Coleman wants students to read challenging materials and learn to answer questions by citing the text, not chatting about their personal experiences.

That seems to describe in a nutshell the literacy skills that students need for college.

Coleman sees a serious problem with how public schools are failing to prepare students for college-level work.

…  He often cites data from ACT scores, which this year showed that only one in every four American high-school graduates is ready to do college-level reading, writing, science, and computation. He also refers to research by the Minnesota College Readiness Center’s Paul Carney, who found that almost a third of college students enrolled in his college’s remedial writing courses had actually earned above-average grades in high-school English. The gap was partly due to the different types of writing valued by high schools and colleges: while high-school teachers rewarded students for the organization and wording of their essays, college professors placed greater value on strong thesis statements backed by evidence from the curriculum. This mismatch of expectations helps explain why 20 percent of incoming freshmen at four-year colleges, and about half at community colleges, are assigned to non-credit-bearing remedial courses.

High school poster projects instead of writing instruction
In related news, one local high school student I know is working on her fourth “poster” project since school started about a month ago.  So far she has been aked to create a collage, illustrate a literary theme, and make posters in her English and history classes.  This school claims they focus on college prep, and their yearly spending per pupil is about $23,000.  Meanwhile, they have been sending out advertisements to parents promoting writing and SAT prep classes taught by their high school teachers at costs of $275 and $575, respectively.  Do their students need this extra tutoring because they’re spending too much time on poster projects in school?  I wonder.

As teachers and schools continue to wrestle with implementing the Common Core Standards, I hear more and more talk—and more and more questions—about the term ‘close reading’. Interestingly enough, the term doesn’t appear in the actual Standards, though it crops up repeatedly in many Standards-related material, including the now famous—or infamous—videos of Standards author David Coleman dissecting Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” And Text Complexity co-author Douglas Fisher has said that close reading is “the only way we know how students can . . . really learn to provide evidence and justification,” as the Common Core requires.

So what exactly do we mean by ‘close reading’? According to Timothy Shanahan, who’s become something of a spokesman for the Standards, close reading is “an intensive analysis of a text in order to come to terms with what it says, how it says it and what it means.” I agree completely that close reading allows a reader to understand what a text says and what it means, with what it means directly related to the author’s decisions about detail and language and structure—i.e., how it says what it says. But for me, analysis is an off-shoot of close reading, something I can produce, if I’m asked to do so, after I’ve read closely.

I think this because, by definition, analysis involves thinking about how the parts contribute to the whole, which presupposes an understanding or vision of the whole. Putting analysis in front of understanding seems a bit like putting the cart before the horse. And asking students through a text-dependent question to analyze a part before they’ve had a chance to consider the whole risks putting them in the position of the blind men in the old Indian tale who sought to understand what an elephant was by attending to its parts. One man touched the trunk and thought an elephant was like a snake; another felt the tail and concluded it was like a rope; while a third stroked the ear and thought it was a fan. None was able to make sense of the whole when asked only to consider a part.

My own vision of close reading is better captured in some of the guidelines colleges provide students. The Purdue Online Writing Lab, for instance, advises ‘tracking’ your understanding of a text through margin notes that often consist of questions, with an example that bares more than a passing resemblance to the kind of questions that come up when students are using a Know/Wonder chart, noticing patterns across a text, and wondering what the writer might be trying to tell them through the details he’s chosen.

Example of close reading annotation using Doris Lessing’s short story “A Woman on a Roof,” from the Purdue Online Writing Lab

Harvard also provides a “How to Do a Close Reading” guide to students, which breaks close reading down into a two-part process: First the reader observes facts and details in the text, then he interprets what he’s observed through inductive reasoning—that is, he builds an interpretation bottoms-up from the details, rather than by deductively starting with a claim and then finding evidence to support it. And they offer the following tips, which sound similar to the kind of thinking the fifth graders I described in a recent post engaged in (with the teacher transcribing their thoughts in lieu of annotating the text):

1. Read with a pencil in hand, and annotate the text, noting anything that strikes you as surprising or significant, or that raises questions.

2. Look for patterns in the things you’ve noticed about the text—repetitions, contradictions, similarities.

3. Ask questions about the patterns you’ve noticed—especially the how and why.

This two-pronged process has always seemed to me a lot like the scientific method. The reader attends to the details an author gives just as a scientist attends to the details of whatever phenomena he’s studying. And from those observations, each develops a hunch that attempts to explains what they’ve noticed, which in science we call a hypothesis. Then just like the scientist, the reader continues to probe and observe, testing her hunch out as she encounters new details and looks back on ones she’s read, revising, refining and developing her ideas until all the pieces fit—at which point she comes to a final understanding, which is like a scientist’s theory. Only then, I would argue, can the reader’s thinking be turned into a claim whose validity can be proved in a deductive fashion using many of the same details that helped her understand as evidence.

Unfortunately, however, some of the approaches that aim to support close reading rob students of the opportunity to notice and to develop ideas of their own—which, as Harvard says, ”is central to the whole academic enterprise.” Take Achieve the Core’s 8th grade Close Reading Exemplar for “Long Night of the Little Boats” by Basil Heatter, which recounts an incident from the Battle of Dunkirk when a ragtag flotilla crossed the English channel to rescue soldiers who were stranded on a beach during World War II.

My hunch is that the exemplar writers followed a process similar to Harvard’s to arrive at their own understanding of the piece (noticing, questioning, and interpreting, perhaps, automatically in their heads). They then rephrased their understanding as a question for the final writing task: “How did shared human values, both on the part of the little boat rescuers and the soldiers, play a part in the outcome of Dunkirk?” With that in place they then designed a series of questions and steps that would focus the students’ attention on details that were key to their own understanding’s development, such as:

The students neither own the noticings here, nor the development of the ideas. And the ‘help’ that teachers are asked to provide in order that students ‘see’ what they’re supposed to runs the risk of being as much an act of spoon-feeding as some of the pre-teaching practices that have come under fire are. Of course, it does increase the likelihood that students will meet the Standards. But they’ll do so by plugging in someone else’s language about details someone else has noticed to support an idea someone else has formulated. And that’s a far cry from the independent thinking that colleges want students to have.

To support that kind of independence, we have to design instruction that engages students in both components of the close reading process: to first be observers and questioners and then to use their observations and questions to, as Harvard puts it,  ”reason toward our own ideas.” That may, indeed, involve asking students questions, but those questions need to be open enough for students to engage in real close reading, not an overly-prompted knockoff.

And so to ensure that we don’t put the cart before the horse, let’s remember this when it comes to close reading:

Questions before Answers

Hunch before Claim

Understanding before Analysis

Resources from the presentation:

Coleman Shift Notetaker

Washoe’s “instructional shifts” document

From their website:

There are so many voices and so many struggles scattered across the planet (and the internet). We are attempting to gather these voices “in unvanquishable number” into a site that can offer a platform and, we hope, inspiration for action. The obstacles activists face today, like those faced by workers and the oppressed in Shelley’s day, are great. But our numbers are greater, and with solidarity and unity we can hope to begin to make changes in the systems we oppose.

This site cannot be exhaustive, and that is not our intent. We are simply trying to offer a small sampling of the best radical audio and video sources we know of. We know that the internet provides vast opportunities to share information and ideas, but we do not believe that this can replace the real actions of real people. We encourage our visitors, friends, fellow-travelers, and comrades to take inspiration from the people included here into their own struggles for justice.

With that being said, I was moved to download a bunch of these and throw them on my Ipod and make a mix CD.

Anyway, my point of this post is to provide a bit from one of my favorite talks, “Education and Revolution.” I brought up Common Core on Twitter yesterday, and those famous words David Coleman (the architect of Common Core), “…as you grow up in the world you realize people really don’t give a shit about what you feel or what you think.” And understandably, it was evident that with the limited 140 characters permitted in a tweet, it was naturally put out of context. Thus, I provided a link to where it was put into context.

Interestingly enough, Megan Behrant, the speaker of the speech “Education and Revolution,” brings to light the contradictory issue with things being taken out of context. It is a great talk she gives, and if you find the time, I highly encourage you to check some of these talks out.

