Common Core Curriculum Maps in English Language Arts: Grades 6-8

by Great Minds

The first books to present specific guidance for teaching the Common Core State Standards Forty-three states plus D.C and the U.S. Virgin Islands have signed on to adopt the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The need for curriculum guides to assist teachers in helping students meet these standards has become imperative. Created by teachers, for teachers, the research-based curriculum maps in this book present a comprehensive, coherent sequence of thematic units for teaching the skills outlined in the CCSS for English language arts in Grades 6-8. Each grade is broken down into six units that include focus standards, suggested works, sample activities and assessments, lesson plans, etc. Any teacher, school, or district that chooses to follow the Common Core maps can be confident that they are adhering to the standards.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published October 4, 2011

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful book that maps out the ccss and gives ELA lesson plans for each grade, 6-8. The problem I have with this book are the assumptions it makes about the background knowledge students bring to the table, especially in regards to research and writing. Most of the lesson plans involve a small research project if some sort. The problem lies in the fact that it assumes students can effectively locate and evaluate information on the web in addition to being able to write critically about what they have read.

The plans allow for great text to text connections between modern and classical works but does this in addition to many other things in a short amount of time. In a perfect classroom these ideas would be wonderful to implement but extremely difficult in the large diverse classrooms I see.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is certainly not a cover-to-cover read. I did enjoy looking at the ideas in the units, many of which seemed to carry over from one unit to the next. While the suggested texts aren't necessarily things I have at my disposal, I think that the overall ideas for the units, and some of the specific projects within, are things that can be adapted and used with any unit. Many of these ideas will make their way into my classroom this year, but I doubt that I'll be taking any of the units in their entirety.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was really just OK. I appreciate what it was trying to do, and it was a good way to take a baby step into understanding some of the text-rich units the Common Core is striving for, but these units seemed... boring, for one thing. I didn't see myself wanting to use any.

[Dayna Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful for any Language Arts teacher whose district is about to adopt Common Core. The ideas are specific enough to be helpful and broad enough to adapt to your own teaching style.

[Karen Bessin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems like a good starting point for discussions of curriculum.

[Beth Robertson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This gives great ideas on how to implement the Common Core with resources already in place.

[Eileen Lennon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book to inspire ELA teachers.

[Lisa Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm