Author Archives: Aaron Grossman

Unknown's avatar

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

Changes to Nevada Education

The Las Vegas Sun has written an article describing the changes to state law, now that the current legislative session has ended, that will impact what we do in our classrooms. This includes new graduation requirements, new class size ratios, … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Videos to help Transition to the CCSS

Oregon’s Salem-Keizer Public Schools has produced four very short videos to help practitioners transition to the Common Core. If you are still wrestling with any of the topics below, it likely worth the two or three minutes it will cost … Continue reading

Posted in Common Core State Standards, Instructional Shifts | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

New Link to Social Studies Close Reading Examples

If you were having any trouble accessing the Social Studies Close Reading Examples, use the new link here. There are over 30 well-vetted close reading lessons that promote CCSS literacy outcomes while simultaneously teaching content. You can read more about … Continue reading

Posted in Close Reading, Content Knowledge, Social Studies | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Video Explanation of Reading the CCSS

The California State Board of Education has produced a video to assist educators in reading the Common Core State Standards for ELA and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects. The five-minute video moves viewers through the basic organization … Continue reading

Posted in Common Core State Standards | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Resources to Support Fidgety Philip CAR

Moss Elementary Resource teacher Mari Riggs created a notetaker and answer sheet for the Fidgety Philip Close Reading Exemplar. These are helpful tools and a great scaffold as educators move through the exemplar to get to the culminating writing activity. … Continue reading

Posted in Close Reading | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Common Core Practice Test Released

The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium has released practiced tests for the Common Core State Standards. There are practice tests for grades 3rd through 8th and 11th grade in math and ELA. Each test has 50 problems and there is also … Continue reading

Posted in SBAC | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Teaching Nonfiction Reading Skills

At the Center for Teaching Quality, Bill Ferriter describes strategies for teaching nonfiction skills (here).  Each strategy also comes with a handout to assist students with using the skill. The skills include becoming active readers; determining how quotes effect a … Continue reading

Posted in Informational Text | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Advancing Literacy Practice with the Common Core

The original post with these materials became corrupted and the links would not open. Thanks for your patience as we rebuilt the links. On May 20th and 21st, educators moved through a new course offering—Advancing Literacy Practice with the Common … Continue reading

Posted in Common Core State Standards, Core Task Project, Instructional Shifts, SBAC | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Are Your Materials Aligned to CCSS?

A popular question is, “How do I know if the resources I am using are aligned to the Common Core?” One way to assist with finding this answer is to use the EQuIP Rubric for Lessons and Units (3rd through … Continue reading

Posted in Common Core State Standards, Complex Text, Instructional Shifts | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

May 23, 2013 CTP Session Resources

The last session of Core Task Project, for the 2012-2013 was completed with teachers working through the resources listed below. The CTP will continue to be offered next year with sessions scheduled for September 12th 2013, November 7th 2013, and … Continue reading

Posted in Common Core State Standards, Core Task Project | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment