Common Core State Standards
(Official logo, Common Core State Standards Initiative)
Elementary schools nationwide are now beginning to use the Common Core State Standards to drive instruction and assessment. In Language Arts, all the assignments I provide in the classroom and on this website are directly aligned to the Common Core Standards for Grade 3 students. The goal of these standards is to ensure that American students can successfully compete with students internationally. The link below describes what the standards are for English Language Arts and Mathematics, and what we can expect students to achieve at each grade level.
In particular, the following link provides information about the English Language Arts (ELA) Common Core Standards. The standards begin at the Kindergarten level and go up to Grade 12. If you are interested in learning about the Standards in further detail, this link gives a breakdown of specific skills that the Common Core focuses on.
www.corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_ELA%20Standards.pdf
The ELA portion of this website will be primarily focused on writing skills, derived from the suggested Common Core Standards. The activities provided will not only include significant practice in expression, but will also enhance students' critical thinking skills.
For information on what the state of Connecticut is doing to align our standards to the Common Core State Standards, please click on the link below! This link, which is a pdf document, also explains the shifts that the Common Core is making to close the achievement gap here in the United States, as well as to ensure that students become better critical thinkers.
www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/ccss/latest_news/publishers_criteria_for_literacy_for_grades_3_12.pdf