Here is the bit I wanted to provide. This was her experience at a professional development training she was at:

Learning about this…”Common Core Standards” and we were given a sample lesson to explain how to move English teacher away from fiction, just information text. And focus on text-based literacy, which means you don’t need the context of the text at all.

So for example in a sample lesson on the Gettysburg address, there’s a list of questions teachers should not ask. Because they quote, “they take the students attention away from the text, which can be misleading and rob precious class time for students and teachers. The examples of erroneous guided questions–erroneous underlined–are:

• Lincoln says that nation is dedicated to proposition that all men are created equal, why is equality an important value to promote?

Next,

• “Why did the North fight the Civil War?” Is irrelevant because he says, “they don’t actually ever mention that, they don’t mention he North and South in the Civil War, you don’t need to understand the context of the Civil War to understand the Gettysburg Address.”

As I noted on Twitter, I am not as educated as I wish I was about the Common Core standards. But that’s one of the glorious things about blogging and publicly displaying my thoughts and opinions, I can learn from those who are.

Let me know your thoughts, and please fill me with your wisdom (and facts of course) so I can start building my own opinion on the Common Core.

Hope everyone’s having a great Tuesday.

-Stephanie

The ESL teachers participating in this project will help refine all of our work, as we move forward with Common Core. Likewise, their expertise will enable us to more effectively engage all learners with grade level content.

Listed below are the resources used in the initial training.

Core Task Project-ESL PowerPoint Day 1

Coleman’s Presentation before PARCC notetaker

“instructional shifts” handout

Close Reading Exemplar, Because of Winn-Dixie

Close Reading Exemplar, The New Colossus

Close Reading Exemplar, Making of a Scientist

Close Reading Exemplar, The Glorious Whitewasher

He has every reason to smirk. Coleman one of the architects of the Common Core State Standards has emerged as one of the more influential education policymakers to change what will be taught in classrooms and how this content will be taught without ever having spent time in the classroom himself.

Yes, Coleman has never taught in a public school classroom, although he was very successful as a student. He was educated in the Manhattan public school system, the son of highly educated parents, his father, a psychiatrist, and his mother, president of Bennington College. His privileged liberal arts credentials are immersive and include Yale, a Rhodes Scholarship, Oxford, and Cambridge.

His perspective on education has been informed by the business side of education which included pro-bono work at the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company. He developed and sold the assessment company Grow Network; co-founded and sold Student Achievement Partner; and most recently, accepted a position as president of The College Board.

Coleman has materialized, like Lewis Carroll’s enigmatic Cheshire Cat, as the cool outsider who surveys education as a Wonderland ruled by nonsense. He has promoted an agenda of close reading and an increase in non-fiction, to a ratio of 70% of all required reading by grade 12, from his perch high above the daily dust-ups of the average classroom.

Now, after developing the CCSS, replete with new batteries of state tests, he has moved on to the pinnacle of high stakes testing, the SAT. His arrival comes amid renewed concerns from studies about the SAT that demonstrate the unfairness of the test for minorities, females, and students living in poverty.

While I can embrace many of the standards in the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards (CCSS),  I remain unconvinced by Coleman’s sweeping claims that “close reading” lessons  of several days focused on a complex and difficult text is critical to improving understanding. I have practiced close reading, but not with the singular and tortuous focus Coleman advocates. There is little research as to how this approach will improve reading skills for all students. For 21 years, I have been a “boots on the ground” promoter of reading to a population of students who are reading less and less of the assigned materials, so I speak from experience when I state that Coleman’s emphasis on close reading can have an adverse effect on an already poor reader.

Furthermore, Coleman negates the effectiveness of the past 35 years of having students engage with a text using Louise Rosenblatt’s Reader Response Theory. His blunt charge “as you grow up in this world you realize people really don’t give a sh*t about what you feel or what you think” is simply not true. I cannot imagine any author who would not want to know what a reader thought. Writing is supposed to inspire; writing is an invitation to a dialogue. Furthermore, how will not listening to what students thought engage them in writing at all?

The question is how did Coleman get to place his large footprint on education, and why did teachers let him move into this position? Were teachers so preoccupied with teaching that they failed to see how the dynamics of education were moving from engaging leaders from public school institutions to accepting leadership from more commercial enterprises?

Dennis Van Roekel alluded to the rise of Coleman and others like him when he delivered an address to the National Education Association 91st Representative Assembly this past July:

Are we willing to assert our leadership, and take RESPONSIBILITY for our professions?
The demands of our work are changing as our students change, and the world around us is changing too – ever so fast.I say it is time for us to lead the next generation of professionals – in educating the next generation of students!

I’m so tired of OTHERS defining the solutions… without even asking those who do the work every day of their professional life.
I want to take advantage of this opportunity for US to lead – and I’m not waiting to be asked, nor am I asking anyone’s permission.

Because if we are not ready to lead, I know there are many others ready, willing, and waiting to do it for us. Or maybe I should say, do it “to” us.

Van Roekel’s quote echoes the question rhetorically posed by noted educator Lucy Caulkins at her presentation of the 82nd reunion at Columbia Teacher’s College, ”Where is the proof, David Coleman, that your strategy works?”

Coleman’s ascent to the top of American education policy has been steady. He made contributions to the CCSS which will result in nationwide metrics for grades K-12. Add this testing to his new control of the SAT, and his influence on American education and the tests that measure learning will continue through the college level, all without his having the informative experience of teaching in a classroom. That any one individual without any teaching experience could have had this impact on the daily workings of the classroom is a commentary on the current state of madness that public education now finds itself.

At one point in in her Adventures in Wonderland, Alice comes across the Cheshire Cat in the hope of finding her way out:

‘But I don’t want to go among mad people,’ Alice remarked.
‘Oh, you can’t help that,’ said the Cat: ‘we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.’
‘How do you know I’m mad?’ said Alice.
‘You must be,’ said the Cat, ‘or you wouldn’t have come here.’

Carroll’s Cheshire Cat character is a tease, an enigmatic riddler who offers judgments and cryptic clues but no  solution to the frustrated Alice. Coleman is education’s Cheshire Cat, offering positions in education but with no evidence to prove his solutions will work.

Curiouser and curiouser. David Coleman has become one of the most influential educational policymakers in our public school systems, but at this time, we have little else but his smirk.

Note that America Achieves was in Washoe in August and will be back in the fall to film our peers implementing the Close Reading Strategy in their classrooms.

This non-educator, of which there is nothing wrong with that – I am one!  However if you are going to delve into something that will so enormously influence so strongly the futures of America’s most prized possessions, our children, you had better at least have a clue of what you speak!  Coleman, a Rhodes scholar which is something that is supposed to impress you actually means nothing until you understand who and what the Rhodes scholarship means.

Most who can be named Rhodes scholars can be listed as very liberal and in favor of a New World Order!  I have found a couple of surprises such as Bobby Jindal ’92 and David Vetter ’83, however names such as Kissinger, Rachel Maddox, Franklin Raines, Bill Clinton and David Sabato do not!  What is the Rhodes Scholarship Fund and who is behind it?  The Rhodes Scholarship Fund was set up upon Cecil Rhodes death with instructions from his will. It is administered through the Rhodes Trust originally overseen by Nathan Rothschild and it continues to be administered with the oversight of the Rothschild’s.

Cecil Rhodes, a colonialist who was a strong believer in white supremacy, obtained his wealth from African diamond companies he owned.  A Freemason, he wanted the Illuminati to go even further than they were at the time. He is the one who gain’s the credit for the formation of the “Round Table” to include the CFR, Trilateral Commission, Club of Rome, Bilderberg Group and the Royal Institute of International Affairs.  He actually wanted Britain to be on the top of the Illuminati pyramid in ruling the world, but fortunately his imperial policies failed at the time.

So what can we expect of a Rhodes scholar?  A lap dog?  Follower?  Aggressive?  Manipulative?  Manipulated?

Who is David Coleman?  Well, he is an English Lit major from Yale who has done some tutoring in a New Haven school while he was an undergraduate, which is his sole pedagogical credential.  He went on to Oxford to read in Plato and Aristotle and then joined McKinsey and Company, where the most well-placed corporate economists and other non-educator educational advisor’s with the inside track to other non-educators in high-ranking education policy positions, such as Joel Klein and Mike Bloomberg hang out!

