It is heartening to hear that Springfield Public Schools will be moving toward allocating necessary time for social studies and science, so that students will receive the mandated well-rounded education they deserve. However, although it is wonderful that some extra time will be devoted to these subjects, simply blending science and social studies into the reading curriculum using brief excerpts from texts and other sources in these areas is not sufficient.

Reading and math currently take up most of the instructional day leaving little time for anything else. In order for students to have a well-rounded education, science, social studies and the arts each require their own dedicated time for hands-on learning, exploration, critical and creative thinking, and well-rounded learning from a variety of well-researched sources. 

Blending curriculum effectively also requires dedicated training for teachers. Teachers then need autonomy with materials, and the required time to adequately teach essential content that must be explored and discussed.

After 31 years in the elementary classroom, I can say with certainty that it is more than possible to include sufficient time for science and social studies within the instructional day. I found that reading instruction and higher-level thinking skills are natural inclusions within these exciting subjects, given adequate time allocation. The end result is students who are engaged and excited about learning.

Carrie Ann Naumoff
Eugene