assessment, etc. Changing just one thing can increase global competencies tenfold.
This document addresses two separate ELA standards (SL 9.9.1.1 and W 9.7.6.6) and how they were adapted with a global focus.