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

Sample Items and Performance Tasks, Released

The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) has posted sample items and performance tasks matched to the “rigor and complexity of the English language arts/literacy” standards in Common Core. Likewise, the sample items can be used by educators “to begin planning … Continue reading

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Core Shift Blast 4: Close Reading

The Core Shift Blast for October 10th was shared today. You can access it here. You can review previous blasts by clicking here. The focus this week is on the Close Reading Strategy and includes insights into using this instructional … Continue reading

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Willingham and Writing

University of Virginia psychology professor Dr. Daniel Willingham, describes how writing makes children better thinkers in a piece for the Atlantic Monthly (here).  He summarizes several pieces of research in buttressing his claim but cautions that writing without purpose will … Continue reading

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What is your District Doing to Get Teachers Ready?

In a series of videos posted on Vimeo and titled, “Finding Common Ground: What is your District Doing to Get Teachers Ready?” the National Education Writers Association and the Latino Children Project invited California district superintendents to describe key features … Continue reading

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Lafayette School District Trains on the Core Task Project

Linked below are the materials shared with K-5 educators in Lafayette, California. Participants took part in the Core Task Project during their professional development day on October 8th. The purpose of the presentation was to assist Lafayette in its implementation of … Continue reading

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Quick Guide to the ELA “instructional shifts”

The Common Core Literacy Shifts have been represented (here) in graphic and bullet form. This might prove useful for those who quickly want to review what is expected as we reorient our work and align it with the CCSS.

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The Critical Role of Narrative Text in the CCSS

Dr. Elfrieda H. Hiebert writes, “Acquiring knowledge is the raison d’etre of the Common Core” in a posting for TextProject (here). She writes that using narrative can assist with this outcome if we allow students to focus on the multiple levels of … Continue reading

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Bishop Manogue Trains on the Instructional Shifts

Bishop Manogue Catholic High School did its first work with the Common Core and the Instructional Shifts. Participants watched David Coleman’s presentation on the shifts before New York educators (here). Then staff reviewed the district’s instructional shifts document and discussed next steps … Continue reading

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What is ‘Complex’ Text?

What is complex text? Jan Burkins and Kim Yaris use Appendix A, of the Common Core, to answer this question and provide some context for why text complexity is an important feature of the CCSS. The answer can be found … Continue reading

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Washoe Teachers Pilot CTP-ESL

On Monday, the ESL & World Language Department partnered with the Curriculum & Instruction Department on the Core Task Project-ESL. The hope of this endeavor is to identity appropriate scaffolds for ELs, when employing the close reading strategy, and use … Continue reading

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