Common Core

No matter what your feelings are about the Common Core State Standards, they are a reality in many schools. Check out the growing body of information on how to make them work for students.

Special Education
High Expectations for Students With Multiple Impairments
A special education teacher shares insights on adapting the Common Core Essential Elements for students with multiple impairments.
Communication Skills
Honing Students’ Speaking Skills
Some guidelines for teaching all students to speak credibly and confidently—an essential skill for college and career success.
Interest-Based Learning
Standards-Aligned Genius Hour
Give your students a chance to follow their own interests with projects that meet state standards.
Student Engagement
The Value of an Authentic Audience
Providing students with an audience helps them understand why their coursework is worthwhile.
Collaborative Learning
Peer Review, Common Core, and ELLs
For English-language learners, simple peer review activities that are kind, specific, and helpful will better assist students in improving their writing and learning about writing.
Literacy
Collaborative Writing, Common Core, and ELLs
By pairing up to write narratives developing experiences, events, or characters, English-language learners can produce better texts in terms of task fulfillment, grammatical accuracy, and complexity.
Literacy
Common Core Writing and ELLs
Learn about what it means to apply three key elements of the CCSS writing standards -- argument, informative/explanatory, and narrative -- when teaching English-language learners.
Project-Based Learning
A Mock US Supreme Court Hearing: The Metal Bladed Kirpan and the Free Exercise Clause
Project-Based Learning
Aligning the Projects With the Standards
PBL can align with CCSS when teachers, knowing their kids' interests and abilities, let projects evolve to meet student needs as well as the standards.
Common Core
5 Ways to Partner With Your School Counselor on the Common Core
School counseling programs must be inextricably woven together with instructional practice and school leadership.