Resources and guidance for the journey of Common Core implementation In this age of the Common Core State Standards, all content area teachers must integrate literacy standards into their curriculum. If you're like most content area educators, you're feeling a bit overwhelmed at the thought of addressing all the new standards, or you might just need a little extra help. In this hands-on resource, Common Core literacy expert Katherine McKnight offers secondary teachers a clear understanding of what literacy looks like in math, science, and technical subjects. McKnight gives educators proven teaching techniques that help develop literacy skills in students. She also offers a wealth of practical strategies and ready-to-use activities that content area teachers can integrate seamlessly. Included are Ideas for implementing the literacy requirements of the Common Core across content areas A selection of activities that support literacy skills and build content knowledge in math, science, and technology classrooms An easy-to-use Difficulty Dial that indicates the complexity of each activity Robust student samples that bring the activities to life across a variety of grade levels and subjects Common Core Literacy for Math, Science, and Technical Subjects is designed for practicality. With bonus web downloads, a literacy resource guide, and countless ideas for deepening content knowledge, this book provides excellent support for rigorous Common Core implementation. Praise for Common Core Literacy for Math, Science, and Technical Subjects "A realist with an incisive wit, Katie's robust pedagogy and trenchant analysis inspire all of us to incorporate the CCSS meaningfully in specific content areas. For her gifted writing, let alone her substantive and easy-to-implement ideas, this is a godsend for content area teachers. Move it to the top of the priority reading stack." —Rick Wormeli, veteran educator, author, and teacher trainer "McKnight eloquently dispels much of the mythology surrounding the new standards, and explains how to help students find success. You'll find this engaging book your 'go-to' resource for implementing the Common Core." —Richard M. Cash, Ed.D., educational consultant; author, Advancing Differentiation: Thinking and Learning for the 21st Century

Schools nationwide are transitioning to the Common Core--our advice to you: Don't go it alone! Our new book, Common Core Literacy Lesson Plans: Ready-to-Use Resources, K-5, shows you that teaching the Common Core State Standards in the elementary grades doesn't have to be intimidating! This easy-to-use guide provides model lesson plans for teaching the standards in reading, writing, speaking/listening, and language. Get engaging lesson plans that are grade-appropriate, easy to implement and include ready-to-use reproducible handouts, assessments, resources, and ideas to help you modify the lesson for both struggling and advanced learners. Our Common Core Literacy Lesson Plans are designed to fit seamlessly into your K-5 curriculum. You get practical tips for revamping your existing lessons to meet the standards. Students learn how to read informational texts, write opinion-based essays, and improve their speaking and listening skills. Grammar mini-lessons and foundational skills mini-lessons will help you teach language conventions, phonics, fluency, and more! We take the guesswork out of Common Core lesson plans with this practical, easy-to-use guide. All lesson plans are grade-appropriate, and every lesson plan includes... Common Core State Standards covered in the lesson Overview of objectives and focus of the lesson Background knowledge required and time required A detailed, step-by-step agenda for the lesson, plus a materials list Differentiation ideas to adapt the lesson for different kinds of learners Assessment ideas, including rubrics and scoring guides A place for your notes: what worked; what can improve Bonus! We show you how to extend the lessons into longer units to suit your particular grade's curriculum, and even help you create more of your own lessons!

With the advent of the Common Core State Standards and high expectations with regard to content literacy, some secondary teachers are scrambling for what to do and how to do it. This book provides an accessible plan for implementing content literacy and offers 20 research-based literacy strategies designed to help students meet those standards and become expert readers.

Common Core Literacy for ELA, History/Social Studies, and the Humanities In this age of the Common Core State Standards, all content area teachers must integrate literacy standards into their curriculum. If you're like most content area educators, you're feeling a bit overwhelmed at the thought of applying the new standards, or you might just need a little extra help. In this hands-on resource, Common Core literacy expert Katherine McKnight offers secondary teachers a clear understanding of what literacy looks like in English Language Arts (ELA), social studies, and other humanities-related subjects. She gives educators proven teaching techniques that will help them to develop literacy skills in their students. The book offers a wealth of practical strategies and activities that content area teachers can integrate seamlessly. Included are A selection of activities that support literacy skills and build content knowledge Ideas for implementing the literacy requirements of the Common Core in specific content areas An easy-to-use Difficulty Dial that indicates the complexity of each activity Robust student samples that bring the activities to life across a variety of grade levels Praise for Common Core Literacy for ELA, History/Social Studies, and the Humanities "McKnight eloquently dispels much of the mythology surrounding the new standards, and explains how to help students find success. You'll find this engaging book your 'go-to' resource for implementing the Common Core!" — Richard M. Cash, Ed.D., Educational Consultant; Author, Advancing Differentiation: Thinking and Learning for the 21st Century "While this book would be a gift to any beginning teacher, its practical and comprehensible support for literacy as defined by the Common Core State Standards makes it a must-have for all teachers." — Laura Garner, Language Arts Coordinator, Berkeley County (South Carolina) Public Schools "This is a must-read for all middle and high school content area teachers! McKnight shows how every strategy in the book supports student achievement of the Common Core." — LeAnn Nickelsen, M.Ed., Educational Consultant; Coauthor, Deeper Learning and Bringing the Common Core to Life in K – 8 Classrooms

Assessment Prep for Common Core Reading is designed to help students acquire the skills and practice the strategies needed to successfully perform on CCSS assessments. Each 64-page book includes test-taking tips, instructional resources, practice assessments using Literature, Informational Text, and paired passages. The workbooks in this series are also aligned with Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacyin History/Social Studies and Technical Subjects. Mark Twain Media Publishing Company specializes in providing captivating, supplemental books and decorative resources to complement middle- and upper-grade classrooms. Designed by leading educators, the product line covers a range of subjects including mathematics, sciences, language arts, social studies, history, government, fine arts, and character.

