Part 1: College And Career Ready Standards

Arizona College and Career Ready Standards does just what its name entails by
giving Arizona students the skills they need to be ready for life and a career and to be
successful in their pursuit of college. They provide benchmarks in English language arts
and literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects, and mathematics.
These standards are also implemented in other states and countries so we can compare
Arizona students progress to the progress of students in other states and all around the
world. This allows us to measure how well we are doing at teaching our children, and
ensures that everyone is being taught the same basic information in each grade across the
nation.
These standards hold students to expectations that will allow them to become
productive members of society. The standards have recently had a name change to
Arizona College and Career Ready Standards, but the same standards have been
implemented by the Arizona State Board of Education under the name of Common Core
Standards since 2012. The standards have a main focus on critical-thinking, problem
solving, and effective communication skills. These are the umbrella under which many
education and workforce policies, programs and initiatives thrive. The standards basically
set a guideline for schools to follow so that we can ensure that all students are learning
the same skills in each grade level across the country.
The standards were created by collaboration among teachers, school
administrators, and experts to create standards that will best prepare our students for the
workforce and for college. They based the standards on research and evidence in order to
create standards that would be age appropriate. The standards are also supported by

rigorous international benchmarks, to ensure that our nations standards are comparable to
that of other nations. In creating the standards, feedback was obtained from many state
and national organizations that represented educators. These high standards provide
students and teachers with challenging goals that promotes student readiness for college
and/or a career after they have finished high school.
Before, when each state had their own set of standards, it was difficult to see how
students measured up against each other. We had no average to compare to one another
because each state had different standards. The collaboration of the majority of states has
allowed us to see how each state and district measures up to one another. Forty-three
states, the District of Columbia, four territories, and the Department of Defense
Education Activity (DoDEA) have all adopted the Common Core Standards. This is
including Arizona, although we do not call our standards the Common Core and
instead refer to it as the Arizona College and Career Ready Standards. The standards also
provide ease when students move schools because they are able to jump into the
curriculum more easily due to the standards.
Thanks to these standards, textbooks, support and evaluations have been
standardized among schools in order for each student to have equality in the schooling
system. Because colleges and careers are more demanding than ever before, the College
and Career Ready Standards are aimed to prepare all students for the new, challenging
demands they face when they graduate from high school. Students graduate confident in
the fact that they have learned in accordance to the same rules and guidelines as their
peers across the country. A student in Arizona and a student in New York are held to the
same standards, making college applications more fair, and creating opportunity for

anyone who wants it. Parents should rest assured that your kids are receiving challenging,
equal treatment as any other student that is in a state that follows the standards.
Part 1: Developmental Appropriateness
Developmental Appropriateness is a way to teach or care for a child by making
sure that their needs are met in whatever way is fitting for the individual student. People
who follow or believe in developmentally appropriate practices believe that it can
enhance the students ability to learn and is the best way to facilitate learning. When
organizing class activities and lesson plans for young children, it is necessary to
recognize in the broad spectrum of skills and interests of children, as well as exercises
that are based on the way that we know children at each grade level learn. Developmental
appropriateness deals a lot with letting the child make their own choices and letting their
creativity be abstract. It requires a lot of flexibility from the caretakers. The teacher
needs to simply guide them in the right direction and praise the different ways each child
chooses to do something.
Developmentally appropriate practice is an approach to teaching based upon
research on how children learn and develop, and through what is known about effective
early education. There are three core considerations of developmentally appropriate
practices: keeping up with the students development and learning, knowing what is
appropriate for each individual student, and understanding what is important culturally.
Developmentally appropriate practices understand not only the age of the students in the
class, but also each childs individual needs. The program should fit the student; the
student shouldnt have to fit the program. This includes teaching to the whole child
meaning intellectual, social, emotional, physical and creative growth.

Each child will develop and mature at a different pace, but there are some
common developmental norms that teachers can expect to encounter across the board.
Teachers should use this knowledge to organize activities that will challenge the child,
and continue to help the child develop. The goal for developmentally appropriate
practices is for the child to be challenged and engaged in their own assignments instead
of stressed out or frustrated by the assignments. If the children are not completing their
exercises or finish them right away then it probably is developmentally inappropriate.
Programs that are approved by the National Association for the Education of Young
Children (NAEYC) then the program is usually developmentally appropriate.
Developmentally appropriate also means we must notice and understand the
young children we teach, and be attentive and responsive to what they need. Routines and
consistency are crucial, but we also need to leave room for compromise when needed,
depending on the childs behavior. Developmentally appropriate is based on how children
learn. If the teacher doesnt have the freedom to judge what is best for the student it will
just make it harder for the student to learn.
There are many different ways to teach using developmentally appropriate
principles some of which include incorporating students into groups of their choice,
letting them problem solve to resolve different arguments. When practicing
developmental appropriateness in the classroom it is important that the teacher
acknowledges the student and encourages them to keep doing their work. The teacher has
to be a good model for what they expect from the student and demonstrate different
tasks. When the children are doing their work it is essential that the teacher is asking

questions and giving feedback to the student. Students should be praised for their effort
and creativity in order to feel confident in their abilities.
Part 2: Analysis of Math Standards for Developmental Appropriateness
Cognitive Development Grade 3: What is developmentally appropriate?
In the third grade a child is at or around the age of 8 years old and is still going
through many important developmental changes, including cognitive milestones.
Cognitive development has been defined as The changes in problem solving, memory,
language, reasoning, and other aspects of thinking. There have been multiple theories
that have become very familiar overtime including the ones of Piaget and Vygotsky, and
the idea of Information Processing.
Piaget's theory spoke about the Concrete Operational stage. During this age,
children are more aware of the connections between past, present and future and are also
able to think more logically. The child is now able to use conservation, which is the
understanding of numbers, weight and volume. Reversibility is also an important skill
that is developed during this age, this is the ability to mentally know and understand that
a change has been made to something, such as the narrow and short glasses of water.
Classification is important because it is the ability to focus on a single object, such as a
specific number or letter. Another important skill that is being developed is Seriation,
which deals with the ability to make orderly arrangements.
Theorist Lev Vygotsky believed that cognitive development occurs through
conversation and interactions with those around. During this age there are multiple ways
to encourage cognitive development. Assisted learning is one of them, this is when the
child is led to the right answer but not directly given it. It helps them out by encouraging

one to actually to the work to get the correct answer. Using questions that further a child's
thinking such as what makes you say. or how did you come up with that answer are
known as Instructional Conversations. The goal of these questions are to keep children
engaged in the conversation while also thinking deeper into the different concepts.
The theory of information processing is that human thinking is processing
information. This theory states that memory is one of the most important processing
abilities. Long-term memory is where knowledge is stored permanently. Even though all
memories aren't in our awareness doesn't mean they are not there, as long as we use them
often they can be pulled up easily.
What Do The Standards Require? - Math
Piaget
3.MD.B.3: Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a
data set with several categories. Solve one- and two-step how many more and how
many less problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs. For example,
draw a bar graph in which each square in the bar graph might represent 5 pets.
According to Piaget, a child is able to understand classification in third grade.
However, this standard asks students to understand a key and be able to draw the bar
graph to represent the number of animals or objects. The wording in this standard does
not include that, it just says they should be able to draw a scaled picture graph, but
leaves out that students should understand keys before they move on to drawing the
scaled picture graphs. Children at this age can struggle when they are asked to do
something where they use classification, the ability to focus on a single object, but it
doesn't mean what they have classified it to mean previously. For example, the student

understands that when they draw a picture graph and draw two pens, it means they have
two pens. We are asking them to understand that each pen represents 10 pens, and those
two pens they drew really means they have 20 pens. This requires the student to
understand keys better than they do already. The standard should include the focus of
moving from a key to a picture graph rather than just saying a scaled picture graph.
Vygotsky
3.OA.D.9. Identify arithmetic patterns (including patterns in the addition table or
multiplication table), and explain them using properties of operations. For example,
observe that 4 times a number is always even, and explain why 4 times a number can be
decomposed into two equal addends.
When reading through this standard I found a few key words that would likely
confuse a third grade student. I think that the word arithmetic is outdated and that
young students have probably never heard it before. The use of the words observe and
decompose might be a bit too advanced and third grade students would take them very
literally. When teaching this standard to make it more developmentally appropriate I
would first use assisted learning/scaffolding to help guide the students to identify the
patterns and show them cultural tools like a chart that shows the different properties of
operations. After the students gain an understanding of the material I would pair them up
in order for them to learn from each other using peer collaboration.
Information Processing
3.OA.A.2. Interpret whole-number quotients of whole numbers, e.g., interpret
56 8 as the number of objects in each share when 56 objects are partitioned equally
into 8 shares, or as a number of shares when 56 objects are partitioned into equal shares

of 8 objects each. For example, describe a context in which a number of shares or a

