How do I implement the common core State Standards in the classroom?
As a teacher the Common Core State Standards provide me with clear and consistent guidelines for the skills and understandings my students need to have in Mathematics and English Language Arts.
I use the CCSS as guidelines when developing units, lesson plans, and assessments. What I find to be a great aspect of the CCSS is that they clearly state the skills my students need to understand, but they do not tell me how I have to teach the skills- this is where my creativity comes in! My creativity allows me to teach to the needs of each of my students because they are all individuals- no two are exactly alike.
I design and carry out my unit lessons using a framework for learning called "Understanding by Design". My graduate level coursework at Oakland University has allowed me to become efficient in developing and carrying out lessons plans that follow this backward design approach. It is known as a backward design because it is backward to the way many educators plan. My lessons are developed in the following order:
Stage One: Identify Desired Results
- What should the students know, understand, and be able to do?
- Common Core State Standards are a guide in this stage
Stage Two: Determine Assessment Evidence
- How will I know that each student has achieved the desired understandings?
- Formative and Summative Assessments are decided upon
Stage Three: Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction
- What activities, sequence, and resources are best suited to reach the desired understandings?
Overall, I am planning with the end in mind, which is deciding what I want my students to understand. My implementation of the Understanding by Design framework in the classroom has proved to be successful for my students.
I use the CCSS as guidelines when developing units, lesson plans, and assessments. What I find to be a great aspect of the CCSS is that they clearly state the skills my students need to understand, but they do not tell me how I have to teach the skills- this is where my creativity comes in! My creativity allows me to teach to the needs of each of my students because they are all individuals- no two are exactly alike.
I design and carry out my unit lessons using a framework for learning called "Understanding by Design". My graduate level coursework at Oakland University has allowed me to become efficient in developing and carrying out lessons plans that follow this backward design approach. It is known as a backward design because it is backward to the way many educators plan. My lessons are developed in the following order:
Stage One: Identify Desired Results
- What should the students know, understand, and be able to do?
- Common Core State Standards are a guide in this stage
Stage Two: Determine Assessment Evidence
- How will I know that each student has achieved the desired understandings?
- Formative and Summative Assessments are decided upon
Stage Three: Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction
- What activities, sequence, and resources are best suited to reach the desired understandings?
Overall, I am planning with the end in mind, which is deciding what I want my students to understand. My implementation of the Understanding by Design framework in the classroom has proved to be successful for my students.
I created this "Big Ideas" chart for the classroom. Students should always know what goals and strategies we are focusing on each week.