Items presented in this module are intended to help educators get familiar with the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts/Literacy (CCSS for ELA/Literacy), which are incorporated into the Maine Learning Results. The standards and related documents are presented in various formats: in their entirety, chunked into smaller parts for easier access and grouped for topical study. Suggestions for learning activities are also included.
- Key Points in English Language Arts. A quick summary of the CCSS for ELA/Literacy.
- Treasure Hunt (DOC, 394KB). An exercise in discovering the CCSS for ELA/Literacy and the various supporting tools.
- An Approach to the CCSS for ELA/Literacy. Making sense of the standards and support material.
- CCSS Videos: Voices of the CCSS Authors. The Hunt Institute and the Council for Chief State School Officers have developed a series of video vignettes that describe and explain the CCSS. In the videos, key writers talk about how the standards were developed, who was involved and the goals they set for all students.
- ASCD Special Report. Now that the CCSS in English and math have been adopted by most states, how will teaching and learning change? The two-part ASCD SmartBrief Special Report offers educators a guide to the latest information.
A Guided Study to the CCSS for ELA/Literacy, Appendix A.
As a significant first step toward understanding the intent of the ELA standards, study the information in Appendix A, presented here in segments with topics for discussion or to record for a portfolio.
Reading
- Activity 1 – Prioritize Text Complexity (RTF, 133KB)
- Activity 2 – Determining Text Complexity (RTF, 5MB)
- Activity 3 – Implementing Text Complexity (RTF, 162KB)
- Activity 4 – Phonemes and Graphemes (RTF, 414KB)
Writing
- Activity 5 – Text Types (RTF, 116KB)
- Activity 6 – Argument and Persuasion (RTF, 121KB)
Speaking and Listening
- Activity 7 – Speaking and Listening (RTF, 1.8MB)
Language
- Activity 8 – Elements of Language (RTF, 237KB)
- Activity 9 – Vocabulary (RTF, 162KB)
Overall
- CCSS Introduction – Part 1 (RTF,193 KB)
- CCSS Introduction – Part 2 (RTF, 121KB)
Webinar Series: The Common Core State Standards - The Year of Study
An online series of webinars designed to guide ELA educators in Maine through the CCSS, assist in developing an understanding of the document and its appendices, and establish a foundation for approaching the standards in the classroom.
- Introduction. This webinar session introduces the standards and explores how this historic document may affect the work of educators throughout Maine. In this presentation, Maine Department of Education specialists discuss:
- The layout and organization of all the CCSS for ELA/Literacy documents
- Some of the content within the document, including definitions of text complexity, role of text types and sample or suggested texts and students performance tasks
- Understanding the foundational skills presented in the document (grades K-5)
- Implications for the literacy standards in history/social studies, science and technical subjects (specific to grades 6-12)
- Grade-span breakdown of the CCSS for ELA/Literacy
- Grades K-5 Facilitator's Notes (PDF, 47KB)
- Grades 6-12 Facilitator's Notes (PDF, 545KB)
- The Bibliography. This webinar examines some of the articles, books and papers that informed the development of the CCSS and the information found in the appendices. If you are seeking more information about resources to support professional learning, you will find detailed information in the presentation about several options in each of the four strands (reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language).