by Jim Burke
We are all working hard to help our students succeed in school now and life later (or, as Carol Jago says, “to make a living and make a life” for themselves). So much talk about academic vocabulary these days, some of it more useful and effective than others. We asked ourselves at my school what words are central to all subjects, common to all assignments and assessments, but also aligned with or referenced in the Common Core. I spent much of last week working on this question and arrived at the following list, which I am calling “The A-List.” A group of teachers from all disciplines met the other day to discuss it and agreed to adopt it school-wide. I created two versions: a student version (which could be more easily blown up for a poster on the classroom wall) and a teacher version with more detailed definitions. I will call it version 3.0 for now, as it will no doubt evolve as I refine it, but for now I think you will find it useful.