number of groups can be expressed as 56 8.
After reading through and finding this standard, I believed it to be
developmentally inappropriate due to the wording. The was that this standard is written
seems like it would be a bit confusing to a 8 year old child. The child is now starting to
better their memory as discussed in the theory of Information Processing discussed, but at
this time most children will not have learned such words. The words Interpret and
quotients seem to be a bit complex for such a young age and can maybe be substituted
by more simplified words.
What should be Added/Deleted/Clarified in the Standards?
Piaget
3.MD.B.3: Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a
data set with several categories. Solve one- and two-step how many more and how
many less problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs. For example,
draw a bar graph in which each square in the bar graph might represent 5 pets.
This could be rewritten to say: Draw a picture graph or bar graph based on a
scale (key) to represent the data given. and the example section could say For example,
draw a bar graph in which each square in the graph represents 4 pets, as indicated in a
scale where 1 square=4 pets.
Vygotsky
3.OA.D.9. Identify arithmetic patterns (including patterns in the addition table or
multiplication table), and explain them using properties of operations. For example,

observe that 4 times a number is always even, and explain why 4 times a number can be
decomposed into two equal addends.
Another way to write this standard would be: Identify mathematical patterns
(including patterns in the addition table or multiplication table), and explain them using
properties of operations (adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing). For example,
recognize that 4 times a number is always even, and explain why 4 times a number can be
broken down into two equal numbers added together. The students should be able to
recognize different patterns in numbers and explain why these patterns make
sense. Reference: Van de Walle, J., Lovin, L. (2006). Teaching student-centered
mathematics 3-5. Boston: Pearson.
Information Processing
In standard 3.OA.A.2. Interpret whole-number quotients of whole numbers,
e.g., interpret 56 8 as the number of objects in each share when 56 objects are
partitioned equally into 8 shares, or as a number of shares when 56 objects are
partitioned into equal shares of 8 objects each. For example, describe a context in
which a number of shares or a number of groups can be expressed as 56 8. we
deemed some of the words as too difficult for a 3rd grade child to understand. The
standard can be rewritten using simpler vocabulary such as find the answer to the
division problem, for example: explain that 56 8 is the number of things in a group
when 56 objects are separated equally into 8 group, or as a number of groups when 56
objects are separated into equal groups of 8.
Part 3: Developing Developmentally Appropriate Social-Emotional Standards
Peer Relations

Children who have positive peer interaction are typically more successful
academically than others who are rejected by other students. Students who feel rejected
are oftentimes behave aggressively towards other children and are very negative about
school. Around middle childhood students tend to start branching out and looking for
acceptance from larger groups instead of just a few friends. At this age children start
forming groups of the same gender. When students feel welcome and comfortable in
front of their peers they are more likely to have high cognitive growth compared to
children who feel shy or insecure to share their feelings and opinions.
An example of a standard for developing developmentally appropriate socialemotional peer relations would be 3.PR.B.3 Using communication and social skills to
build positive relationships with other students.
Teachers can monitor student interactions and see who seems to be left out of a
group. They can help to teach isolated students, whether it be because of aggression, lack
of social skills, or shyness, how to properly interact with others. Teachers can work with
students who may be exclusive by teaching them to be open to others who may have
different personalities. The teacher can strategically put students into small groups for
games and activities where shy students might feel more comfortable and easier to open
up and connect with peers. Tribes learning communities ensures that every student feels
comfortable to express themselves in the classroom, and that each person's culture,
abilities, and differences are appreciated. They strive that every classroom, or learning
community, promotes a sense of value for every student.
Resources: Gibbs, J. (2014). Building a Caring Community That Calls Forth the Whole
Child [PDF File]. Retrieved December 3, 2014 from http://tribes.com/about/.

McDevitt, T., & Ormrod, J. (2010, July 10). Developmental Trends: Peer Relationships at
Different Age Levels (page 2). Retrieved December 3, 2014, from
http://www.education.com/reference/article/developmental-peer-relationships/?page=2
Self-Regulation
Self-Regulation is the ability to control personal actions and emotions. Students
need self-regulation in order to get through the day without being told what to do and
what not to do all the time. Students need to acquire the skills of impulse control,
delaying gratification, self-socialization, emotional regulation, goal setting, selfmotivation, and self-regulated learning. A child proves his self-regulation when he
focuses on the teacher despite his friends distractions in class. As children grow into
third grade, they develop more motivation to direct their own behavior in line with social
expectations. To promote greater self-regulation teachers and parents can do a few
developmentally appropriate changes in a third graders environment. Teachers should
create an orderly and predictable environment. Third graders expect some structure in the
classroom and can anticipate what will happen as the day goes on. Teachers should also
provide children with age-appropriate opportunities to make their own choices or
mistakes. Teachers should give individual assignments, group projects and homework to
help them make their own decisions and promote self-regulation. Teachers can also
promote self-regulation by teaching self-monitoring, self-instructions, self-motivation,
and self-evaluation. A good understanding in self-regulation will help students down the
road as they gain more independence in grades beyond third grade.

