The Common Core Companion: The Standards Decoded, Grades 3-5
What They Say, What They Mean, How to Teach Them
Corwin Literacy
With the click of a mouse, anyone has access to the standards. So aligning our instruction should be a snap. If only it were that simple . . . Jim Burke anticipated the challenges and developed the Common Core Companion series for K-12. In his next smart move, he deferred to the talents of Leslie Blauman to be author of the 3-5 volume.
What makes Leslie Blauman’s Common Core Companion “that version of the standards you wish you had”? It’s the way Leslie translates each and every standard for reading, writing, speaking and listening, language, and foundational skills into the day-to-day “what you do”: lesson ideas, best literacy practices, grouping configurations, adaptations for ELL, anchor charts, and so much more.
The wisdom and how-to’s are all here, page by page:
- The standards for literature and informational texts put side by side for easier planning
- Teaching ideas for each standard
- Recommendations on how to cultivate the habits of mind that are critical to meeting the standards, including interpersonal skills, collaboration, and perseverance
- A glossary of academic language for each standard with adaptations for ELL students
- An online bank of graphic organizers, student reproducibles, sample classroom charts, rubrics, and photos
- Reproducible planning templates for each standard to help you map out lessons, select books, generate key questions, and more
With 30 years of classroom experience and consulting in schools nationwide, Leslie Blauman brings to this book a keen eye for what teachers need in order to get students in the intermediate grades ready as readers, writers, thinkers, and learners capable of meeting the Common Core’s rising expectations in middle school. Leslie’s classroom is a working model for child/staff development in reading, writing, and critical thinking in collaboration with the Public Education & Business Coalition (PEBC).
“When considering the CCSS, we need to remember that teachers do not teach standards. Teachers teach kids! A classroom teacher who mixes it up with kids every day, Leslie Blauman teaches as if her hair's on fire”
--STEPHANIE HARVEY
Coauthor of The Comprehension Toolkit
Supplements
“A classroom teacher who mixes it up with kids every day, Leslie Blauman teaches as if her hair’s on fire. Years of experience and study have led her to teach students to think strategically within a workshop model framed by active literacy practices. The Common Core Companion, Grades 3-5, lays out a road map to incorporating these research-based practices so kids can perform at their optimum, meet and exceed the CCSS, and even more importantly, become lifelong, literate, thoughtful readers and thinkers.”
“Meeting the Common Core standards is a classic half-full/half -empty dilemma. We can either gripe about our un-favorite standards, or seize this manifest opportunity. Leslie Blauman seizes big-time. Her savvy guide to the CCSS in the intermediate grades overflows with wisdom, creativity, and energy. ‘Your students are readier than you think to astound you,’ she promises. Watch her prediction come true as your students rise to the challenge with the help of these smart and practical materials.”
“Leslie Blauman--a true master teacher--pulls the CCSS off the shelf and puts them squarely in the classroom with one time-tested idea after another to make them come alive for students. She breaks down the standards while building teachers’ confidence to incorporate them into their classrooms in thoughtful, effective, caring, and rigorous ways, always keeping at the forefront the importance of real reading, real writing, and rich discussion. This volume is an invaluable guide for teachers as they tackle the Common Core.”
“Having worked with numerous principals around the country as an executive coach, and hearing their concerns regarding teacher workload and their comprehension of Common Core instructional expectations, I count this book as a ‘score’ for education. The format used literally takes the guesswork out of what needs to be taught while allowing the ‘art of teaching’ to remain. Novice or veteran, teachers will find The Common Core Companion, Grades 3-5, a great source of support for their craft, which will ultimately lead to academic success for students.”