Coleman insists that teachers must train students to be workers in the Global Economy. There it is folks “Global Economy.”  Who, what and where do you suppose that idea was put in his head, because quite frankly, the things coming out of his mouth lead me to believe the days he spent in school – his chair was “empty”.   In his words, “It is rare in a working environment that someone says, “Johnson, I need a market analysis by Friday but before that I need a compelling account of your childhood.”  Translation to the classroom:  no more primary grade essays about lost teeth or middle school essays about prepubescent angst.  Instead, students must provide critical analysis of the “Allegory of the Cave” from Plato’s Republic, listed as an “exemplary informational text” in the Common Core State Standards for Language Arts. If that’s judged as over the top for 12-year-olds, there’s always Ronald Reagan’s 1988 “Address to Students at Moscow State University.”

Listen to a few more of Coleman’s proclamations and you have to ask yourself if this is a man of deep experience and education or just a cuckoo bird let loose on a hapless bunch of educrats who don’t know how to voice dissent.  Get the picture?  Not only a wise guy and a smart mouth – I believe he in place way over his head! People thrown into an environment such as he has been have a tendency to use those really big words too!  As real educators continue to question the CCS and the legislators who chose to play this game, it becomes more and more apparent to even the uneducated – this would be laughable if it was not real-time.

You know the additional fact that Coleman is the treasurer of Michelle Rhee’s Student’s First paints a picture of all these people, inter-mingling through these different education groups, big money foundations , all over the place as another type of Illuminati – or maybe it is one in the same. Not sure if some of the people involved in all this are clearly aware of who and what is happening, but it certainly is happening! I believe they view it as control which of course is what it is all about!

And the bottom line is still the ruination of our children through a “for profit”, “work to school”, communist dumbing down of our children and robbing them and America of their futures!

The problem facing Scotland was that no one knew what a good start would be. Zaire were a totally unknown quantity, the first Sub-Saharan nation to qualify for the World Cup Finals. They had won the African Nations Cup the previous January, but that was not the competition it is now. How the Scots would approach the game was likely to affect their destiny in the competition. Should they purely go for the win, or should they attack and try to boost their goal difference.

The entire nation of Great Britain was behind the Scots, as the country’s only representatives in the competition. Both ITV and BBC showed the match live. Hugh Johns and Sir Alf Ramsey were on commentary duty for ITV whilst the BBC had David Coleman and Jock Stein in the box. It’s that version that I have seen, although with a slight glitch. The match starts with John Motson’s commentary of East Germany v Australia which was taking place simultaneously. After that fades out after 10 minutes, the commentary goes silent until the 41^st minute when Coleman appears.

Scotland’s line up drew heavily on the champions of England. Leeds United provided four of the team that lined up in Dortmund, with Billy Bremner captaining the side. David Harvey was in goal, with Peter Lorimer and Joe Jordan providing the attacking threat, backed up by Denis Law, who would be making his final Scotland appearance.

In a sparsely populated WestfalenStadion in Dortmund, the local were firmly behind the underdogs from central Africa, highlighted by boos and whistles which followed an early Scottish back pass. The Scots were soon on the front foot though, and showed their hand tactically, hitting Joe Jordan at every opportunity, hoping to capitalize on the striker’s aerial power. Lorimer found his club mate with an early cross, which was headed just wide.

The high balls were causing Zaire early problems, the defence looking vulnerable, particularly the goalkeeper Mwamba Kazidi who flapped pathetically at a looping ball into the box. However Scotland were not finding it easy to create clear cut opportunities, and barely threatened the Africans goal in the opening 15 minutes.

In fact it was they who carved out the first genuine goal scoring opportunity. A lovely cross field ball found Etepe Kakao inside the Scottish penalty area. The striker in his excitement wildly missed his kick as he attempted to shoot, but recovered quickly to have a second effort, fizzing a shot into the side netting at David Harvey’s near post.

Scotland continued to be the dominant side and were given a great opportunity to score when the referee, Gehard Schulenberg of West Germany, awarded them an indirect free kick inside the Zaire penalty area. As the Scots prepared to take the kick we were given the first signs of the chaotic nature of the Zairian defence, as they failed to get to grips with the rules. With Bremner and Lorimer poised over the ball, the defenders just kept running out towards the ball before the kick was taken. After 6 or 7 attempts to take, Lorimer was eventually teed up, his shot smashing into the wall of bodies between him and the goal.

Scotland though had taken full control of the game and it was only a matter of time before the goal came. David Hay was close to breaking the deadlock with a superb effort from the edge of the box which came crashing back of the post. Eventually the goal did come, and it was worth the wait.

Scotland attacked down the left hand side, with a cross coming in towards Jordan. The Leeds target man cleverly headed the ball down into the path of his club mate Lorimer on the edge of the penalty area who met it with a sweet half volley, a venomous strike which flew into the top corner of the net. It had taken 25 minutes but Scotland finally were in front.

It appeared as if the floodgates were about to open as Scotland added a second moments later. Bremner floated in a free kick from the right, which Zaire defended by all rushing forwards to play off side, ignoring the run of Jordan from deep who was left free to head goalwards from the penalty spot. It was a poor effort, straight at the Zairian goalkeeper, who in a shock at the whistle not being blown, fumbled the ball, allowing it to squirm into the net.

Jordan wheels away after heading Scotland’s second. Look at the room he had after Zaire’s offside trap fell apart.

Just as Scotland had burst into life, so did the commentary of David Coleman on the copy of the game I watched. However the introduction of his voice saw Scotland almost capitulate as Zaire regained their composure and went close to pulling a goal back. Jim Holton made a terrible error in midfield allowing the winger to go clear. He squared the ball to an unmarked Kidumu, but with glory in his eyes, his touch deserted him allowing Harvey to come out and smother the ball. “Scotland all over the place at the back, they were torn to shreds” Coleman said.

The second half started in similar chaotic fashion for the Scots, Holton again culpable, picking up a booking for a deliberate handball in the centre circle.

Scotland were lacking a plan B, there entire attacking thought was to lump the ball forward to Jordan. When he found himself manhandled once too often by the Zaire defence, he snapped and gave his marker Mussambu Kilasu a slap. It wasn’t fully seen by any of the officials and he escaped with a talking to, but it was lucky escape and was an illustration of the frustration the Scots were beginning to feel.

Zaire were gaining the upper hand and certainly had the crowd on their side. Maku Mayanga forced Harvey into a decent save, the Leeds keeper getting down well to push a 25 yard effort past the post.

On the hour mark, with the game drifting along, there was a flicker of excitement when the floodlights failed. A five minute delay followed whilst the lights powered back up, but if anything the temporary darkness had sent the Scots to sleep. “Scottish build up play very very slow” noted Coleman before adding “Goals are important for Scotland because this group could be decided on goal difference.”

Scotland’s one shining light was the play of Peter Lorimer on the right hand side. Time and time again he took on the full back to get crosses in, and with one he found Holton unmarked in the centre of the goal. Unfortunately the hapless centre back could only make weak contact with the ball, giving Kazidi in goal a simple save.

Moments later Lorimer was at it again, another superb run taking him beyond the defence, his intelligent pull back cutting out the keeper and finding Jordan, however it was a weak scuffed effort by the striker and drifted harmlessly wide.

To try to get similar penetration down the left, Willie Ormond made his first change replacing the ineffective Kenny Dalglish with Tommy Hutchinson. Scotland immediately went close to adding a third, Denis Law doing well to move the ball out of his feet on the edge of the area to get a shot away which was superbly pushed away by the keeper.

David Harvey in the goal at the opposite end of the field had to be at his best moments later as Zaire were given an indirect  free kick inside the area for high kicking by John Blackley. The shot powered through the wall, but straight at Harvey who did well to react and tip the ball over the cross bar.

That was the end of the goal mouth action as Scotland decided that they would stick with a two goal win. The last minutes were farcical as Scotland kept possession of the ball to a crescendo of boos, with Billy Bremner even doing keepy ups in his own half to wind the clock down.

