Common Core for Language Resources

Have you begun thinking about what materials you plan to use

next year in order to meet the new Common Core State Standards? 

Here in Georgia, and in our school district, we are implementing the new standards in both Reading and Math, so my head is definately spinning. 

As I've been planning and looking at our new standards to get ready for next year, I thought it would be helpful to list the CCSS for products I have on TPT.  I decided to start with my products that meet  CCSS Language Standards.

Click on these pictures for Common Core lessons or products...
The CCSS is listed with each one.

All There is to Know About Verbs

3.L.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard english grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

a. Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in general and their functions in particular sentences. 

d. Form and use regular and irregular verbs. *

e. Form and use the simple verb tenses. 

f. Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.

Verbs!  Grammar Games 

3.L.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard english grammar and usage when writing or speaking. 

d. Form and use regular and irregular verbs.

e. Form and use the simple verb tenses. *

f. Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.

Snowy Adjectives

3.L.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard english grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

a. Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in general and their functions in particular sentences. *  

d. Form and use comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs, and choose between them depending on what is to be modified.

How and When to Use Commas

3.L.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

b. Use commas in addresses.

c. Use commas and quotation marks in dialogue.

Idioms Pirate Treasure Hunt

3.L.5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in wrod meanings.

a. Distinguish the literal and nonliteral meanings of words and phrases in context.

Multiplie Meaning Words

3.L.4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple meaning word and phrases based on grade 3 reading and content, choosing flexibility from a range of strategies.

a. Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase. 

I'll list more products aligned with their new Common Core State Standards soon.

Freebie: Idiom Response Activity

Here is a great freebie to help you meet the following new Common Core standards in your literacy classes.

CCSS RL4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language.
CCSS L5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in word meanings.

• a. Distinguish the literal and nonliteral meanings of words and phrases in contex.

Use this in a literacy center, in a response journal, or by itself after a lesson on idioms.

New Common Core Reading Lessons Blog

Almost all of our fifty states are implementing the new National Common Core State Standards.  We are all a bit "spinning" as we plan for this next year, looking for helpful materials as we implement these new standards. 

Well...there is this great new blog,  created by Charity Preston, called Common Core Reading Lessons whose purpose is to provide high quality resources to meet the demands of these new Common Core standards.

What is so great is that these resources are organized by grade level and matched to the exact standard the product or lesson is designed to meet.  I have submitted several products for listing on this site, including my Mulitiple Meaning Word Games.  If you click on the button below you will go directly to the site to browse these helpful resources.   

Click here to go to my Multiple Meaning Words Games...

Students choose from a group of multiple meaning words to fill in the blanks of sentence strips like those posted here...

                     Click here to go to the blog, Common Core Reading Lessons...

Lucy Calkins video: writing lesson

I stumbled across this great video today on You Tube and wanted to share it.  It is by Lucy Calkins. 

In the video she is acting as if she were the teacher presenting a writing lesson to a class of students.  It's only a little over 6 minutes, and well worth the time to view. 

The parts I loved included how she described a "Curmudgeon" (had to check the spelling on this one).  She models what this is and gives children the sense that they don't want to be one.  Then she speaks of how to correctly read their writing pieces...to honor their writing... to read their writing "as if it were gold."

Her lesson really sets the stage for students to take their writing seriously and to give it their best.  I think this is a great mini-lesson to start the year off with in Writers's Workshop. 

Here it is...

Common Core Standards Posters for 3rd Grade

At our school, we are asked to post our standards in our classrooms.  We change them daily for each subject area.  To manage this, our grade level decided to make posters (8 1/2 in. x 11 in.) for each subject and hang them on the whiteboards with a one inch ring.  At the end of each day, I flip the posters to the next day's standards.   

I've just made a new set of posters for our new Common Core Standards for both Language Arts and for Math.  I've included a seperate pattern-colored background/border for each strand, for organizational purposes. 

 If would like to use these too,

you can find them at my TPT store here.

These are a few of the Language Arts posters...

