1. Teaching to the Standards
Integrating the Common Core State Standards into
Lesson Plans
Instruction
- Assessments
Maria Miller – 3rd Grade
Haywood County Schools

2. What is… Common Core and State Standards? Unpacking Document
What students should learn and be able to do in Mathematics and English Language Arts in K-12. Implemented in all North Carolina classrooms beginning in Designed to help students be competitive nationally when they graduate high school and attend college or universities. Also, to help ensure that all students are college and career ready in literacy no later than the end of high school. Essentially, this is your guide.
Unpacking Document
A more specific break down of the Common Core. It describes what each standard means a student will know and will be ab to do and gives examples. Basically, this unravels the language of the Common Core
Pacing Guide
- Developed by a curriculum council in a county and helps keep teachers “on track” and organized in a timely manner

3. Integrating the Common Core in Lesson Planning:
A few ideas to keep in mind :
Start with the standard(s) for each subject. What are you teaching? Make a note in your lesson plan about which standard(s) you are covering
Show students – “This is what I am teaching you today and this is what you will be learning”
Make notes in your plans of which students had difficulty with a particular standard
Order in which you teach the standards…
It is helpful to plan with your grade level
Print out and keep a tabbed notebook of the unpacking documents to easily refer to

4. Integrating the Common Core in Instruction:
Make it interesting! Allow students to actively explore, research, and solve complex problems
Present the lesson in a way that allows students to relate that information to real-world experiences.
Collaborate with other teachers who will be working with your students, in order to plan your lessons and how it is to be taught. (Title I reading, math, media coordinator, EC, etc.)
Make it engaging! This will help them understand, make connections, and retain information better
Integrate science and social studies with reading – Expose your students to LOTS of nonfiction text

5. Integrating the Common Core thru Assessing:
Mclass (and progress monitoring throughout)
In – class assessments & common assessments throughout grade level (guided reading groups, math groups, one-on-one)
Mastery Connect
Student conferencing
Oral questioning and group discussions
Class exit slips

6. So…Where do you begin?
Meet with your team to discuss an overview of plan. Once you become familiar with standards, come up with an outline, if your team finds this helpful
Look at your county pacing guide & unpacking documents for each subject – use these to plan your lessons
Collaborate with your team!

7. Helpful Resources:
NCDPI website - maccss.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Elementary (GREAT RESOURCE)
Xtramath
Readworks.org
The Continuum of Literacy Learning, Grades K-8 by Fountas and Pinnell
Kathy Bumgardner website

8. “When you’re green, you’re growing. When you’re ripe, you rot”
Some Advice…
This takes time and practice! It does not happen overnight
Know your students!- Where do they come from…where do they need to be?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions!
Seek out help!!! Find a veteran teacher expert, mentor, or other elementary professional to go to for advice, help, questions, etc.
Collaborate with your grade level team and be willing to share information, resources, and ideas
Don’t be over-confident …never think you
know it all
“When you’re green, you’re growing. When you’re ripe, you rot”

9. Always remember why you went into this profession…And always do what is best for your students!
“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these” ~George Washington Carver
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”
~ Maya Angelou