Sharing Common Core Resources

I definitely plan on learning more through today's #21stedchat than I plan on contributing!  I am currently reading the book on the right with my team.  It has been interesting, eye-opening, and both calming yet disturbing!

I'm glad that we have some common standards that most states are agreeing to.  That will go a long way to evening out the disparities that exist between districts.  The standards are clear, concise, and make sense.  There is a clear scope and sequence, and I can imagine how things might look in 5-6 years when students have had several years of this style of teaching.

That being said, I teach in a high-achieving district, but I still worry that some of these standards might be a bit too rigorous, a bit too focused on achievement and not focused enough on the enjoyment of learning.  I want my students to love reading and writing, not focused so intently on the author's purpose or proper grammar that they lose the enjoyment of each activity.

I want my students spending their learning time doing things that they are passionate about, while practicing their reading and writing skills.  I don't want to be forced to lecture more and practice skills over and over.

Despite my reservations, I can envision this all working out well.  I will patiently wait until I start to see the results of this huge change.  Until then, I will do my best to implement Common Core instruction to the best of my ability, and hope for the best!

Here is one unit that I created this past summer that is aligned to the Common Core.  It is on the Revolutionary War and uses Essential Questions from a great book I bought from Scholastic on the left - here is a PDF of one page of the Revolutionary War section. 

I plan on doing several more this summer.  I am taking a course on Advanced UbD presented by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe in the next month (at ASCD Chicago), so I am waiting until then to start any large-scale unit planning!

Through backward design, teachers can plan common core aligned units that focus instruction on essential questions and enduring understandings.  No more wasted time spent spinning your wheels focusing on unimportant activities!  Stick with what is most important for your precious minutes!

Here are the links in my Diigo Library on Common Core resources (I'm glad to be adding to those links today!):

• 5th Grade Common Core Reading Literature Activities
  
• Common Core: Six Fundamental Shifts
• Nine Ways the Common Core Will Change Classroom Practice
• Three-Minute Video Explaining the Common Core State Standards
• Five EdTech Tools that Support the Common Core
• Project-Based Learning and Common Core Standards
• Common Core State Standards: Math Instructional Shifts
• Common Curriculum Helps You Create Common Core Lesson Plans

Here is a screenshot of my Revolutionary War Common-Core Aligned Unit: