Common Core Standards

Implementation has begun! While I am excited to see what changes the CCSS will bring to both my teaching and my students' performance, I am overwhelmed. My county has only implemented in kindergarten and first grade. We have begun to think and plan our lessons differently.

While searching the web, I have found some resources which I think will be useful in planning. The Common Core Lesson Book, K-5: Working with Increasingly Complex Literature, Informational Text, and Foundational Reading Skills by Gretchen Owocki. When viewing the samples of the lessons in the book, I immediately thought this would meet the needs of my first grade team for lesson planning. Another resource I have found is Common Core Curriculum Maps in English Language Arts, Grades K-5 by the Common Core Series. I am hoping this book will give us some good guidelines as to mapping out our curriculum. Both books should arrive in the next few days. I am eager to read and educate myself on how better to implement the standards, for both myself and my students.

The current concern is how to assess the students. I have found little in the way of assessment resources for the CCSS. One resource I have found is the First Grade Common Core Workbook by Have Fun Teaching. This resource includes 550 pages of worksheets, centers, and posters. Viewing the sample, I think it may have possibilities for assessment purposes. Currently, we are using performance based assessments for math and reading.

After I receive the books, I will be back share my thoughts and how I plan to use them. In the meantime, I am curious to know how others are assessing students? What great resources have you found to teach and assess the CCSS?