Here are a few of the Math posters...

For those of you who only teach reading or only teach math, I have made seperate poster packs just for you.  No need to have anything more than what you need. 

You can find my Common Core Posters for Language Arts here on TPT.   

You can find my Common Core Posters for Math here on TPT.

Click here to find more Common Core Reading Lessons ...

Click here to find more Common Core Math Lessons ...

Manic Monday FREEBIE: Athens, Greece Compare and Contrast Double Bubble Map

Here is a Manic Monday Freebie,

If you teach about Ancient Greece,
I know you'll love it!

I'd like to share this freebie with you.  Have you been introduced to these new thinking maps?

We had a staff development class on them during pre-planning this past year, and we've tried to incorporate them into our weekly plans. This thinking map is a graphic organizer that compares and contrasts two concepts. Its called a double-bubble thinking map.

Well here is one I use in my Ancient Greece unit. Here in Georgia, one of our standards is to teach students to compare and contrast the culture, government and architecture of Ancient Greece to that of the United States. My students really enjoy the activities, visuals, and lessons in this unit.

This is one of the activities included in this unit. Compare and contrast the architecture and culture of Ancient Greece with that of the United States with this double bubble thinking map. If you like this, you may want to take a look at the full instructional unit called, “Ancient Greece: Its Influence on American Architecture and Government.”

Here is the FREEBIE... 

A Treasure of Word Sorts: Spelling lists for the whole year

I am loving my summer vacation!  Like many of you, I have had taken care of many duties that are much easier to do once we are out of school.  My “chores” have included:  dentist appointments, car maintenance appointments, children’s sports physicals, pet vaccinations, clearing up insurance issues, Vacation Bible School, and I’m about to start what my husband has been waiting months for... “cleaning out”. 

  However I’ve enjoyed some great activities too:  our school’s book mobile, working with my flowers, weekly swim parties with friends, sleeping in (here and there = anything past 6:30am is sleeping in for me), having lunch with friends in real restaurants, reading with my youngest child (and not being pressed for time), and of course designing new products for use in my classroom. 

My newest product is called A Treasure of WordSorts: Spelling for the Whole Year...more than you can actually use in a whole year = 40 sets of word sorts! I’ve complied many of the most common word sorts that I use in my 3^rd grade classroom, into an easy to manage skill list set. 

These sorts have feature words which act as examples of the spelling pattern for that lesson.  They are underlined for identification.  I introduce these words in small group and teach the phonics rules of spelling there.  When I teach a word with a CVC spelling pattern, I tell students that this pattern makes the vowel have a short sound.  I record the feature words and the rules of the spelling pattern (the sort) on my copy of a “Treasure Chest of Sorting Sheet”.  See the picture below.

 

On my copy, I record the feature word in the pirate’s hat, and then write a brief rule below in the waves.  I have students record the same thing on their sorting sheets as I write.  They can refer to my sheet if they find they make a mistake or lose theirs before the assessment. Here is a copy of one of mine, but with the entire sort filled for illustration purposes here.

 

I do not record the word sorts.  I leave this for my students to do independently or with their parent help (hw).  However, I do choose a word or two from each sort (spelling pattern) to ask the group which treasure chest it belongs in (which sort it belongs to).  In the beginning, I do allow them to go ahead and record those words.  As the year goes on, I have them save that to do on their own, for time’s sake.

Whole class, in centers, or with a peer, I have the students cut their word lists apart and practice sorting them under the correct underlined feature word (on the floor or at their desk).  My students do this several times during the week. My students refer to this poster with a list of sort activities (part of this packet).

For homework or as independent work, have students write their sorts on their Treasure Chest Sorting Sheet.   It is important that you check it for accuracy prior to the assessment, then hand it back for students to study.

Included in this packet, 40 sets of word sorts or spelling lists, a poster of word sort activities for display in the classroom, and there are also directions on how to assess the sorts.

You can get this product at my stores on either TPT or TN. I hope this will be helpful.  Let me know what you think.