The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) place a significant emphasis on reading, reading comprehension, and textual support.  Engaging reluctant readers with the standards in mind can be a daunting task.  At the International Reading Association (IRA) Conference in San Antonio on April 21, 2013, Jane Feber, presented a session specifically about this challenge.  Her answer? 
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Parent Resources Explaining the Common Core Standards - One Teacher’s New Year’s Resolution! by Lori Wolfe, Monthly Columnist Happy New Year everyone! Like many teachers, I make personnel and professional resolutions each year. I try to keep them to a minimum and make them realistic. This year my professional resolution is to create and continue a
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by Lori Wolfe, Monthly Columnist As elementary teachers we are always looking for and finding strategies to use with our students that broaden and deepen their understanding when reading. We know that when students, especially second language learners, can distinguish between the shades of meanings of related words, then they can be more precise and
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Think About:  How can I help my students be creative while also meeting the goals of the Common Core State Standards? Whether you choose to celebrate the holidays during the month of December or not, it is hard to ignore the excitement and sense of anticipation that lingers in the air.  Your students feel it
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While researching the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for an upcoming article, I ran across a website that answered some key questions about the standards and reading lists for teachers.  There were some great tips about how to evaluate pieces of literature and how to integrate them into the required standards.  However, at the end
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It may be difficult to believe, but it is already time to start planning your November bulletin boards.  With most states adopting the Common Core State Standards, many teachers are now required to align their visual displays with a specific learning objective.  The boards below combine seasonal learning and fun with the standards you need
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by Melanie Ralbusky, Monthly Columnist Hello, to all of my sweet friends! This is Melanie from Schoolgirl Style. This month, I’ve been asked to blog about Common Core. Although I know quite a bit about Common Core from being a classroom teacher, my blog is about DECORATING! But, believe it or not, Common Core and
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The Common Core State Standards are in full swing and now, more than ever, they offer teachers a chance to come together to share lesson plans, ideas, and more. The #TeachChat on Wednesday, September 19th was all about the impact of the CCSS. Read the transcript by scrolling to the bottom and reading UP!

by Lori Wolfe, Monthly Columnist We are off and running with common core as we approach full adoption in the 2013-14 school year. With this in mind, have you checked out the Language Domain of the Common Core English Language Arts (ELA) standards? This great domain elevates the importance of English grammar, conventions, vocabulary in
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  by Elizabeth Supan, Monthly Columnist The new buzz words around education are “Common Core”. Most states have adopted the new Common Core State Standards, so now what? That has been the focus of many planning sessions with teachers in my building. How do we address Common Core standards while still teaching our current state
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