The final whistle when it came was a relief, and there was much consternation in the BBC commentary box at the Scottish performance. Jock Stein in his role as summariser told Coleman “A win’s a win … but I’m very disappointed with the way they approached the second half … I’m not very happy about it.”

The result did put Scotland at the top of the group after the first round of fixtures, but with a clash against the World Champions Brazil to be followed by the crunch clash against Yugoslavia; there was a general feeling that Scotland had sold themselves short. How short would be seen in the next round of games.

English teachers, defend literature in the classroom!

I teach English, and I am feeling a little defensive lately. In the past week, I have had two separate “literature-threatening” incidents.

The first came from a reader to an opinion piece I wrote that was featured in Education Weekly, 21st Century Students Need Books, Not Textbooks. The responder was repeating the myth that English classrooms need to abandon teaching literature in favor of teaching math and science texts:

“You need to look at the Common Core ELA [English Language Arts] standards and realize you now have a responsibility to teach reading and writing for STEM subjects. That is why this discussion is so wrong. Start reading math and science textbooks and start teaching what your students need, not what you love. I learned early on: the most boring subject is the world is another person’s hobby. Your hobby is reading “literature.” Your students need to learn to read and write STEM [science, technology, engineering, and math] topics, and those are found in textbooks. PERIOD!!”-Ebasco

This kind of response comes from the mistaken interpretation that the 70% of informational texts suggested by the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) need to be taught in English class; even the CCSS devotes a clarification to this on page 5 of their document in a footnote. Instead, reading is to be a critical part of all disciplines, generally 70% informational texts in all subjects and 30% fiction in English classrooms. However, English teachers can assign informational texts just as history/social studies can assign historical fiction; the genre assignment is fluid. An entire section of the ELA CCSS titled “Reading in History/Social Studies, Science, Math and the Technical Areas” is a guide devoted to improving the reading and writing standards in all disciplines. The push for reading informational texts is certainly a result of STEM, but literature is not being jettisoned out of the curriculum because it is a “hobby”.

Indeed, the benefits of reading literature is rooted in the second of the “literature threatening” incidents, in a WNYC Schoolbook blog post a piece titled Never Mind Algebra, Is Literature Necessary?  In this post, Tim Clifford made a compelling case regarding the stripping of literature from English classrooms in favor of Common Core, and again, the roots of this anti-literature movement are found in mistaken interpretations of the CCSS.

Clifford began his post with a multiple choice quiz based on the following quote:

“Now, what I want is facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root everything else out.”

Clifford posed the question “Who said the above?” and then offered three responses:

a. Bill Gates, Microsoft founder and educational gadfly
b. Michelle Rhee, staunch proponent of standardized testing
c. David Coleman, author of the Common Core standards

Then he offered the real answer,
d. Thomas Gradgrind, a fictional character created by Charles Dickens in the 1854 novel Hard Times.

The quote expressed the publicized sentiment of standardized testing advocates David Coleman, Bill Gates and Michelle Rhee. (I had chosen David Coleman as my answer). In discussing the correct answer, Gradgrind, Clifford explained that Dickens’s character was an attempt to skewer those utilitarian values in the mid 19th Century. Like today, there was a push for informational facts and statistics at the expense of creativity and imagination in public education.

Dickens’s novel Hard Times expressed his belief that an over-emphasis on facts over creativity promoted contempt between mill owners and workers.  Gradgrind’s name, like other Dickens creations, immediately expresses to the reader that he is an altogether unpleasant man, espousing that all one needs is “facts and statistics.” His daughter Louisa’s breakdown towards the conclusion of the novel brings him to the realization that fiction, poetry and other pursuits are not “destructive nonsense.”   Oh, if only Gates, Rhee, and Coleman were characters that could be similarly convinced.

In his post, Clifford described how his 6th grade curriculum has been altered to fit the ELA CCSS. He bemoaned the earlier loss of vocabulary and grammar in context and the most recent loss of creative writing which, “has been chopped clean away, to be replaced with unending persuasive essays that are the darlings of the Common Core standards.” He continues:

“Even reading has not been left unscathed. Many schools teach reading as a set of skills to be mastered rather than as a journey to be embarked upon. Children are taught how to predict, to connect, to draw inferences, and so forth, but they are rarely allowed the leisure to savor what they read or to reflect on the art of good writing.”

Clifford wrote about a successful novel writing project that, “engaged students on many levels and taught them story structure, characterization, use of dialogue, and exposition.” Unfortunately the project, “was jettisoned last year because of the national shift to the Common Core. It was replaced with an eight-page (for sixth graders!) research project.” He sadly noted, “The results were predictably dull and uninspired, but Gradgrind certainly would have approved. The papers were filled with facts but devoid of imagination.” In Clifford’s scenario, a successful unit of reading and writing was eliminated to favor lesson plans that do not have the evidence to prove success.

Where is the evidence that eliminating writing literature in favor of writing research papers will serve a mission statement of educating  ”productive problem solvers and decision makers” who are “personally fulfilled, interdependent, socially responsible adults” ? Why are so many interpretations of the ELA CCSS rigidly eliminating what does work in favor of what might work? More to the point, why is there even a 70% vs. 30% split in reading genres, and why do stakeholders keep missing the point that the increase in informational texts must come by increasing reading in other content areas?

I teach literature, and my students make connections to the real word (Macbeth to Afghan Warlords; Frankenstein to the science of cloning) in my class everyday. Literature helps my students make sense of the world; they do not need to suffer under a despot, but they can experience a corrupt political system in Orwell’s  Animal Farm. They do not need to crash on a deserted island to understand how quickly very civilized young people can tun into savages when they read William Golding’s  Lord of the Flies. They can contemplate how precious is the relationship between a father and son who cling to decency and humanity without having to survive an apocalyptic nightmare  from Cormac McCarthy’s The Road.  They  can better understand the historical context of Jim Crow laws from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and in Kathryn Stockett’s more recent novel The Help.

And they can also learn about the utilitarian movement in England during the Industrial Revolution, the rise of the middle class, the frightening system of government-run workhouses, and the dangers of child labor in another Dicken’s novel,  Oliver Twist. Dickens’s literature demonstrates the power of fiction as a means of providing background information. Read a textbook of facts and statistics explaining the Industrial Revolution, and then read Oliver Twist. Which version will you vividly remember?

Based on my reading and work with the standards….

August is a busy month for schools. Either they are opening their doors to masses of curious learners or they are preparing to open their doors to the new year’s influx of eager learners. The adoption of the Common Core has made August 2012 an even busier time as schools try to get their teachers up-to-speed on the Common Core Standards.

Regardless of how prepared teachers think they are for this change, as I speak and share the “shifts” of the Common Core they are both WOWED (like overwhelmed wowed) and curious. How are we going to get this done!! By the way, the 6-shifts of the video have been summarized into 3-shifts. I prefer the six shifts; why contrive means by which to combine big ideas that should be separate? Reasoning: rumor has it that developers believed six big ideas were too many for teachers to wrap their heads around–or maybe six didn’t fit so nicely on that wallet sized card Achieve has designed for sharing among professionals.

In this post, I share the most recent round of questions and “AHA” moments teachers shared with me as a closing activity to a three-hour workshop. These questions are posted in no particular order. I asked the teachers to post question or an “AHA” on a square Post-It and attach their question to Post-It chart paper I had placed on a wall near the exit door. In responding to their questions, I thought this would make a worthy blog. I will post their “AHAs” in the next and separate blog.

Q: I teach foreign languages. Is it appropriate to apply CCSS to instruction in these languages or only in English?

A: Many teachers I work with appreciate the CCSS for use in their language classes. Some look at lower grade standards to apply since many of your students are more like primary grade and elementary students when it comes to learning a new language. On the other hand, your students who are foreign speakers can be approached using intermediate and perhaps, even upper grade standards. So, the answer plainly put, is yes—it would be appropriate to apply these standards, acknowledging that the strand for Language (Grammar and Usage) may be quite different based on language rules.

Q: How do implement CCSS in PE while trying to get students “fit”?

