Author Archives: Aaron Grossman

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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

Integrating Fluency and Syntax Instruction with Complex Text

In the video linked here, Dr. Timothy Shanahan describes the value of students developing fluency with “hard” text and its syntax. Although the video is short, it is includes a lot of good information including a short lesson demonstration of … Continue reading

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EQuIP Review Process, Reviewed

Implementation specialists and district instructional coaches worked through an introduction to the EQuIP Review Process. Educators spent the morning learning about the creation of the rubrics, becoming familiar with the EQuIP quality review process, and applying the first dimension of … Continue reading

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Lemov’s 4 Imperatives of the Common Core

The New Schools Venture Fund hosted a conference on Common Core and included a session titled, Teaching Literacy in the New World of CCSS (video linked here).  At minute 4:11 Doug Lemov, managing director of Uncommon Schools and author of … Continue reading

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CTP at ToPPP Grant Showcase

The ToPPP Grant Showcase, a 13-member consortium in Washinton, D.C., is featuring school leaders, partner organizations, teachers, representatives from PARCC and the Core Task Project. They have gathered these educators to spur dialogue around the question: How can collaboration support … Continue reading

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Nevada Students and Educators Describe Common Core

In a video posted here, a number of students and educators explain why they support the Common Core. The video was developed by the Nevada Ready! initiative, an effort  by the Nevada Department of Education and the Nevada State Board … Continue reading

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Updated ‘Planning for the Core’ Templates

If you are planning for the next academic school year with an eye on the instructional shifts and attention to the Basal Alignment Project, Read Aloud Project, and the close read exemplars, the documents below will help. Each is a … Continue reading

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Core Task Project Shared on EdWeek Webinar

EdWeek generously allowed us to share the Core Task Project (CTP) with their community. During the one-hour webinar, the CTP was described including its history, resources used during implementation, and how it has moved from a three week professional learning … Continue reading

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WCSD Educators Share the Core Task implementation Project at IRA

Educators from Washoe County had the opportunity to present on the Core Task implementation Project (CTiP) at the International Reading Association’s Annual Conference in New Orleans. Their symposium focused on “Embracing the Common Core Shifts: An Inquiry-Driven Model for Sustainable Change.” … Continue reading

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New Materials Posted at 63000resources

Additional resources have been added to http://www.63000resources.com. As with everything at 63000resources, the items are free and well matched to a highly core aligned classroom. The materials include A syntax section where you will find an overview of “Juicy Sentences.” … Continue reading

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Strickland on Literacy and Early Education

Dorothy Strickland, a Validation Team Member, for the Common Core State Standards, testifies to the value of promoting literacy outcomes with young children. Strickland, Distinguished Research Fellow at the National Institute for Early Education Research and the Samuel DeWitt Proctor … Continue reading

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