“Cut
to
the
Core”
A Parent’s Guide to Understanding
the Common Core Standards
Midland Elementary School
December 4, 2014 and January 8, 2015
Common
Core
Standards
What do you see?
What are these
Common Core Standards?
• A single set of clear and consistent educational standards in math
and English language arts,
• Began in 2006 as a state-led effort coordinated by the National
Governor’s Association,
• Intended for states to share and voluntarily adopt,
• Adopted by a total of 45 states, the District of Columbia, four
territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity.
Why do we need
new standards?
• Until now, each state had its own standards and different expectations
of student performance.
• With the increase of student mobility, especially among our military
families, CCS will help provide consistency for parents and students
regardless of zip code.
• CCS determine what students need to know and demonstrate the
ability to do in order to be prepared for an entry-level college course.
• CCS will more effectively prepare American students to keep up with
their peers around the world.
Were teachers and parents
involved in the creation of the
standards?
What does Common Core
look like in the classroom ?
Common Core Standards are a clear set of shared goals and expectations
for what students need to learn, but…
• …they do not dictate how teachers should teach.
• …they are not curriculum.
 Teachers and schools will continue to create curriculum, including
lesson plans which tailor instruction to the individual needs of the
students in their classrooms.
 Local teachers, principals, superintendents, and school boards will
continue to make curriculum decisions.
What’s new in
English language arts ?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Learn about the real world by reading,
Read as much non-fiction as fiction,
Read more challenging material closely,
Discuss reading using evidence from the text,
Write non-fiction using evidence gleaned from research,
Increase academic vocabulary.
KEY ELA SHIFTS
•
•
•
•
•
•
FOCUS: Learn more about fewer, key topics,
COHERENCE: Build skills within and across grade levels,
RIGOR: Develop speed and accuracy.
Really know it—really do it!
Be able to use it in the real world.
Think fast and solve problems.
KEY MATH SHIFTS
Will state tests
be different?
OLD: Grade 5 state math
NEW: Common Core grade 5 math
Pierre is making an apple crumb pie
using the items below.
Tito and Luis are stuffed with pizza!
Tito ate one-fourth of a cheese pizza. Tito
ate three-eighths of a pepperoni pizza.
Tito ate one-half of a mushroom pizza.
Luis ate five-eighths of a cheese pizza.
Luis ate the other half of the mushroom
pizza. All the pizzas were the same size.
Tito says he ate more pizza than Luis
because Luis did not eat any pepperoni
pizza. Luis says they each ate the
same amount of pizza.
APPLE CRUMB PIE
1/3 cup flour 4 cups sliced apples
1/3 cup sugar 1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter 1/2 cup raisins
How much total sugar must Pierre use to
make the pie crumb and filling?
F 7/12 cup
G 2/6 cup
H 3/4 cup
J 2/3 cup
Who is correct?
Show all your mathematical thinking.
Open-ended Questions
Grade Five
Number and Operations – Base Ten and Fractions
• Solve word problems involving division of whole numbers
leading to answers in the form of fractions, mixed
numbers, or decimal fractions by using visual fraction
model or equations to represent the problem.
Let’s give CC Math a try!
Jessa has 23 one-dollar bills that she wants to
divide equally between her 5 children.
•
•
How much money will each receive?
How much money will Jessa have left
over?
Jessa exchanged the remaining one-dollar bills for
dimes.
•
If she divides the money equally between
her 5 children, how much money will each
child get?
What is 23/5?
• A website has games available to
purchase for $5 each. If Lita has $23,
how many games can she purchase?
Explain.
• A jug holds 5 gallons of water. How
many jugs can Mark fill with 23 gallons
of water? Explain.
• A class of 23 children will take a field
trip. Each car can take 5 children. How
many cars are needed to take all the
children on the field trip? Explain.
What is 23/5?
Supportive Adult?
Of course!
Opportunities and Experiences?
Couldn’t hurt!
Praise?
Not as much as you’d think!
Self-Control
With so many distractions today, we need to be able to focus!
What makes for success?
• Closed, fixed mindset:
• “I’m smart. I’m not smart.”
• Consequences?
• Recognition of strengths and weaknesses
• Growth mindset:
• I’m not there…yet!”
• Consequences?
Innate Ability and Talent
• Grit --positive response to failure or adversity.
• People who are ‘gritty:’
•
•
•
•
•
Set goals,
Pursue interests persistently,
Build stamina through hard work,
Accept (and even welcome) struggle,
Know that effort and determination take you farther in life
than mere talent and good looks!
What is grit ?
How can I help my child
at home?
• Encourage a good work ethic as well as the trait of perseverance.
• Talk with your child and have him or her explain things.
• Be positive and encouraging in your discussions with your child
about school and his/her performance.
• Be in regular communication with your child’s teacher.
• Talk with your children about the importance of graduating from
high school ready for college and career success.
• Engage New York is a site that is very helpful with many parent
resources.
https://www.engageny.org/educational-activities-for-parents-andstudents
Common
Core
Standards
What do you see now?
Developing Today’s
Young Heroes