Think CERCA: Effective Instruction thru Engaging Texts and Reliable Assessments in Remote or In-Person Learning!
Community Review for ThinkCERCA
My Take
I have found their materials to be very standards aligned and relevant and accessible. My students engage in writing workshop regularly and students liked the structure of the lessons which made embedding text in their writing more effective. Students annotated texts and their notes were organized and focused. Students enjoyed debating various sides of an article. Having a text set with opposing viewpoints already vetted made teacher planning more effective. The assessment component provides diagnostics features, formative check-ins & authentic writing with supports to scaffold instruction. Students engaged with TC throughout this last year. When the schools closed in March, TC was a consistent platform that allowed for seamless feedback to their reading and writing. Think CERCA is rooted in solid writing best practices in a way that promotes student growth in reading and writing. Think CRERCA has been a staple in my classroom for several years now and continues to contribute to my students' growth as readers and writers.
How I Use It
I have found positive results when integrated within a context of oracy, writing workshop and differentiation. I have used the product for progress monitoring and providing scaffolds for resistant / struggling writers (TC helps "chunk" the writing process, if needed). Additionally, prior to teaching a few argument writing units during the previous school year, I asked students: What's the color of argument? Most responses were "red" to represent anger. After engaging students in the argument writing lessons, I asked the question again. Most responded that argument is "green." After working with Think CERCA, their responses used words like, learn, grow, & change. TC provides a quality dive into argument for middle school students.