of standard English grammar and usage
Knowledge of Language
3. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown … words and phrases
5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships … nuances
6. Acquire and use … general academic and domain-specific words and phrases
Part 5. Reading Standards: Foundational Skills
Phonics and Word Recognition
3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words
Fluency
4. Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension
Resource A. Common Core Recommended Reading Lists
Resource B. Text Complexity Tool
Resource C. Planning Calendar Templates
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Visit the companion website atwww.corwin.com/thecommoncorecompanion for reproducibles, booklists, and other resources. |
Note: For the complete Common Core State Standards document, please visit corestandards.org.
Preface
Heading into each new school year, we face the same challenges: lots of kids, lots to learn, lots to teach, and the feeling that there is never enough time. Really, it’s so often about time — especially now, with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in place. I am sure you would agree with me that what we need most is time to decipher what the standards say, digest what they mean, and ultimately, figure out how to really use them thoughtfully when we are planning and teaching.
It was this lack of time, in fact, that moved me to create my own translation of the CCSS, one I could keep by my side for quick reference when designing a lesson, meeting with other teachers or the administrator evaluating me. You see, I like to tweak things to make them easier to use. So I reconfigured the layout of the standards in a way that everyone I showed it to found more intuitive, more efficient, and more conducive to the kinds of collaboration across grades that’s so critical to our work and our students’ success. The result was The Common Core Companion — one for grades 6–8 and another for grades 9–12.
I wanted my books to be schoolwide tools, making it easier for administrators and teachers to work together. Once the Companions were published, it was immediately obvious from teachers’ responses that they filled that need. It was also immediately obvious that intermediate elementary grade teachers were in search of the same kind of assistance. But I knew I would need not just a partner but my own mentor — someone who is a classroom teacher just as I am, but with an intimate understanding of grades 3–5 kids. Leslie Blauman was the logical choice. It is her wisdom and intelligence that fills these pages, for she is the one who helped me understand not only the meaning but the power and potential of the CCSS for grades 3–5.
While there is so much to recommend Leslie, especially her work as a literacy coordinator and a demonstration teacher at the Public Education & Business Coalition, it is her 30 years of hands-on experience in the classroom that make her uniquely qualified for this project—and her dedication to kids! This grades 3–5 version retains many of the formatting features that have worked so well with middle and high school teachers. But Leslie made it her own, pumping up the volume of teaching ideas and providing online resources, including graphic organizers, book lists, and a gallery of photos detailing CCSS- based teaching and learning. She knew what you would want, what you need.
This is the year we will all learn about the CCSS for real, in order to teach them so students will learn them. Thanks to Leslie, The Common Core Companion, Grades 3–5 provides you both a tool and a trustworthy friend to help you save time and teach even better what you have no doubt taught so well for so long.
—Jim Burke
Acknowledgments
When you get the opportunity to work with an editor like Wendy Murray, you jump at the chance. She has a way of drawing out authors’ ideas, giving them the courage to particularize what they do in the classroom, which is remarkable. And as if that isn’t lucky enough, Wendy introduced me to Corwin publisher Lisa Luedeke and brought me onto this project, and for that I am forever grateful. Both Lisa and Wendy worked their magic on this book, and I thank them. Maura Sullivan, another friend, is the marketing mastermind who was already devising how to get the book visibility before I typed a word. No one knows this field like Maura and no one cares about the big success of a book as much as she does. Then there is Jim Burke. No one cares about the success of adolescents and their engagement as much as he does. He has been a valued resource, offering guidance as only someone who created this Common Core Companion could. I am in awe of what he envisioned and designed, and I am honored to be a part of the series. A giant thank you to Sharon Taberski, a friend and mentor from the ground up. Reading drafts of her K-2 version helped spark ideas, and in “draft-swapping” we hope to create a seamless flow between the primary, intermediate, and upper/secondary grades as the Common Core is implemented.
In addition, there are many more talented people at Corwin that I need to thank. Julie Nemer, another of my editors on this project, was instrumental in getting me going, offering encouragement, and helping me learn the ropes. Thank you to Melanie Birdsall for tending to the smallest details in editing and preparing the manuscript. And many thanks to Amy Rosenstein for her exemplary editing of my manuscript. Francesca Dutra Africano has kept me on track, answering all my questions and providing me with everything I needed.
A huge thank you to my colleagues at Cherry Hills Village Elementary. Especially our principal, Molly Drvenkar, who would not so gently tell me “Get back to writing, Blauman—we need that book!” Her humor and guidance make coming to work every day a blessing. And then to teach on a team of tremendously talented teachers — Clay Borchert, Kristin Schultz, and Jessica Yoffe who model collegiality and best practice. We continue to learn (and laugh) with each other — especially as we dig into the standards! A huge note of gratitude to Nate Krulish, our technology teacher, who I constantly bombarded with questions, and he always had the answers. Sue Beman, an exceptional learning specialist and a dear friend,