A written standard of self-regulation might look like: 3.SR.A.1. Set self-created

goals that will foster self-regulation in the student in order to enhance academic
performance. For example, Finish reading Harry Potter #1 before next Thursday
Teachers could implement goal setting by having students write one goal in their
teacher-student journal each week. This would be developmentally appropriate and
increase self-regulation for third graders because they would learn to plan ahead and
think for themselves. At Tools of the Mind they have eliminated activities that promote
unregulated behavior such as being unclear about an activity or waiting in line with
nothing to do. They have instead promoted self-regulation by playing games with
students that promote self-regulation and planning ahead.
Resource: Self-Regulation - Tools of the Mind. (n.d.). Retrieved December 2,
2014, from http://www.toolsofthemind.org/philosophy/self-regulation/
Prosocial Behaviors
Prosocial behaviors are voluntary actions that are intended to help other people.
These are usually prompted by moral values, empathy, and a sense of personal
responsibility rather than desire for personal gain. Prosocial behaviors can be grouped
into 3 categories: sharing (dividing up or giving), helping (acts of kindness, removing
distress from one another, or rescuing), and cooperation (working together to reach a
goal). Such behaviors are important because they can help children in building strong
friendships and relationships. This will also give children the ability to navigate through
different social circumstances in a positive manner. A prosocial behavior standard may
look similar to: 3.PS.B.1. Child must have a comprehensive curriculum that enhances

the development of prosocial skills. For example: Supply paint, brushes and a very large
piece of paper for the whole class to make a mural in the art area.
To promote prosocial behaviors in the classroom a teacher may create activities
that require children to help another get the job done. Many school have now adopted
the buddy program which assigns older children to help aid and mentor younger child.
The older buddy may help the child with anything they may be struggling in such as math
or reading.
Resource: Prosocial Behavior- How Teachers and Schools Can Promote Prosocial
Behaviors (December 23rd, 2013) retrieved December 2, 2014 at
http://www.education.com/reference/article/prosocial-behavior/#D
Part 4: Developing Developmentally Appropriate Physical Development Standards
Nutrition
Students in third grade can now apply problem-solving and critical thinking to
their food choices. They can categorize items as being healthy or unhealthy at this age, so
it is a great age to clarify commonly miscategorized foods. Learning about the benefits of
a healthy diet can carry over to the lesson plan in a third grade classroom easily because
it is developmentally appropriate for this age group. Third graders are more independent,
and often make their own food choices because they have more independence at this age.
This allows for the perfect time to mold these students eating habits. Developing good
eating habits while they are still young is vitally important for their nutritious success
later on in life. Nutrition is a vital topic that is not currently included in the Common
Core Standard.

A written standard for nutrition might look like: 3.N.A.1: Categorize between
healthy and unhealthy foods, and understand how to make healthy choices. Determine
healthy snacks and meals even when no one is there to help.
One way to carry this out in the classroom is to incorporate a snack time with a
nutrition-learning time. It makes sense to learn about healthy food while eating
potentially healthy food. There could even be rewards for those students who brought in
the healthiest snacks. A program called Shaping Up My Choices aims to do just this. It
uses a behavior-changing model to help students develop healthy eating habits. Some
parts of the lesson include learning how to classify food into different food groups,
learning about portion sizes, learning how to read a nutrition label, learning healthier
substitutes for unhealthy items, and learning about healthy snacks.
Resource: 3rd Grade Nutrition Lesson Plans, Nutrition Education, Curriculum,
Teacher Guide, Workbooks, Poster Materials. (N.d.). Retrieved December 2, 2014, from
http://www.healthyeating.org/Schools/Classroom-Programs/3rd-Grade.aspx
Physical Activity
It is essential that students participate in physical activity everyday in order to be
able to properly develop. Physical activity does so much more for a child than just the
exercise and health benefits. Physical activity can help 3rd grade age students to help
refine their coordination and motor skills. By the time students are in third grade most
will have developed gross motor skills through running and playing. At age 8 and 9 it is
helpful to encourage students to play sports like baseball, soccer, dance or martial arts
that start to help refine their motor skills. In many elementary schools students spend
most of the day sitting at a desk learning with limited chances for physical activity

throughout the school day. This is why it is so important for children to be encouraged to
play during recess and participate in extracurricular activities.
A written standard for this would look like 3.PA.A.1: Create short physical
activities that correspond with lessons being taught in the classroom. Encourage students
to get up and participate in exercise-based activity.
A way teachers can help promote physical activity is to have short breaks
throughout the day. There are many ways to plan an activity for the class that gets
students up and moving and also helps to teach them part of a lesson. The Take 10!
Program is a great way to find examples of ways to tie in core concepts in with
exercise. Allowing students to have different times to play will help them to be able to
focus when sitting at their desk and stay on task.
Resource: Take 10! Retrieved December 2, 2014. From, http://www.take10.net/.