Wednesday, April 17, 2013

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.  



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: