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

Edmodo Access

Many of the Edmodo groups we are using have been “locked.” This does not mean people cannot join them but it does mean that the codes listed on the blog are no longer useable. Please use the links below to … Continue reading

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Close Reading and Poetry Inservice Course

University of Nevada Reno professor Dr. Steven Gerhke will be leading an inservice course on close reading and poetry this fall. Kindergarten through sixth grade teachers can take part in the class and learn more about performing close readings of … Continue reading

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A Parents Guide to the Instructional Shifts

In a piece for his blog View out the windshield, Geoff Belleau outlines the “instructional shifts” and the implications for parents. He notes that there is a lot of advice for teachers but not enough for caregivers. Consequently, he takes … Continue reading

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CTP Reflection Video, Edited

The Core Task Project Reflection video has been edited and reposted here.

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New Close Reading Exemplar Added

We completed a close reading exemplar for the poem, “The Story of Fidgety Philip” by Heinrich Hoffman. We have it fitted for the 3rd grade level. Some see the poem, written in 1845, as one of the first documentations of … Continue reading

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Rubric for Interim Assessments

The Council of Chief State School Officers and the Council of Great City Schools released a rubric for interim benchmark assessments for English language arts/literacy. The rubric, written by Student Achievement Partners, is for district and state leaders to review … Continue reading

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Supplements for the Close Reading Exemplar: President’s Message

Cheralyn Faber, a 3rd grade teacher in the Moraga School District, created several supplements to go with the close reading exemplar, The President’s Message. Cheralyn has generously shared the materials and you can find them in the links below. Graphic … Continue reading

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Nevada CRT Practice on Edmodo

If you have been looking for the Standard of the Week resource, you can find it on Edmodo using code krdoxd. (New Edmodo users can access it using these directions.) Please note, the resource is matched to parts of the … Continue reading

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Thinking Common Core Scoop.it! Page

If you haven’t found the Scoop.it! page “Thinking Common Core,” you may want to take a few minutes to visit. Recent links include video on improving discourse in the classroom, updates on the 2014-2015 CCSS assessments, and strategies for successfully … Continue reading

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CTP Inservice Course Offered

If you are interested in participating in the Core Task Project, you can earn one half-credit by taking advantage of a spring version of the course. The inservice CTP takes place over 2 four-hour sessions on May 9th and May … Continue reading

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