How can the Common Core complement and not conflict with school improvement efforts already at work across the United States? How can it be seamlessly integrated into accountability systems, teacher preparation and development, charter schools, and educational technology? This timely volume brings together prominent scholars and policy analysts to examine the pressing issues that will mark Common Core implementation. Whether or not you agree with the standards, the Common Core is coming, and this book will help policymakers, practitioners, and other stakeholders anticipate the challenges and take steps to address them. “Common Core Meets Education Reform raises the hard questions about implementing and sustaining the Common Core State Standards so they don’t end up in the dustbin of abandoned public education reforms. These new standards can help students enormously in becoming problem solvers and critical thinkers—which is essential in the 21st century—but only if teachers become engaged in the rollout, get the support they need, and the fixation on high-stakes testing gives way to a fixation on learning.” —Randi Weingarten, president, American Federation of Teachers “Adopting the Common Core in a mad dash for federal gold, policymakers across the country blew right past critical questions about how they’d implement the thing. This volume, in stark contrast, meticulously studies the road ahead, seeking out tripwires, pitfalls, and boulders, making it a must-read for anyone who hopes to avoid total Common Core disaster.” —Neal McCluskey, associate director, Center for Educational Freedom, Cato Institute, Washington, DC “This balanced, wide-ranging, and deeply informed book is certain to guide educators and reformers through a complex time of transition for U.S. education. But it also turns out to be timely and clarifying as politicians battle over ambitious new academic standards with plenty of heat and smoke but appallingly little illumination. Thanks to the authors for turning on some lights!” —Chester E. Finn, Jr., senior fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University and president, Thomas B. Fordham Institute Frederick M. Hess is director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and serves as executive editor of Education Next. Michael Q. McShane is a research fellow in education policy studies at AEI.

This one-of-a-kind resource will be invaluable to every teacher educator, every curriculum director, and every literacy coach, whether or not they must meet Common Core Standards. Bringing together perspectives from literacy luminaries, each addressing their specialty, this book offers an accessible fund of rich practices in literacy instruction. The book serves two purposes: First, it assembles a body of knowledge and wisdom from leading literacy researchers who each draw from a long career in the field to address topics of central importance to good literacy instruction. Second, these research-to-practice leaders connect established best practices and foundational research to the current challenge of instruction to meet Common Core Standards and other rigorous curriculum guidelines. The contributors point out strengths of the Common Core as well as issues and oversights that educators should be aware of. Closing chapters situate the Common Core within a continuum of educational policy and legislation. Contributors: Richard L. Allington, Monica T. Billen, Jay S. Blanchard, Robert Calfee, Gina N. Cervetti, Michael F. Graves, John T. Guthrie, Elfrieda H. Hiebert, James V. Hoffman, Rosalind Horowitz, Michael L. Kamil, Barbara Kapinus, Richard Long, Leigh Ann Martin, Kimberly McCuiston, James Nageldinger, David Paige, P. David Pearson, Timothy Rasinski, S. Jay Samuels, Barbara Taylor, Joanna P. Williams, Kathleen Wilson “Pearson and Hiebert have long advocated for children in schools, and this volume is no exception. They and their chapter authors situate the CCSS within the historical and policy context in which it was written and support the literacy education community as we wrestle with the implications the standards have for research, for teachers, for teaching, and for learning.” —Sharon Walpole, University of Delaware “This book gets way beyond generalities and polemics about the Common Core, taking a deep and measured dive into a wide range of essential topics within the standards. I read a lot, and I can't think of the last time I read anything about the CCSS as engaging and thought provoking as this.” —Nell K. Duke, University of Michigan

An open challenge to Common Core’s drive for uniformity Nicholas Tampio watched as his kindergartner’s class shifted from one where teachers, aides, parents, and students worked hard to create a rewarding educational experience to one in which teachers delivered hours-long lectures using packaged lesson plans. Learning versus the Common Core explains how standards-based education reform is transforming nearly every aspect of public education by looking closely at the standards, the agenda of people pushing standards-based reform, and how these fit within a global pattern of education reform. With a nod to the philosophy of John Dewey, Tampio concludes with a vision of what democratic education can look like today—and how people can form rhizomatic alliances across different political and ethical backgrounds to fight the Common Core. Forerunners: Ideas First Short books of thought-in-process scholarship, where intense analysis, questioning, and speculation take the lead

Given the prevalence of student diversity, schools are struggling to find ways to help with the implementation of CCSS. With the wide range of student learning styles, socioeconomic backgrounds and life experiences, one key to meeting this challenge is the use of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Originally developed to address the instructional needs of students with disabilities, UDL is now being embraced as an answer to creating learning environments where all students, regardless of their individual differences, can meet the CCSS. Designed for classroom teachers, this guide provides practical strategies and best practices for utilizing UDL as a means to help students successfully access and achieve the CCSS.

Assessment Prep for Common Core Reading is designed to help students acquire the skills and practice the strategies needed to successfully perform on CCSS assessments. Each 64-page book includes test-taking tips, instructional resources, practice assessments using Literature, Informational Text, and paired passages. The workbooks in this series are also aligned with Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacyin History/Social Studies and Technical Subjects. Mark Twain Media Publishing Company specializes in providing captivating, supplemental books and decorative resources to complement middle- and upper-grade classrooms. Designed by leading educators, the product line covers a range of subjects including mathematics, sciences, language arts, social studies, history, government, fine arts, and character.