CCSS: Engagement, Learning, Sharing (a link)

Over at Chartums, Kristi, Christine and Marjorie posted this wonderful use of creative thinking to engage learners.  It's about a Star Wars theme that must have taken over their classroom; however, it could be about just about any "theme" you want!  Go here for the whole post: http://chartchums.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/whats-play-got-to-do-got-to-do-with-it-answer-everything/  here's a little "taste" of what you will find over at
What’s Play Got To Do, Got To Do With It? (Answer: Everything)

"We realized that for children to gain an independent mastery of the standards, they needed to be able to teach them to others. And they needed to do so in a imaginative, playful way.
And then it hit us…. like Yoda. We wondered, would it be possible to merge the two things? The love and constant role play of Star Wars and the work these young readers needed to meet the kindergarten standards?"

This post reminded me of the benefits of thematic teaching back in the old days of "whole language" - yes I was there!  We carried it too far, indeed, there was no need for using bear counters for the bear unit and fish counters for the fish unit.  Yet, the benefits were there in terms of engagement and the ease of scaffolding complex content for greater accessibility and that is what the CCSS asks us to do!