A: This is a dilemma. Students need activity, perhaps today more than ever! But they also need to know how to read a set of rules, how to follow organizational plans and diagrams for setting out courses and playing fields. My suggestion is to not just tell students what the rules are or how a playing field is set-up, but to have them prove they have read the rules and understand how ties are broken, how winners are determined in controversial cases, etc.

Q: How will they test the speaking and listening standard?

A: That is up for debate. There has been some talk about exchanging teachers from district to district to provide objective assessment. I’m not sure how it will go…

Q: Where can I get videos to use in class?

A: Mine come from YouTube and Vimo. TedTalks is good too. I would download the YouTube downloader first. That’s what I do so I don’t have to go online. My videos are all stored on my computer and I can even store them on a memory stick. YouTube downloader is free and you don’t have to worry about all the internet issues that way.

Q: Are there recommended technical texts for fine arts?

A: I believe you will find some titles in Appendix B, but I don’t know what grade you are looking at. You may also want to look at some other state’s websites and see if they have suggested some texts. Otherwise, I suggest you look to authentic text such as Time and Smithsonian (both are available online) and see what you can find. You don’t have to read the entire article. I’ve snagged some really interesting ones over the years.

Q: What do you tell a student when you ask a question and they respond with “I don’t know”?

A: My reaction is to offer a clue as to where in the text the answer can be found. I do not give the answer and I don’t let others steal the chance to shine. As a matter of fact, I may even announce that “whomever” is going to stick to this and find the answer….while I give the rest of the class a different task. Of course, the situation will lead me to do the professional thing…

Q: How will we ever be able to bring students to this new level of excellence?

A: I see that Quincy was just awarded a grant by AFT to develop community-wide awareness of the CCSS: the academic demands, the grade-level expectations, and the long-term goals. I believe we do need to raise parental and community awareness about what we are doing. It is in the community’s best interest to get behind the school. We cannot get there until teachers begin to see their roles in the classroom as facilitators of thinking and not repositories of knowledge. We need to raise esteem regarding academic success. We need to help kids envision themselves as successful in school and successful in life.

Q: How do I present and teach vocabulary?

A: I have a full-day workshop on that topic!! Lots of fun learning!!

Q: Instead of feeling overwhelmed, how can we pace ourselves in implementing the CCSS?

A: I suggest you begin with the first three reading standards and the first of the writing standards. Target them and teach to those targets for the first nine weeks. Now, that may seem like a long time, but we all know how fast a week goes in school….partly because most weeks are only 4 days!! At the same time, work on vocabulary and of course, you are teaching to those targets using complex texts, so you are addressing standard 10 without any additional work. The second next 9 weeks, add in the standards 5 and 6 and writing target 2. You will still be working on standards 1-3, but that will now be natural. The third nine weeks, add in reading standards 7-9. They are about integration, so you have to have gone through single texts and the earlier standards to get here anyway. This is a transition year…we don’t have to do it all at once.

Q: Can 6-Traits be used for the CCSS rubrics?

A: I see no reason they cannot be incorporated. Be sure that the writing standards are at the center of the instruction and goals. 6-Traits can fit nicely.

Q: What does this mean for Special Education Students?

A: The rights of special education students are protected by the law.Teachers are obligated to meet the requirements and guidelines established in IEPs. But they are also expected to prepare those students who will be exiting the system for the day that they will no longer be in special education. The standards are clear in that they are not designed for special needs children.

 Q: Should we adjust the level of the standard of our curriculum if we find our students underprepared?

A: We don’t want to “dumb down” the curriculum, but you may need to do more scaffolding OR differentiate inside of the classroom to accommodate those who are on grade level as well as those who are above and below grade level.

As holders Brazil had the honour of getting the tournament underway on Thursday 13^th June in Frankfurt against Yugoslavia. The match was of significant interest to viewers in the UK as the two sides, along with Zaire made up Scotland’s opponents in Group B. Both BBC and ITV broadcast the game live, with David Coleman and Hugh Johns calling the action for their respective stations. In very wet conditions it was Brazil who had the better of the chances, with the hero of the 1970 campaign, Jairzinho, who came closest to a goal. However having scored in every game in Mexico, the striker was unable to break the deadlock and the match ended as a 0-0 draw.

The following afternoon saw the hosts enter the action with their first fixture against Chile. The South American nation had just seen a change of government with a military coup installing General Agustin Pinochet as the new dictatorial leader. The match at the Olympiastadion in West Berlin was overshadowed by protests against Pinochet which included, in a stadium forever associated with the Nazi regime of Adolf Hitler after the 1936 Olympic Games, the unveiling of a huge Swastika banner down one side of the stadium. Barry Davies described the action on the BBC and he saw West Germany open their campaign with an unconvincing 1-0 victory thanks to a Paul Brietner rocket shot from 25 yards.

Brietner fires West Germany in front – Picture Courtesy of Bleacher Report

All eyes now turned to Dortmund, where Scotland were ready to open their campaign against the mysterious qualifiers from Africa, the unknown quantity of Zaire.

All of the content on EngageNY, that described how to access the Core, outlined the six shifts.  Some educators, however, found describing six shifts took too much time to quickly share and the six became three. Thus, as you look for content matched to the Core, you may find sites describing three ELA shifts instead of the six we are using in Washoe.

The three, however, are the six and EngageNY has stepped forward to demonstrate this for educators. You can find that graphic here. As we prepare for parent nights, begin drafting parent letters, or simply want the proverbial elevator speech, having a reference to describe what’s different about the CCSS may prove helpful.

PowerPoint presentation for morning and afternoon sessions.

Agenda for what was covered during the sessions including Essential Questions and Objectives.

Notetaker participants used during the presentation.

The CTP packet and summary statement that was shared.

Additional Resources 

Brief Guide to Writing Text-Dependent Questions written by Student Achievement Partners.

Notetaker for video in which David Coleman describes the Close Reading Strategy.

For those unfamiliar with the “instructional shifts” this notetaker, linked to a speech by David Coleman, describes what will shift instructionally to meet the new CCSS outcomes.

Reflection Notetaker for those who use a Close Reading Exemplar in their classroom. (This is part of the debrief on Day 2 of the CTP.)

Dr. Douglas Fisher describes the importance of the Close Reading Strategy. This notetaker includes the link to the video content.

A text complexity rubric for describing the qualitative features of a text. This was developed by Student Achievement Partners.

The Close Reading Exemplar, Lazarus, that was included in the Florida presentation.

Dr. Tim Shanahan describes text complexity and the value in promoting student literacy. The notetaker includes links to the video content.

Day 1 PowerPoint for the CTP 1.0

Day 2 PowerPoint for CTP 1.0

Network’s “All Access” Franchise to Feature Top Names in Pop Culture, Comics and Entertainment Including Mark Hamill, Kevin Smith, Zachary Levi’s Nerd Machine, Stan Lee, the Cast of “Doctor Who” and others

The Live Multi-Platform Event Airs on Spike TV on July 13 at 4:00pm ET/1:00pm PT

Spike TV announced today that the network’s live “All Access” multi-platform franchise, which covers the biggest events in gaming, pop culture and technology, will return with “Comic-Con All Access Live.”  The live event which airs on Spike TV, in HD, on Friday, July 13, from 4:00 – 7:00pm ET/1:00 – 4:00pm PT, will be the command center for all of the top entertainment headlines during the event, and the Comic-Con viewing party destination for fans at home.  “Comic-Con All Access Live” will cover the top panels and announcements from the event, host the hottest stars of the genre, including Mark Hamill, Kevin Smith, Zachary Levi and much more.

“We are excited to bring our ‘All Access’ multi-platform franchise to Comic-Con 2012,” said Jon Slusser, Senior Vice President, Sports and Multi-Platform Programming, Spike TV.  “Comic-Con is a celebration commemorating everything that fans love about comics, movies, TV shows and games, and ‘Comic-Con All Access Live’ will provide fans with an interactive and up-close experience that only Spike TV can deliver.”

Kevin Smith will join the “All Access” team to serve as moderator of “Comic-Con Bonus Round,” a live series of roundtable discussions surrounding comic books, pop culture and entertainment.  In addition, Nerd Machine’s Zac Levi, David Coleman and Alison Haislip, will return to the “All Access” franchise to give fans an exclusive sneak peek into their popular Nerd HQ event.

