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

Questions to Ask Common Core Vendors

Tom Vader Ark outlines suggestions for educators looking for resources aligned to the Common Core. He starts by encouraging us to ask, “The new English/language arts (ELA) standards focus on building knowledge through content-rich, cross-curricular nonfiction texts and on text … Continue reading

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Common Core Works

The Council of Great City Schools has put together Common Core Works, a website dedicated to helping educators bring Common Core outcomes into the classroom.  The CGCS was instrumental in coordinating district efforts during the Basal Alignment Project.

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Shanahan on the topic of Instructional Shifts

Dr. Timothy Shanahan describes the Instructional Shifts  in the following webinar.  Marked are several pieces that you may want to visit including Close Reading. 4:47: “…these standards are so profoundly different big shifts in teaching are necessary.” 7:44: Shannon compares … Continue reading

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Close Reading

Erica Beaton has put together the following Prezi on Close Reading. As you flip through the presentation, explicit connections are made from this instructional approach to the standards, to the 2014-2015 assessment and to College and Career Readines Erica has … Continue reading

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Administrators Complete First Session of, “Leading the Core: ELA CCSS”

District leaders participated in the first session of, Leading The Core: ELA CCSS. The course is designed for administrators interested in supporting teachers, parents and community partners as they work with the ELA Common Core State Standards.  Through a lens … Continue reading

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Big Ideas Underlying the Common Core

In a piece for EdWeek, Sarah Sparks reports on the research “infusing” Common Core. The story is a reminder that many of the practices we currently employ remain completely appropriate. It also serves as a reminder that some things may … Continue reading

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Cautions about CCSS Implementation

In an archived webinar, educational consultant and author Grant Wiggins provides two key cautions as educators work with the Common Core. The first of these stem from a teacher’s temptation to over scaffold for children (minute 11:00). He argues that to … Continue reading

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K-2 Edmodo Resource Folder Added

Kindergarten Program Coordinator, Kacey Edgington, has created an Edmodo folder for those working with early literacy outcomes. You will find a number of helpful resources aligned to K-2 outcomes and you will be able to participate in conversations related to … Continue reading

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An Authentic Close Read

In a video on Youtube, a teacher posted her use of the close reading strategy with Martin Luther King’s “Letter From a Birmingham Jail.” The video is as authentic as you can get with students wrestling with a series of … Continue reading

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Linking Instruction and Assessment

During the Hug Vertical meeting, we facilitated a conversation linking the “instructional shifts” and SBAC, to sound assessment and classroom practices. Explicit in the message is that the shifts enable us to reach the standards, the coming 2014-2015 assessment and materials … Continue reading

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