Steal These Tools!

Steal These Tools!

http://www.achievethecore.org/

achievethecore.org  is a non-profit organization is working to collect resources to enable the implementation of the Common Core.  Check out “steal these tools” first!

If you are like me and read Harvey "Smokey" Daniels & Stephanie Harvey's 1st book, you will want to note that their 2nd edition is coming out in June.   Many people think that  the Common Core restricts the teaching in our schools.  Harvey and Stephanie point out that now we can be focused on the bigger picture and teaching that allows for inquiry.  Let me know if you would be interested in a book study after school monthly in the fall with this new book.  I enjoy their blog posts too.  Click here if you would like to read and/or join too.

If you haven't heard of my favorite site for really understanding the teaching segments of the standards, check out LearnZillion.

I think it is so important to teach the concept of theme in the context of literature -- the small steps need to be taught within the instructional context of getting to the concept.  Click here 5th grade theme.

I love talking, planning and teaching about Literacy!  Kathy

Edutopia - Common Core in Action Series

Edutopia - Common Core in Action Series

Common Core in Action Series

Follow the link to view the excellent resources collected and provided by Edutopia.  From their blog post:

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"This collection of blog posts highlights lesson plans, ideas, and other useful resources to help you bring Common Core-aligned lessons into your classroom. We're actively building this repository of ideas every week, so make sure to bookmark this page. You can also follow #CCSS or #CCSSChaton Twitter for the latest updates."

Teacher Professional Development: 5 Formative Assessment Fundamentals for Common Core Success

One of the key elements of the Common Core is the notion of motivating students to apply higher-order thinking and support it with evidence. As school districts work to develop and implement curricula for the Common Core State Standards, teachers need to master an important skill in order to support this new level of thinking: engaging the entire classroom in deeper discussion.

But how can we make sure all of our teachers and instructional staff are prepared for this shift?

Professional development that is grounded in the proven fundamentals of formative assessment can go a long way toward preparing teachers for success with a Common Core curriculum. In particular, focusing teacher professional development on the following five key areas is essential:

1. Making expectations for students clear
2. Leading students to higher-order thinking by eliciting evidence of learning and providing feedback
3. Personalizing the learning environment with student-directed differentiation
4. Creating depth of knowledge and resources within the classroom by activating students as instructional resources for one another
5. Collaborating with other teachers to lead, grow, reflect, and learn

Let’s take a closer look at each of these five key areas.

e-Resources + CCSS...Free!

e-Resources + CCSS...Free!

Michigan Online Resources for Educators has lesson plans and other resources tagged to specific content standards:  http://more.mel.org/  Check it out!