10 Websites, with Free resources, to Assist with CCSS Implementation

If you are looking for help with the implementation of Common Core, the websites listed below will help. Most include free curricular resources, well matched to the CCSS, that any educator can opt into and/or they can be used to assist with your Common Core efforts

www.projecttahoe.org. Awesome. Period. A terrific set of free social studies and history resources including close reads, document based questions, and discussion tasks.
www.readworks.org. All the resources are free and you can get a feel for how many were constructed by clicking here. In short, the Annotated Question Sets provide professional learning on a process to scaffold students through a text.
If you want to keep the classroom discussion going in the home, consider texting parents through www.remind.com. (Jessie Beck teacher Jolene Hamilton gets credit for directing me to this resource.)
www.education4500.com has learning for the secondary educator matched to the instructional shifts.
www.nonfictionminute.com provides great texts around important historical topics. The authors have found subjects that are engaging and informative. Read this piece about Hard Tack to be sold.
www.textproject.org has a number really helpful resources to assist with implementation. Consider looking over Talking Points, texts aimed at getting kids engaged in discussion, and FYI for Kids, high quality magazine articles for students, when you visit.
www.achievethecore.org. Too obvious? Close reading exemplars, mini-assessments, professional development modules, fluency packets… and nothing has a copyright.
www.studyjams.com has free videos to build content knowledge for students. (Thanks Katy Scherr for sharing this one with us!)
www.edmodo.com. Specifically, we support eight Edmodo groups to assist with literacy implementation with topics on close reading, professional development, early learning, leadership, formative writing and the instructional shifts. Angela Orr and Katie Anderson support two other groups with social studies/history close reading exemplars and units. You can find all of our Edmodo groups here and our Core Knowledge group here.
www.63000resources.com. The companion website to this one where all of the blog entries go to be reasonably well organized.

About Aaron Grossman

I am a 5th grade teacher at Roy Gomm Elementary in Reno, Nevada. I started working with elementary students as part of the Montana Reads program and AmeriCorps. In 2001, after graduating from the University of Montana and moving to Reno, Nevada, I student taught at Rita Cannan Elementary before receiving a 6th grade position at Veterans Elementary. I moved out of the classroom to be a Literacy Coordinator, then an Instructional Coach, and finally a School Improvement Program Coordinator. In 2011, I began working on the Nevada Academic Content Standards in the district’s Curriculum & Instruction Department. I returned to the classroom for the 2015-2016 school year to teach 4th grade at Huffaker Elementary. Before returning to the classroom, I helped develop the Core Task Project that has been featured by National Public Radio, the Gates Foundation, American Radio Works, Eduwonk, the Fordham Institute, Vox, and the Center for American Progress. In 2014, I received the Leader to Learn From Award for my teacher-centered initiative and work to bring college, career, and civics ready outcomes into Northern Nevada classrooms (here). In 2015, I was appointed by Governor Sandoval serve on the Statewide RPDP Council. The same year, Nevada’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction Steve Canavero placed me on the state’s State Improvement Team. This year I will be part of the National Council on Teacher Quality’s Teacher Advisory Group. I am Google Certified Educator and a Nevada Teacher Ambassador. I believe strongly that teaching content is teaching reading and I make sure my students have ample opportunities to work with social studies, history, science and art outcomes. I do what I can to blend the learning for my students and this blog is part of that effort. You can contact me at coretaskproject@gmail.com

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