An English Language Arts Common Core Resource

Just dropping in to share a great web find regarding the Common Core, specifically those for English Language Arts.

(picture source)

I was browsing around a new-to-me blog named  Read, Write, and Reflect.  It's authored by Katherine Sokolowski, a fifth grade teacher.  She mentioned that in getting ready for back-to-school she had printed some handouts for the common core including a bookmark.

Hmmmm, bookmark?  That piqued my interest, so I followed her link to Tulare County Office of Education English Language Arts Resource page.  There's a mouthful!  The link will take you directly to that page.

There are several links on the page, but there are two that specifically caught my interest.  The first was the links under the heading "ELA CCCSS by grade level."  You just click on your grade level and it gives you a succinct print out of the standards for that grade level.  Here's a direct link to the 4th grade PDF as an example:  Fourth Grade CCCSS

The second link the caught my eye, and is perhaps the most helpful, is the bookmark Katherine also loved in her post.  It's really way more than a bookmark.  In fact, it's several pages long.  However, here is what it does.  It takes each standard, states the standard at the top, then the essential skills and concepts the standard covers, followed by the academic vocabulary you would use. Just scroll down the page, and you will find all the grade level links for them under the heading "ELA CCCSS bookmarks."  Here is a direct link to the 4th grade PDF bookmark as an example: Fourth Grade Bookmarks  As with the other page, all grade levels are available.

I should note a few things.
1.  The standards are listed as "California Common Core" but, unless I missed something, it really is just the common core.  Take a look for yourself.  I don't think you need to teach in California for these documents to be helpful.
2.  There are many more links on the page with other resources.  I've just listed the two I found most helpful.
3.  All the way to the left on the main page is a link for the math common core page.  I didn't find it as helpful, but it did have some good information regarding fractions.  Fractions seems to be the big change in math.  Mastery of fraction skills have been redistributed around grade levels.  Their math resource page has a good link for a document that shows you exactly what fraction work is being done at each grade level between grades 2-5.  Those seem to be the grade levels where most of the fraction changes were made.

Browse around and see if this site would be helpful to you.
And, don't forget to visit Katherine's blog and say hi: Read, Write, and Reflect.