Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Algebra 1 - Common Core Resources

There is a growing number of online resources for this foundational high school course including more traditional sets of resources that are comprised of an organized set of files as well as completely online courses.  Please find below various links to these resources.  Let me know if there are others I should add!

Algebra 1 Teachers

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Here is the description from this website maintained by Jeanette Stein:

"Algebra 1 Teachers is a tool that will help with Algebra 1 scope and sequence using the new Common Core State Standards. Lesson plans, assessments, activities, organization, and even tips on keeping your sanity will be addressed on this website and in my newsletter."

This is a compilation of resources from around the web as well as specific documents created by teachers do address the common core state standards.  It is organized by unit and standard to offer both resources as well as a reasonable scope and sequence for Algebra 1.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Districts working on #commoncore

While this list is not exhaustive, and I hope people will contact me with more examples, there are many districts from across the country thinking through and making available curriculum resources they have developed from the common core state standards. 

Verona Public Schools, NJ

Verona Public Schools is currently undergoing a remapping of their curriculum utitilizing the Understanding By Design framework.  The detailed curriculum maps are impressive and provide a solid thinking through of their curriculum k-12.  The link above provides access to all curricular areas. Below are a few screenshots (one from ELA and one from Math):

Jordan-Granite Consortium, Utah

These two districts have separately and together provided an amazing number of resources in both ELA and Math (with some very compelling work in Mathematics).  While there is an amazing number of resources, I will try to spell out some of the most salient.  The ELA resources are district specific, but the math resources are at both the district and the consortium level (as far as I can tell).  The consortium level work on mathematics contains some really wonderful resources!

Jordan District Link

Here just a few pictures of what you will find with some faithful clicking at the Jordan District links above:

Granite District Link

 

The Granite District has provided us all curriculum maps in ELA and Math as well as an awesome k-12 vocabulary program (vocabulary cards, implementation strategies, PD, etc.) among other resources. This site seems to be growing so it is a good place to check back to and see what is developing.  The list below is just a sampling of the resources they have put together.

Jordan-Granite Consortium Mathematics

The resources here are constantly expanding, shifting, and improving, but above all else inspiring for districts looking for models of digitizing their curriculm, aligning to common core, and producing quality instructional supports and resources for teachers.  Any 7-12 math teacher should visit this to see what they are doing.

There is so much on these two websites that it is hard to prioritize or even list where to begin.  I encourage people when they visit the Middle School link to go to the tabs for "7th Old" and "8th Old" where they have a complete year of work that is common core aligned/designed and has excellent resources.  If you are overwhelmed, e-mail me and I'll tell you what I found helpful

Middle School Mathematics (7th and 8th--remember to look at 7th old and 8th old!)

Seconday Mathematics (HS)

Oakland Schools, Michigan

Oakland Schools has employed Rubicon International to organize and digitize their curriculum maps k-12 using the common core state standards.  It provides a wonderful architecture to their work as a district and allows for the connection of their scope and seqeunce with instructional resources. When using the filter in the search box select "Common Core" under the school field to only search within the maps for common core or select "Common Core" under the map type field.

Clark County Public Schools Literacy Wiki, Kentucky

As many of you know Kentucky was the lead state in common core implementation and Clark County has established this wiki and shared their work with us all.  The site contains an enormous amount of information and includes lesson plans, assessments, and several types of instructional tools and supports a teacher uses in their day-to-day classes. Here are a bulleted list of some of the components you can find on the website that I found particularly helpful, insightful, or new; however, every page of the wiki is worth a click or two!

Deconstructed Standards (divided by grades and by reading, writing, listening, and speaking)

Middle School On Demand Writing

Middle Schools Language Standard Checklists

Middle School Assessment Blueprints

High School Language Arts Standards Checklists

 

 

 

 

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Utah and North Carolina-Unpacking and Teaching the Standards

Utah
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Both of these states (see also Arizona) have done a tremendous job unpacking the standards, interpreting them, and providing entry points for teachers' to translate the standards into their curriculum. Utah's site is considerably larger with more materials, resources, etc., but they heavily relied on the great work of North Carolina in their unpacking of the standards.

