Goldie--Chp+2+Inquiry+and+Independence+in+the+ELA+Classroom

This chapter deals with six teachers who work with middle school students and about their teaching and how they integrate the CCSS into their instruction (21). In addition to what is presented in this chapter, I agree wholeheartedly with Tonya Perry when she stresses that one challenge in teaching “is to connect the new learning to something that already exists—to scaffold that learning” (21). Now on to highlighting the works of the six teachers.
 * Chapter 2 Inquiry and Independence in the English Language Arts Classroom**

She teaches 150 sixth graders every day, works in a low-income community in which families are in poverty and schools do not have adequate funding for school supplies. Some people might say that she is dealing with impossible odds. Nonetheless, her goal is for each student to become real readers and real learners which mean that they emulate or copy the practices of literacy professionals (24). When I read how she has to work with these next to impossible odds and try to reach the goal, it is easy to see that she cannot allow the situation at hand to overtake her, but rather overtake the situation and succeed. Below are some of those ways that she is helping her students succeed while implementing the CCSS. She began to understand authentic writing by attending the National Writing Project in 1992 and started using a workshop approach to teach writing. Took part in designing state English language arts standards Attends state and national NCTE meetings (26). Developed a teaching parents/guardians strategy for home support (27).
 * Kathleen Hayes-Parvin—6th grade Birney Middle School**
 * Greeting each student by name and welcoming them into the classroom.
 * Doing mini-lesson.
 * Asking students to show what they are working on.
 * Link student writing to writing by having them to write memoirs.
 * Pathways to enact these practices**

When I read about these two educators, their stories seem all too familiar in terms of the struggles that we as teachers have to overcome in terms of not having the books and supplies that are needed in order to do our jobs. What makes these two people so unique in my eyes is that they did not allow the district's financial problems stop them from developing creative ways to teach their students.