Ms.

Gaines 5th grade classroom~~~Common Core Blog~~~Helping Parents Understand

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As your childs 5 grade teacher, I understand how confusing and overwhelming the Common Core State
Standards can be. As a teacher just being introduced to it, I was a bit overwhelmed myself. This is the
reason I have created this blog to assist the parents of my students in understanding what the Common
Core State Standard is, why it was implemented, its purpose and I how plan to help both you and your
child through it. Please feel free to comment on the blog, ask questions, share your knowledge and assist
others. Together we will succeed!

Overview and focus of the Common Core State Standards initiative

The Common Core State Standards Initiative is an education initiative in the

United States that details what K-12 students should know in English language
arts and mathematics at the end of each grade. The initiative is sponsored by the
National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School
Officers (CCSSO) and seeks to establish consistent education standards across
the states as well as ensure that students graduating from high school are
prepared to enter credit-bearing courses at two- or four-year college programs
or enter the workforce.
"Frequently Asked Questions". Common Core State Standards Initiative. Retrieved March
31, 2014.

Common Core Television

CCSS was developed to provide a clear and concise framework to prepare students in the K-12
environment for college and careers.
What is the Common Core?
State education chiefs and governors in 48 states came together to develop the Common Core, a set of
clear college- and career-ready standards for kindergarten through 12th grade in English language
arts/literacy and mathematics. Today, 44 states have voluntarily adopted and are working to
implement the standards, which are designed to ensure that students graduating from high school are
prepared to take credit bearing introductory courses in two- or four-year college programs or enter
the workforce.
Why are the Common Core State Standards important?
High standards that are consistent across states provide teachers, parents, and students with a set of
clear expectations to ensure that all students have the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in
college, career, and life upon graduation from high school, regardless of where they live. These
standards are aligned to the expectations of colleges, workforce training programs, and employers.
The standards promote equity by ensuring all students are well prepared to collaborate and compete
with their peers in the United States and abroad. Unlike previous state standards, which varied widely
from state to state, the Common Core enables collaboration among states on a range of tools and
policies, including the:

Development of textbooks, digital media, and other teaching materials

Development and implementation of common comprehensive assessment systems that replace
existing state testing systems in order to measure student performance annually and provide
teachers with specific feedback to help ensure students are on the path to success
Development of tools and other supports to help educators and schools ensure all students are
able to learn the new standards

Analysis of how differentiation can be applied to teaching in the classroom

Differentiation in teaching allows the teacher to meet the student where they are. Applying this to the classroom is
very important so that all students can be engaged in what they are learning. While one student may be okay with
independent reading of the required text, while another student may need a group setting to better comprehend.
In a situation like this, a teacher can offer independent reading time as well as group time. This will meet the needs
of both types of learners. Also the teacher can incorporate a lot of visual aids such as having the students as a class
to create a giant timeline of how event occur in the text they are reading. A giant roll of paper can be spread out
across the classroom floor and the students can input on the paper where certain things occurred within the story.
This will allow all students to participate no matter how big or small the information they provide to the timeline.
The most effective teachers do whatever it takes to hook the whole range of children on learning
~Carol Tomlinson (2001)

A description of the Standards for Mathematics

Mathematics standards are to achieve greater focus and coherence in the curriculum. The mathematics standards include
Standards for Mathematical Practice and Standards for Mathematical Content. The Standards mandate that eight principles of
mathematical practice be taught. These eight principles are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.

Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
Model with mathematics.
Use appropriate tools strategically.
Attend to precision.
Look for and make use of structure.
Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

Computer software or websites

that will assist students in
understanding different areas of
math.
Example is: http://www.ixl.com/
Colored Cups: Give
students in groups 3
different colored cups.
Green means they are
doing well. Yellow means
they need help. Red
means they are stuck and
need a lot of help. This is
a great way for the
teacher to monitor group
work. This allows me
know as a teacher what
students need help and in
what area. Can setup
separate groups for these
students to get the
needed help.

this site helps with different

math skills for grades K-8

Five differentiated
strategies, tools, or
activities thatll
support teachers
implementation of
the CCSS for
Mathematics

Divide and Conquer: Divide the

class into groups. Each group
has a section of the board to
write on. Each group is given
different problems to solve. The
group takes turns going up to
answer the problem, but the
group can help each other out.