“Comic-Con All Access Live” will also feature an interview with Stan Lee and the creators of Amazing Spiderman, in honor of the superhero’s 50^th anniversary, an exclusive reveal of the landmark #700 issue of “Amazing Spiderman,” interviews with Mark Hamill, Kit Harington from Game of Thrones, and visits from the cast of Doctor Who, and MMA fighter Nate Quarry who stops by to talk about his “Zombie Cage Fighter” comic book.  Dhani Jones (former NFL player and host of Spike TV’s “Playbook360”) will also be on hand to give a behind-the-scenes look into the “Walking Dead Escape” experience at Petco Park, and viewers can also watch “All Access” host, Katie Linendoll run a quarter-mile segment in the inaugural “Course of the Force” lightsaber relay, dressed in an R2D2 costume, to benefit Make-A-Wish Foundation.  “Course of the Force” is a Star Wars tribute event beginning in Santa Monica and ending in San Diego.  The relay race takes place from July 7-11.

Also, in celebration of the revolutionary work in the comics, movies and sci-fi industry in the past year, Spike TV will present the “Spike’s All Access Live Comic-Con Game Changer of the Year” award to the most innovative name in the genre for 2012 and is asking fans to help choose the winner.  From visionary directors, inspired actors and comic book architects, viewers can elect Jim Lee, Joss Whedon, Christopher Nolan, Kevin Smith, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Kirkman or David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.  Fans can vote by visiting www.spike.com/events/all-access-comic-con/game-changer-of-the-year.

“Comic-Con All Access Live” will be supported on Spike TV through “All Access Weekly” and “Playbook 360;” online on Spike.com,  GameTrailers.com and MTV Geek; socially through its Facebook and Twitter feed @SpikeTV; and through mobile phones and tablets including iPhone, iPad and Android devices.  The live special will also deliver digital pre and post shows, online simulcasts and interstitial programming throughout the weekend.

The “Comic-Con All Access Live” team includes “All Access Live” veterans Katie Linendoll (“All Access Weekly”), Geoff Keighley (“GTTV”), Justine Ezarik (“GTTV”) and Daniel Kayser (“GTTV”).

Spike TV’s “All Access” hosting team will broadcast from their own Comic-Con studio at Petco Park, overlooking the San Diego Convention Center, and will feature coverage of the most anticipated panels, breaking entertainment news and announcements, exclusive interviews with the biggest names in pop culture and entertainment and much more.  Fans can also interact with the “Comic-Con All Access Live” hosts and guests through Twitter using #SDCConSPIKE.  Show hosts will use Spike TV’s social media outlets to answer viewer questions and provide feedback in real-time throughout the live show.

Gil Colon, Kevin Kay, Geoff Keighley and Jon Slusser serve as Executive Producers for “Spike Presents Comic-Con All Access Live.”  For more information about “Comic-Con All Access Live,” please visit allaccess.spike.com.

Sponsors for “Comic-Con All Access Live” include Dodge as a convergent sponsor, Burger King and GEICO as on-air sponsors and Axe as the show’s digital sponsor.

Considered to be the home of the largest comic book and popular arts event in the world, Comic-Con 2012 will run from July 12-15, 2012 at the San Diego Convention Center.

Spike TV is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks.  A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.  Spike TV’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press.  Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

Following the perceived injustices of ’66, the Argentinians insisted on the referee for the match being a fellow countryman, an incident which is incredibly rare in senior international football, and one the England players would feel was an unfair one by the end of the game.

Memories may have been long, but there was just one survivor on the field from the World Cup quarter final eight years previously, Roberto Perfumo of Argentina, who would be captain for the evening.

For England, Joe Mercer introduced Liverpool’s Alec Lindsay for his international debut at left back, a decision which saw skipper Emlyn Hughes move to right back. Kevin Keegan and Trevor Brooking both came into the midfield.

Highlights of the match was shown as part of BBC’s Sportsnight programme, with David Coleman on commentary duty, who advised viewers that England were “looking for some respectability after being beaten by Scotland so emphatically last week.”

The early pattern of the game saw Argentina’s back line push high up the field, compressing the midfield area and forcing England’s forwards to try to break in behind them. It was a risky tactic, but with the defence looking highly drilled, it was effective, with seven offsides in the opening 16 minutes.

Frustration was telling with the English players launching themselves into some wild tackles, and showing signs of dissent to the officials. Coleman could sense the problems facing the home side, observing that “England seem a little bit puzzled about what to do with this Argentinian defence.”

When they did crack the offside trap, England looked very dangerous and they came close to opening the scoring after 25 minutes. It was a clever run by Mick Channon that finally opened Argentina up, striding forward on the right hand side and unleashing a powerful shot that was pushed onto the post by Daniel Carnevali in the Argentine goal. The keeper was extremely fortunate that the rebound came off the inside of the upright and hit him on the heels, allowing his defenders to scramble the ball clear. It was a moment that confounded Coleman who was in the midst of proclaiming a goal: “Yes…err…he didn’t know anything about it, an astonishing save.” Once he saw the replay and had time to gather his thoughts, he very quickly changed his tune: “It flew away from his hands and he actually knocked it away with his heels without knowing what day it was” adding “That’s one of the flukiest pieces of goalkeeping we will ever see at international level.”

England were now making much more progress in an attacking sense, using the full backs to drive forward from deep areas, negating the offside trap by running with the ball. Alec Lindsay was an early proponent of the attacking full back, and he created a superb opportunity with one penetrating run. His powerfully driven cross could only be pushed away by Carnevali, falling to Brooking six yards out. Unfortunately the West Ham man could only sidefoot the ball wide of the open goal.

England though did make the breakthrough on the stroke of half time. Again it was a full back making a run, this time Hughes, which saw the skipper brought down on the edge of the box. Although the free-kick was wastefully given away by Keith Weller, Argentina failed to clear their lines and Colin Bell slid the ball into the path of Channon, the Southampton man coolly rounding the keeper to slot home, Coleman stating that the “Argentinians were found out.”

Although not shown on the footage I have (which came from ESPN Classic’s Dead Good Match series) the website ITV football highlights 1968- 83 said that as the teams went off for half time, the Argentine captain Perfumo was protesting to the referee. Hughes took exception to this pushed Perfumo away, only to be set upon by Ruben Glaria, who head-butted the England skipper. (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/carousel/ITV/WorldCup74.html)

Whether Glaria was removed by his manager or at the insistence of the referee will never be known, but the centre half did not reappear for the second half, replaced by Enrique Wolf. England certainly were fired up and doubled their lead ten minutes into the second half. Again it appears there were claims for a clear penalty, but the feed I have seen does not show this incident. David Coleman is however talking about it as England took a short corner. The ball was played into the box where it bobbled about with the defence unable to clear. It fell to Bell who fired a fierce shot against the crossbar from eight yards out. Fortunately for England, Frank Worthington showed excellent reactions to flick the ball into the net.

The response was an instant one from the visitors who cut the lead with a goal from Mario Kempes. The man who would shoot to world prominence in four years time was in the right place to tap into an empty net after Peter Shilton could only push a cross from Ruben Ayala into the strikers path.

The rest of the game saw England become more and more frustrated with some of the challenges being allowed against them by the Argentine referee, losing their focus on attacking the goal and instead taking their anger out on Argentine legs. The referee would have his own revenge in the closing minute when he gave his fellow countrymen an extremely debatable penalty.

Substitute Rene Houseman paled the ball to Kempes on the right edge of the penalty area, but the striker appeared to take too much time, dallying on the ball and allowing Hughes to get a tackle in. The referee though took note of Kempes’ theatrical fall and had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot, to the dismay of the England captain. The Argentinian number 9 picked himself up to rifle the penalty past Shilton into the bottom right hand corner of the net, securing the visitors a barely deserved draw.

“The final whistle blows to boos from every corner of the stadium” commented Coleman as the referee brought the game to an end moments later adding that the game was “a piece of international education, because they have to learn to deal with this sort of treatment.”

