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Core Updates

Core Updates

An Introduction to the Standards

An Introduction to the Standards

  • The Basics
    Educore breaks down and explains the new standards in this short video from the Hunt Institute
  • Specifics
    Looking for more specific background on the Common Core Standards and their development in different subject areas? This link offers multiple, short videos that provide clear explanations.
  • Literacy in All Subjects
    This discussion of the shifts toward literacy is good for all subject areas and gives high school examples as well as elementary and middle school.
The Common Core Standards

The Common Core Standards

Resources for Teachers

Resources for Teachers

  • Literacy Design Collaborative
    Literacy Design Collaborative and Understanding by Design are complementary frameworks and templates for literacy lesson planning in all subject areas.
  • Achieve the Core
    Variety of resources for preparing for the Common Core including: lessons, student writing samples, and curricular resources in addition to PD power points and links to free itunes U courses on the Common Core.
  • EngageNY
    EngageNY, the New York State Dept. of Ed. website, provides valuable sample units for literacy and math that provide teachers full units to teach the skills of the Common Core.
Assessments

Assessments

  • Smarter Balanced Website
    To get a picture of what student assessments will look like, take a look at the SmarterBalanced website. There you can take practice tests & see graded responses. We are completing the process of all District juniors taking the SBAC.
For Parents

For Parents

  • PTA (Parent-Teacher Association)
    The national PTA (parent-teacher association) has great resources for parents, including tips about talking to your child's teachers and preparing for college.
Demonstration Lessons

Demonstration Lessons

  • "Wingman"
    Here's a great strategy for engaging "reluctant" students in small group discussions.
  • Higher Order Thinking
    This 6th grade teacher shows how students use Costa's and Bloom's (with frames and starters) to create questions about texts.
  • Kick Me
    This strategy gets students up and moving and can be used in a variety of ways with vocabulary, content and concepts.
  • Socratic Seminar
    In this video, we see inner-city kids engaging in a high level discussion, good for both the structure of the seminar and frames for agreeing, disagreeing, etc.
  • Close Reading and Analysis
    In this 12th grade English class, students prepare for a group discussion by analyzing text, creating questions and engaging with classmates.
Text Complexity

Text Complexity

  • Text Complexity
    Appendix A of CCSS provide criteria for choosing complex texts-both informational and literary. These rubrics represent 1/3 of the criteria for choosing texts, the Qualitative component.
  • Qualitative Rubrics
    Additionally, teachers consider quantitative measures as well as the text’s relevance for the reader and task.
Literacy Design Collaborative

Literacy Design Collaborative

Literacy Design

Literacy Design

RC Unit Plan

RC Unit Plan

  • Odell Education- Reading Closely for Textual Evidence
    This 11-12 grade unit from Odell, subtitled "Developing Core Proficiencies - English Language Arts/Literacy Unit," is a complete unit, including all ancillary documents, graphic organizers and daily lesson plans.