Developing a Curriculum for the ELA Inclusive Classroom That Meets the Shifts in the CCSS

Abstract

Educators of 2019 are required to meet the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in inclusive classrooms while also engaging students in meaningful connections. The CCSS provide an outline of academic content, knowledge, and skills that students need in order to be college and career ready. Teachers are the connection between the standards, the academic content, and the students. It is up to the teachers to reach and engage their students by creating meaningful connections between the academic content and the real-world. Students who are engaged and making connections to the instructional material are creating learning that lasts beyond the classroom. Learning that lasts beyond the classroom means students are learning skills and strategies that they will utilize in the real-world. Education in 2019 should not be based on the goal of students memorizing academic content to only regurgitate that content on the standardized test. Students must engage in authentic learning activities that align with the changing CCSS while connecting their learning to the real-world. The following capstone project discusses the engaging strategies used in authentic learning that meet the changes in English Language Arts CCSS in an inclusive setting, while also cultivating learning that lasts beyond the classroom.