Argentina would head to West Germany for the World Cup, where they would reach the second stage before being handed a lesson of their own by the Dutch. England also headed to Germany, but behind the Iron curtain to provide warm up opposition for the first time qualifiers from East Germany.

On a horrendous spring day in Glasgow with rain teeming down, over 94000 turned up at Hampden to roar Scotland on. Amazingly this was the lowest crowd for the fixture in 50 years, the attendance failing to reach six figures for the first time since the 1920’s. The febrile atmosphere led David Coleman to announce that “This a test of nerve and character as well as football ability.”

Coleman was in the commentator’s seat for the BBC as both they and ITV provided live coverage of the match (Hugh Johns called the game for ITV). The game was shown as part of ESPN’s “Dead Good Match” series, and it’s this programme that is in my collection.

Scotland lined up with four of Leeds United’s title winning side in their line-up. Billy Bremner led a side which contained goalkeeper David Harvey as well as Peter Lorimer and Joe Jordan. There were also four of Celtic’s Scottish Title winning side with Danny McGrain, Jimmy Johnstone, David Hay and Kenny Dalglish.

England were forced into their team changes. Norman Hunter replaced Roy McFarland who had damaged his Achilles against Northern Ireland, while Frank Worthington started in place of the AWOL Stan Bowles (see previous game). Martin Peters also returned to the side in place of Kevin Keegan.

“The astonishing Hampden Roar rings round the ground” as the game kicked off. Scotland started at a fast pace, the Leeds combination of Lorimer and Jordan combining, with Lorimer picking out his striker with a cross from the right, Jordan volleying just over.

Scotland’s fast start unsettled England and their eagerness soon paid dividends. Frank Worthington, having dropped deep to collect the ball from a Keith Weller throw in, was caught dallying by Bremner. The Scottish captain nipped in to steal the ball away from the Leicester front man, and his tackle saw the ball fly forward to Lorimer. The winger never got to the ball, denied by the onrushing Shilton, but the ball bounced out to Jordan on the edge of the box.  The big number 9 shot goal wards with the outside of his boot, and was deflected into the net by Mike Pejic, the full back sliding to attempt to keep the ball out. Jordan was officially credited with the goal, with replays unclear as to whether the ball was goal bound before Pejic’s intervention.

Leeds Duo Lorimer & Jordan celebrate Scotland’s opener – From midlandmemorabilia.com

Scotland, like the red lion on their flag, were rampant. Hay burst forward from midfield, running 50 yards before turning Todd inside out and firing goal wards, only to be denied by Shilton in the England goal. It was the first of many saves by the Leicester City stopper and prompted Coleman to comment “the shot was good, the save was brilliant.”

On the half hour Shilton was powerless to stop Scotland doubling their lead as England again shot themselves in the foot. Pejic was again involved, incorrectly believing that England would get a throw in as he let the ball run out of play. The linesman gave Scotland the throw and from it the ball made its way to Dalglish on the far side of the box. He drilled the ball towards the six yard box. Shilton had anticipated this and was in position to collect the cross, however Colin Todd decided to intervene, only helping to divert the ball towards the near post area vacated by Shilton and into the net for Scotland’s second.

At half time, and with Joe Jordan riding roughshod over the English defence, Joe Mercer made a change at the back. He introduced Dave Watson of Sunderland in place of Hunter in an attempt to compete physically with the Leeds striker.

Jordan though remained a thorn in England’s side and forced Shilton into another fine save. The big forward found himself in space on the right hand side of the box. In one movement he turned sharply and fired a looping effort goal ward, only to be denied by Shilton at full stretch, who pushed the ball away: “A piece of sheer magic… The arm of Shilton just seemed to extend to turn it away. A superb piece of goalkeeping” Coleman enthused.

The England goalkeeper was not quite as convincing moments later when Scotland earned a free kick 25 yards out. In Peter Lorimer, Scotland possessed the man with the hardest shot in football and “Thunderboots” as Coleman dubbed him, drove a low skidding effort past the England wall. Shilton got behind it, but was unable to handle the shot, the ball bouncing of his chest and into the danger area. Fortunately his defenders helped him out by clearing the danger. Coleman sympathised with the keeper, “even Shilton couldn’t handle that.”

England were making little impression going forward, and introduced Malcolm Macdonald into the fray in place of Worthington. However the Newcastle striker, as at Wembley two weeks previously in the Cup Final, made no impact whatsoever.

In fact if another goal was to come it would be from Scotland, and Shilton was pressed into further heroics. A nice move saw Dalglish free on the edge of the box. His shot across Shilton was superbly pushed away, only into the path of Jimmy Johnstone. The Celtic man was flagged offside, but he and Shilton were unaware and his powerful effort was superbly blocked by Shilton, recovering from his prone position to dive the opposite direction to keep the ball out. “They don’t produce much better in goalkeeping terms than that… The first save was splendid, the second …a near miracle” Coleman observed.

The final whistle sounded moments later handing Scotland the Championship: “A famous victory for Scotland” announced Coleman. The triumphant Scotland side bathed in the joy coming from the terraces. Perhaps most joyful of them all was Jimmy Johnstone, who had been heavily criticised in the days prior to the match by the Scottish press after his “high jinks” following the win over Wales. Celebrations had got a little out of hand and Johnstone had found himself adrift at sea in a rowing boat with no oars, causing the Coastguard to be called to rescue him. Johnstone celebrated the win by giving the press box numerous V signs, before joining his team mates in a lap of honour round Hampden Park. Spirits were certainly high in the Scotland camp as they prepared to embark on their World Cup adventure.

Jimmy Johnstone with a message for the press.

Keith Weller – Scorer of the only goal

England made it two wins from two for Joe Mercer as they overcame a stubborn Northern Ireland team at Wembley.

The highlights of the game were broadcast by the BBC on their Sportsnight programme, with David Coleman commentating.

Joe Mercer named an unchanged side and it was one of the players he had introduced, Keith Weller, who netted the only goal of the game with a neat header from a cross by debutant Frank Worthington, just two minutes after his introduction. Worthington had replaced Stan Bowles, who would attract all the headlines over the following few days.

The mercurial QPR forward absconded from the England hotel before they left for Scotland the following morning, with Joe Mercer admitting he had no idea where he was. Bowles was tracked down by a reporter and admitted to being depressed and that he would not be travelling to Glasgow for the clash with the Auld Enemy.

England would also be without Roy McFarland for the clash at Hampden Park. The Derby County midfielder damaged his Achilles tendon after half an hour of the clash with the Irish and would be out for six months.

Kevin Keegan scores his first international goal – Picture from The Daily Mail

England started life without Sir Alf Ramsey with a comfortable victory over the hapless Welsh in Cardiff. With Don Revie still not released from his contract at Leeds United, the FA had appointed Joe Mercer as a caretaker manager to oversee the Home Internationals and the tour of Eastern Europe which would follow.

Mercer handed Emlyn Hughes the captains armband, the Liverpool skipper’s first time as the leader of his national team. Only one debut was given, to Leicester City’s Keith Weller as Mercer stuck pretty much to the tried and tested. Stan Bowles retained his place in attack.

The Welsh had not scored in the competition for four years so were not expected to be much of a match for England. Without John Toshack their attack looked toothless and unlikely to trouble the Derby County pairing of McFarland and Todd in the heart of the English defence.

Coverage was as usual shared between the BBC & ITV. David Coleman ran solo for the Beeb whilst Brian Moore had Jack Charlton alongside him. Highlights of the game were broadcast that evening; however I have been unable to find any footage.

Bowles and Keegan notched the goals either side of half time, maiden international goals for both of them, as England cruised to victory.

The omens did not look good for Liverpool with their opponents, Newcastle United, never having lost a Wembley Cup Final, triumphing on their four previous visits. A side in stripes had also never lost a final since the war, and that run had been continued against all the odds the previous season with Sunderland’s shock win over Leeds.

Coverage of the game was as usual shared between BBC & ITV, with both channels beginning their broadcasts around the 11am mark. BBC had Don Revie alongside David Coleman in the commentary box, as well as Jimmy Hill who had returned to the BBC after his spell at LWT. It is the BBC coverage that I have, recorded from a Cup Kings show on LFC TV, the clubs own satellite channel.

