Category Archives: Common Core State Standards

More Rewrites Added to Washoe’s 6th Grade BAP Folder

As many readers know, Washoe started an effort to rewrite the questions and culminating activities for the 6th grade HMH materials. Following the procedures outlined by the Council of Great City Schools and Student Achievement Partners, questions and culminating assignments … Continue reading

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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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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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6th Grade Teachers Train on Shift 1 and the BAP

On Election Day, 6th grade middle school teachers gathered to learn more about Shift 1—building a coherent body of knowledge—and the Basal Alignment Project. The 6th grade BAP code for Edmodo is 4k33tz. If you are unfamiliar with Edmodo, you … Continue reading

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