Some good resources I've found...

On my quest to familiarize myself with the Common Core, I've been looking for a variety of resources that will assist in planning next year and implementing the standards strategically and with a sense of purpose/order. 

The best planning book I've found to this point is: 
The Common Core Lesson Book:  This book is very practical and covers each standard with suggested anchors for tiered instruction.  It also provides example/printable graphic organizers.  
http://www.amazon.com/Common-Core-Lesson-Book-Informational/dp/0325042934/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366254951&sr=8-1&keywords=common+core+lesson+book

They also have this book specifically for writing lessons.  Our 3rd grade writing teacher has already started using it, and also praises the structure and organization of the book on the basis of both rigor and practicality.  

http://www.amazon.com/The-Common-Core-Writing-Book/dp/0325048053/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1366255897&sr=8-2&keywords=common+core+lesson+book

Again, both of these books are straightforward and very practical in terms of getting ideas of how lessons my actually be implemented to match the Common Core State Standards.  

Anchor Charts

While I am not the expert on anchor charts, they are definitely one of my favorite things in the world of instruction.  There is something about creating them with the students, referring to them during teaching points, and then the joy of sticking them up on the wall as we move onto a new idea or discovery.  

Text Structure:

Nonfiction Unit 1st-2nd Grades

The amazing 1st grade team in my building, Wildflower Elementary, has embraced the reader's workshop mini-lesson with reckless abandon.  I'm just utterly impressed by the quality of their lessons and hope we'll continue to see our kids grow as readers and deepen their thinking about books.  

They have taken the original 3rd grade nonfiction teaching points and are breaking them down to support with more days on a single teaching point to provide additional practice toward mastery.  Hats of to everyone on the team for collaborating!

1st-2nd Grade Nonfiction Unit: Good readers use a variety of strategies to understand nonfiction text.  

Teaching Point 1: Good readers identify important details about a topic as they read. 

Day 1: Good readers identify important details about a topic as they read. 

-Using Bats by Lily Wood as model/try

Day 2: Good readers identify important details about a topic as they read.

-Using All About Frogs by Jim Arnosky as model/try

Day 3: Good readers identify important details about a topic as they read.

-Using Giraffes by Sally Morgan

Day 4: Good readers identify important details about a topic as they read.

-Using Pigs by Gail Gibbons

Day 5: Good readers identify important details about a topic as they read.

-Using Sharks by Sally Morgan

Integrating Technology

Almost the entire first year I taught Reader's Workshop I resisted the SMART Board.  I wanted nothing more than for it to go away and to have a whiteboard.  Then, something happened... I embraced the board AND the ability to scan and integrate images from books.  Since my software was just restored today by the wonderful district tech people, this first file is very basic in regards to ideas for integrating graphic organizers/journal pages into the workshop.  (It also includes the skeleton for bell ringer, fluency, and word study).  

I'll add more generic unit files in the weeks ahead AND include digital anchor charts for the units!

Tuesday-Friday Literacy/Reader's Workshop SMART Board Example

Nonfiction Unit (Grade 3-ish) Lessons

Fearless co-workers and Literacy teammates jumped in headfirst and started to create lesson plans for a nonfiction unit (much gratitude and thanks!). Given that we're in the last push before the state test, the lessons aren't in a typical sequence for introducing nonfiction text in the workshop setting.  As we revise the scope and sequence for future years, I would add in multiple additional lessons and not jump immediately into main idea and relevant details.  I think students need to spend considerable time processing through details (significant vs. insignificant) and then work to synthesize the details into an accurate main idea.   

Unit: Good nonfiction readers use a variety of strategies to understand what they're reading. 

Good readers get help identifying the main idea of nonfiction text by reading the title of the book or chapter. Good readers can identify significant details to support the main idea of the text they are reading. Good readers identify important details about the topic as they read.  Good readers ask themselves, "What do all of the important details have in common?" to help them identify the main idea.  Good readers use the main idea and important details to retell what information they've learned. Graphic Organizers to Support Unit: Identifying details to determine main idea - post-it "mat" and space to write main idea (There is room for 4 post-its within the "details" box). Teaching Points 3 & 4 Differentiated organizers to support what all of the details have in common to identify main idea. Teaching Points 3 & 4

Character Unit & Lesson Plans

Each teaching point within the unit has a corresponding lesson attached.  Teacher model and student try books are only suggestions, and corresponding read aloud lesson plans for those book can be found in the "Read Aloud" section.  Ideas for additional teaching points are always appreciated, as I'm designing lessons that correspond with a blend of the Common Core and Colorado Standards. 

Character Unit: Good readers understand the characters in their books! Good readers identify the traits of the characters and provide proof (evidence) from the story to support their thinking. Good readers notice what a character says and does and ask themselves, "What does this make me think?" to make an inference about the character. Graphic Organizers: Teaching Points 1 & 2 Good readers identify how a character's feelings change throughout a story and the events that contribute to their change.   Good readers synthesize what they’ve read by identifying and sequencing the character’s most significant events. Graphic Organizers: Teaching Points 3 & 4

Read Aloud Plans (Picture Books)

I first used many of these picture book plans with my 2nd grade class.  Starting in January 2013, since my students aren't quite as proficient of readers, I will be using them with my 3rd grade literacy group.  Depending on the purpose and reading level of your students, they could definitely be used with a wide range of rades. 

All of the read-alouds are written the same way to include:
-Main Idea/Lesson of the story in both adult/student friendly language
-Aligned teacher "Think Alouds" and student "Turn and Talks"

Ideally, the entire read aloud would take about 15-20 minutes, with some books being shorter and others longer.  All of the read alouds I post will be utilized for teacher modeling and student try's during Reader's Workshop lessons.  We'll be emphasizing fiction at first, and then jumping to nonfiction.  

Read Aloud Plans:

Doctor De Soto by William Steig

Enemy Pie by Derek Munson

My Name is Yoon by Helen Recorvits

Not Norman: A Goldfish Story by Kelly Bennett

Something Beautiful by Sharon Dennis Wyeth

Days with Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel: "Tomorrow"
Days with Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel: "The Kite"

Houndsley & Catina: Plink & Plunk by James Howe
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3

Julius: The Baby of the World by Kevin Henkes

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes

Oliver Button is a Sissy by Tomie de Paola

Ruby the Copycat by Peggy Rathmann

The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson

The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch

Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts

Wings by Christopher Myers