The game saw two stars of Liverpool’s future in the Newcastle line up, with Terry McDermott at the heart of the Magpies midfield, and a 19 year old Alan Kennedy at left back.

Liverpool took control of the game from the very outset with almost constant pressure on the Newcastle goal, but without any opportunities created. Newcastle were finding it difficult to get Malcolm Macdonald involved in the game, as Liverpool watched him closely after he had bragged about how the Cup Final was his stage to show the world how good he was. The Newcastle number 9 would barely get a kick the entire game.

However Newcastle did start to find their feet, with McDermott in particular impressing in the midfield. The game started to flow from end to end in a series of quick breaks, leading Coleman to exclaim that “both teams getting a little bit flurried.” Despite the frenetic pace there were no shots in the opening half hour.

When the first effort did come, it was more of a cross cum shot, and it was no surprise that it came from the Reds. Kevin Keegan found himself in a little bit of space on the left hand side of the area and he drove the ball across goal. The shot was well held by Iam McFaul in the Newcastle goal, Coleman commenting that “his handling was perfection.”

Newcastle then had their first effort; the shot coming from an unlikely source, as future Nottingham Forest manager, Frank Clark linked up well with the attack from his right back slot, but hit a weak effort straight at Ray Clemence in the Liverpool goal.

The half ended with Liverpool by far the better side, a fact confirmed by Leeds United boss Don Revie who summed up the half as the players left the field; “I feel that Liverpool have absolutely dominated this game apart from 10 minutes.”

The teams were greeted for the second half by a rousing, yet deep voiced, rendition of the Liverpool anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” It seemed to inspire the Reds who started very much on the front foot, with Keegan flashing a shot across the face of goal. “Good ball he says and good ball it was” lip-read Coleman.

Liverpool continued to drive forward, the attackers coming from all over the field. Alec Lindsay, the left back, started to come to the fore, hitting a volley from the left hand corner of the penalty area straight at McFaul.

Moments later, Lindsay was involved again, breaking forward. With Keegan free in the middle of the field, Coleman implored Lindsay to pass the ball, but he delayed too long before delivering the ball. By now Keegan was closely marked, and he attempted to leave the ball to try to confuse the Newcastle defender. The ball ricocheted off the legs of Keegan’s marker, back into the path of Lindsay who, without breaking stride lashed the ball past McFaul at his near post: “That was different class” said Coleman, before advising the viewers “and offside is given”. Controversially the goal was disallowed with the linesman deeming Lindsay to have been offside when he received the ball, even though it had come off the opposing player.

One feature of the coverage of the game was the lack of replays, something we have perhaps become over reliant on in this day and age. With the incident not being shown again, it was barely spoken about, although Coleman did inform the watching millions of the nuances of being played onside. He did find time to console Lindsay, saying “What a pity it didn’t stand, because that would have been a Cup Final goal to remember.”

Minutes later, his comments would enter Cup Final folklore, as Liverpool finally took the lead. “Shanks’ army, this Liverpool side really swarming forward now” he said, almost in anticipation of the impending events. A cross came in from the right hand side, and as Brian Hall missed with his attempted diving header, the ball was controlled by the chest of Keegan before he fired home a right foot volley, leading Coleman to utter the most cryptic line of Cup Final commentary ever: “Goals pay the rent and Keegan does his share” before coming back to earth “Keegan found himself with the sort of time and space a striker of his calibre will never waste.”

“Goals pay the rent” – Picture Courtesy The Guardian

From that moment on, the Cup was effectively won as Liverpool took control of the game completely. Emlyn Hughes went close with a strike from the edge of the box, and Newcastle began to lose their composure. Frank Clark unnecessarily gave a free kick away on the left hand side, having a kick at Steve Heighway. His disgust at the decision was picked up beautifully by the pitch side microphones: “Oh fuck off … He’s that far away (holding his hands up to indicate) from the fucking ball” before screaming “well that’s obstruction!” Coleman summing up the exchange “the frustrations showing, the protests pointless.”

With “You’ll Never Walk Alone” ringing around the stadium again, Liverpool’s relentless attacking continued. A half protest for a penalty, one that would be given every time now, was dismissed as “accidental… a fair decision.” Liverpool were playing with a swagger, moving the ball from one end of the pitch to the other at will, a sweeping move ending with Heighway hitting a shot just wide from 20 yards out.

With 17 minutes left, Newcastle managed to force their first corner of the game, but it was plucked out of the air by Clemence. Moments later, Newcastle’s chances were over as Liverpool doubled their lead with a goal of pure simplicity. A long ball down the field was flicked on by Toshack for Heighway, the number 9 taking the ball on to the edge of the box before hitting an angled shot across the keeper and in at the far post.

Newcastle knew the game was up, and Malcolm Macdonald who had a poor game endured further misery by spurning the first half chance that came his way. Finding himself in a little bit of space on the left hand side of the box, he attempted to strike goal wards first time, horribly scuffing the shot well wide of the post. “Supermac missed his kick completely” said Coleman.

Liverpool’s Tommy Smith had been in the side which had beaten Leeds 9 years earlier and was about to come to the fore in the build up to the Red’s third goal. Liverpool’s hard man, who Coleman said “doesn’t look like he was born, he looks like he was quarried” would quickly show finesse, drive and quality in quick succession. The ball was moved across the field by Liverpool in a succession of sweeping passes. From right to left and back again, they probed for a gap in Newcastle’s defence. Keegan switched the ball from the left flank, finding Smith who delicately flicked the ball with the outside of his foot to Brian Hall. He received the ball back, driving forward and played a one two with Heighway. He was now in behind the Magpies defence and fired the ball low and hard across the six yard box, where Keegan had drifted into space and stretched to tap the ball into the empty net.

“Keegan’s second and Newcastle were undressed, they were stripped totally naked” observed Coleman before launching into a wonderful rhyming couplet “Keegan two, Heighway One, Liverpool Three, Newcastle None.”

Moments later the final whistle blew, not only on the Cup Final, but incredibly on Bill Shankly’s career. The Liverpool fans loved him, singing his name for long periods of the second half, and clamouring for him to acknowledge them at the final whistle. Never before had a manager been so loved by his supporters, but his resignation over the summer was a massive shock. His final words were to Gerald Sindstadt after the game: “This team won the league last season, they’ve won the cup this season and they’ll win the league next season emulating the side of 64, 65 & 66. I didn’t say that we would beat Newcastle, I never said that at all. I said we were the best team in England and that it’s possible for us to beat anyone in England and possibly in the world…Liverpool’s cohesion, fitness, spirit was fantastic. We’ve got everything here; they should win something every season.” He was almost right, as under Bob Paisley Liverpool were about to begin their dominance, not only of English, but European football as well.

The man who had lifted the Jules Rimet trophy on that glorious afternoon at Wembley 7 years earlier was culpable for both of Poland’s goals as England’s first tilt at the new FIFA World Cup looked to have ended before the finals began. Moore turned a free kick into his own goal after just seven minutes, before he was caught in possession at the start of the second half by Lubanski who raced away to fire past Peter Shilton.

Moore under pressure, as he was all day, from the Polish attack – Picture from Amazon.com

The game was broadcast live by the BBC with David Coleman in the commentator’s seat. England again wore the unfamiliar Yellow shirts which debuted against Czechoslovakia in the previous game. Sir Alf Ramsey made two changes from the side which drew in Prague. Emlyn Hughes returned to the side at left back, with Peter Storey moving into midfield to replace Mick Channon. However, Ramsey again showed his fallibility with substitutions, making no changes to chase the game, despite having 43 minutes after falling 2-0 behind.

England also suffered the indignity of seeing Alan Ball sent off by Austrian referee Paul Schiller following a clash with Leslaw Cmikiewicz. Ball had taken exception to a challenge on Martin Peters and took the law into his own hands to manhandle the Polish player.

Sir Alf Ramsey was defiant at the final whistle saying: We are all disappointed, but I was also very proud of the team and the way they played. I do not think they could have played better, but I think we could and should have beaten the Poles.” He would need to beat them in the decisive qualifier at Wembley in October if England were to make the finals in West Germany.