North Carolina:

These sets of unpacked standards are great to refer to as teachers really start to dig into the standards and want a second opinion on their meaning and how to start seeing them in their classroom.  The North Carolina unpacked standards are a great companion to the Common Core State Standards.

Here is a link to the ELA standards unpacked:     ELA Unpacked Standards

Here is a link to the MATH standards unpacked:  Math Unpacked Standards

*Kansas has translated these unpacked standards and added some additional information in their grade level flipbooks for mathematics.  Very cool and user friendly!

 

Utah:

Utah has a plethora of resources that cascade down their Common Core homepage.  Nearly all are worth a click and send you to a range of resources from technology, to news, videos, templates, lesson plans, etc.  UTAH has done an amazing job!  The links highlighted belwo are just a few of the things I discovered that were helpful and new to me.

Unpacked Math Standards:

They have taken the unpacking of standards even further than North Carolina and have really explored the standards at the cluster level.  Look at the series of screenshots below to see what they do for a single mathematical standard 5.0A.3.  Wonderful.

To access the unpacked math standards scrolldown on the homepage to Math.

Lesson Plans in ELA and Math:

With this work in both ELA and Math and their rich unpacking of the standards, they have also developed lesson plans that are cross-linked with the standards.  They are multiple ways to get to the lesson plans, but the homepage for the lesson plans is located here

Utah_k-12_lesson_plans

Summer Academy-Teacher-developed resources

Utah is developing curriculum maps, tools, lesson plans, and other resources each summer through their "Core Academy."  Teachers gather, collaborate, and share their work with the world.  Here is the link to the ELA resources from 2011 and a link to the math resources I could find (I am looking for more!) screenshot of what you will find once you click on these links.

Jordan and Granite Schools: District-Wide Implementation

This is a gold mine full of hard work and thought that represents a scope of implementation that is hard to find anywhere else.  I will try to outline some of the big links to collections of great resources, but the work of these districts deserves a great deal of time for those interested in implementation from a classroom teacher to a principal or superintendent.  I have included links below and a gallery of screenshots of what you will find here.

ELA 6-12 Resources (a lot of things to click, but some wonderful resources here)

Secondary Math Resources (very strong unit design and wide selection of performance tasks and formative assessments)

Middle School Math Resources (very strong unit design and wide selection of performance tasks and formative assessments)

More to come on this post, but wanted to get it up and out there.  Utah has a great deal to offer us all!

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Kansas-Text Complexity and PD Modules*

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The ELA and Literacy resources homepage offers a vast and useful set of resources ranging from powerpoints, visual maps, and videos to training modules, graphic organizers, and vignettes on specific instructional practices.  The following are only some of the highlights of the resources offered by Kansas, which seem the most compelling for schools and districts anywhere trying to implement and transition to the common core.

Text Complexity Resources:  Much of this information exists in several different places, but Kansas has localized all of their text complexity resources in one place.  They provide all the documents necessary to "understand" how text complexity is determined as well as several worked out examples to help ground the conversation.  The intents of their set of resources is to build competencies and really enable an educator(s) to walk away with solid conception of text complexity.  Below are some snapshots of what you will find on text complexity:

Grade-Level Band Resources:  Kansas organizes the resources by the text complexity bands, which allows the set of resources to truly embody the text complexity framework.  In addition, each of these bands are grouped into "summer academies" so that these bands also become the professional development groupings for ELA.  Everything about this seems to work together to make an incredible set of resources.  There are built in a PD environment and nested within a key part of the common core standards.  Here is a link to each of the grade level bands and beneath them a set of screenshots of what you will find!):

  • Grades K-2 Band
  • Grades 3-5 Band
  • Grades 6-8 Band
  • Grades 9-12 Band:  This band is particularly cavernous and an adventure into a wealth of resources.  From here this "summar academy" directs you to a wiki where teachers have posted an amazing amount of lesson plans, templates, etc.  Definitely worth an exploration by secondary teachers.  VAST!

*Special thanks to @ChristinaHank for pointing me toward the outstanding resources on text complexity as well as PD modules on common core.