Pass the Ball: the

students will get in
a circle. The teacher
will ask a math
question. If the
student is correct,
they get to shoot
the ball into a
basket. If they are
wrong, they throw
it to a peer for help.

Choral Response: Choral

response is a very simple
technique in which the teacher
asks questions to the class as a
whole and the students answer
in unison. This is a good way of
assessing the classs overall
understanding without singling
students out.

In Grade 5, Math instructional time should focus on three critical areas: (1)developing understanding and fluency with multidigit multiplication, and developing understanding of dividing to find quotients involving multi-digit dividends; (2) developing an
understanding of fraction equivalence, addition and subtraction of fractions with like denominators, And multiplication of
fractions by whole numbers; (3) understanding that geometric figures can be analyzed and classified based on their properties,
such as having parallel sides, perpendicular sides, particular angle measures, and symmetry(Common Core Standards for
Mathematics).

A description of the Standards for English Language Arts

The stated goal of the English & Language Arts standards is to ensure that students are college and
career ready in literacy no later than the end of high school (Common Core State Standards Initiative,
2010). There are five key components to the standards for English and Language Arts. These five
components are:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

Reading
Writing
Speaking and Listening
Language
Media and Technology

Five differentiated strategies, tools, or activities thatll support teachers implementation of the
CCSS for English Language Arts

One Minute Essay: After the teach relays new

information to the students, give them one minute
to write a short essay about what they have learned.
They are much more likely to remember the
material if you do this from time to time and have
them write it down.

computer software and websites designed to assist

in reading and writing comprehension and fluency.

Think-Pair-Share: Have the students read or study

something. Give them time to think and reflect. Put
the students in pairs and let them discuss the
material. Let the pairs share what they have learned
or their thoughts.

Three Minute Pause: After the teacher presents a

lot of new material, she asks the students to think
for three minutes about what they have learned.
They can jot down notes or sketches to show what
they have learned.

Example is : Raz-kids, http://www.raz-kids.com/

this site consist of over 400 interactive ebooks for
grade K-12

Flow Maps: these can help students organize the

information they have heard, read and learned.
They can add to their flow map as they learn more
and the flow map can be used as a reference later
such as for a project or essay on the topic or as a
move visual study guide

Links to find more information on the Common Core State Standards

Common Core State Standards Webpage: www.CoreStandards.org

Common Core Works: www.CommonCoreWorks.org
National Governors Associations Center for Best Practices: http://
www.nga.org/cms/home/nga-center-for-best-practices/center-issues/pageeduissues/col2-content/main-content-list/common-core-state-standards.
Html
The following website for CASEL addresses implementing Social
Emotional Learning standards and practices into the school:
http://casel.org/in-schools/implementation/implementation-guidance/
The Career Readiness Partnership Council has created a definition
of what it means to be career ready. This information can be found
at http://www.careerreadynow.org/
The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) provides Common
Core State Standards information for families and educators of
Latino students. Handouts are in English and Spanish. Two great
resources from this organization are 1) an implementation guide
for educators called Raising the Bar: Implementing Common Core
State Standards for Latino Student Success and 2) a report called
Access to Common Standards for All: An Advocacy Tool Kit for
Supporting Success. These can be found at www.nclr.org

References
"Common Core State Standards For English Language Arts & Literacy In History/Social Studies, Science, And
Technical Subjects". Common Core State Standards Initiative. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
"Frequently Asked Questions". Common Core State Standards Initiative. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
Common Core State Standards for Mathematics". Common Core State Standards Initiative. Retrieved March 31,
2014.
Stancil, T. (n.d.). Differentiated instruction strategies. Retrieved from http://cnweb.cn.edu/tedu/New
Website Docs/DifferentiatedInstructionStrategiesKit.pdf