Certificate in Common Core Standards for English Language Arts K-5 Online Course

Don't Be Afraid of the Common Core State Standards

In the first lesson, we'll examine some of the most common myths about the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). We'll discuss the history of the standards and how they'll help you prepare students for the 21st century. You'll also learn the basic elements of the standards and discover how they relate to each other, and you'll get a handle on the terminology. By the time you finish this lesson, you'll understand the CCSS document and how to use it, and you'll be ready to start examining the standards in greater detail!

The Reading Strand

Today, we'll look at the Common Core Standards for reading. First, we'll explore the 10 anchor standards. You'll see how their broad goals are consistent throughout the grades, kindergarten through grade 12. Then, you'll see how those broad goals are articulated for each grade level in K-5. We'll spend some extra time with the 10th standard, discussing text complexity and how it's measured. And you'll get a chance to explore the text exemplars from CCSS Appendix B. By the end of today's lesson, you'll be ready to examine those Reading strand grade articulations that will be relevant to your own classroom.

Foundational Reading Skills

We're going to talk about foundational reading skills today. We'll examine the Common Core Standards for foundational reading skills, and you'll learn how these standards address the most basic literacy skills. We'll discuss ways to incorporate them into lesson plans that easily adapt for inclusive classrooms, and we'll also devote a little time to exploring CCSS Appendix A. By the end of this lesson, you'll be on your way to creating a personalized glossary and a focused collection of grade articulations for your own classroom!

Reading Informational Text

In this lesson, we'll look at how the CCSS focus on informational text prepares students for 21st-century citizenship. We'll go over some tips to help you differentiate between literature and informational text, and we'll take a quick look at the informational text exemplars from the CCSS Appendix B. We'll also discuss how text exemplars can help you determine which informational texts satisfy the Common Core Standards. And finally, we'll review some guided reading and close reading techniques and discuss why these are integral to science, math, social studies, and arts classes.

Reading Literature

In today's lesson, you'll discover how literature—stories, poetry, and drama—prepares students for their role in 21st-century society. We'll explore two more close reading strategies, and we'll look at how the tools and strategies we've covered in our discussion of the Reading strand align with the CCSS Anchor Standards for Reading.

The Writing Strand

Today, we'll look at the Common Core Standards for writing. We'll explore the 10 anchor standards for writing, and we'll review how their broad goals are consistent throughout all grades—kindergarten through 12th grade. We'll look at how those broad goals are articulated for each specific K-5 grade level, and we'll also take a peek at the writing exemplars from the CCSS Appendix C. By the end of this lesson, you'll be prepared to study the Writing strand grade articulations that will be relevant to your own classroom!

The Speaking and Listening Strand

Today we'll be looking at the Common Core Standards for Speaking and Listening. You'll learn how the speaking and listening anchor standards relate to comprehension, collaboration, and presentation of ideas. And we'll examine how these broad goals are articulated for each specific K-5 grade level. We'll also go over a few tried-and-true techniques for maintaining control in a conversational classroom!

The Language Strand

Here we'll explore the Common Core Standards for Language, the fourth and final ELA strand. You'll learn how these anchor standards relate to the conventions of standard English, how language functions in different contexts, and how young people acquire and use vocabulary. We'll also review how the broad goals of the anchor standards are articulated for each specific K-5 grade level. We'll look at some practical examples of classroom activities that encourage students to play with language, and we'll examine how "playing with language" helps students actually understand language!

Technology and Literacy Skills

In today's lesson, you'll learn how each anchor standard and grade articulation is identified by a simple-to-understand abbreviation. We'll look at all four strands and discuss the many ways technology and literacy work together in the 21st-century classroom. I'll also give you lots of great Web resources—for you, your students, and your students' families. Integrating technology into the classroom and curriculum can be a great way to reinforce literacy skills and improve learning!

Fitting It Together in a 21st-Century Classroom

Today we'll discuss how integrated literacy, curricula, classroom lessons, and homework fit together to create a CCSS-aligned learning experience. I'll give you strategies for integrating literacy across the curriculum, and we'll look at some ways to bring homework back into the classroom! I'll also give you a tool for examining your school's curriculum to ensure that it's aligned with CCSS. By the end of this lesson, you'll have the tools and knowledge you need to create a 21st-century classroom.

Assessments: How Will I Know It's Working?

Today we'll be discussing assessments. I know this is a significant concern for many teachers—the changes to assessments aligned with CCSS, as well as the administration of the new assessment. So we'll discuss summative assessments and the two new assessment consortia, PARCC and Smarter Balanced. And we'll also discuss formative assessment strategies that you can implement throughout your lessons and units. You'll be relieved to discover that you can still exercise a lot of control over the assessments you use in the classroom!

Making CCSS Come Alive in the Classroom

In our final lesson, we'll discuss how we can make CCSS come alive in the classroom. We'll talk about some strategies that will help you determine which lesson plans are already working well and align with the CCSS goals, and which you might consider replacing with new and improved lessons. And we'll also talk about ways you can differentiate your classroom instruction to meet CCSS goals and also meet the needs of your individual students. And finally, we'll look at some helpful resources for involving parents, family members, and the community in your 21st-century classroom!