Skip to main content

Common Core Resources

There are lots of online resources to support teachers, schools and districts as you implement the Common Core. We’ve gathered up the best.

The 6 Key Shifts for ELA/Literacy

Key Shifts of the Common Core State Standards: English Language Arts and Literacy
Susan Lafond on how the CCSS differ from the current state standards.

Common Core in ELA/Literacy: An Overview 
A CCSS overview discussion between David Coleman and New York Commissioner of Education John King.

EngageNY.org Common Core Video Series on the 6 Shifts 
A set of discussions between David Coleman and John King highlighting each of the six instructional shifts.


Implementation

AchieveTheCore.org
The site provides free, high-quality resources to educators now doing the hard work of implementing the higher standards of the Common Core. The site’s resources include: (a) Steal These Tools, (b) You’re Got to Read This, and (c) By Teachers for Teachers.

CCSS Implementation Series 
A 29-part animated video series created by The Hunt Institute and the Council of Chief State School Officers.


Curriculum and Lessons

Curriki English Language Arts
To help equalize access to education globally, Curriki makes world-class learning materials freely available to educators, students, and parents around the world by providing free and open resources to everyone.

Google | Search Education
The site offers access to leveled lesson plans for K-12, search activities from AGoogleADay, and an archive of previous webinars.

LearnZillion Inc.
This is a web-based platform that delivers high quality video lessons — produced by teachers around the country – to students and teachers.  Each lesson is short (3-5 minutes long), highlights the Common Core standards, and is coupled with a short quiz. It also supports the professional development of teachers by enabling best practices to spread from one classroom to the next

Lesson Planet - Common Core Lesson Plans 
Offers lesson plans and an Aligned Resource Search™ to find lesson-planning resources that address the discrete skills of each Common Core Standard for Math and English Language Arts (ELA).

Mapping Media to the Common Core
The website of a professional development series by Wesley Fryer that features 12 different digital products that students can create, including their own radio show, geo map, or eBook.

Next Network
Find information, resources, and links to help your school make the transition from your current state standards to the English Language Arts, Literacy, and math standards that have been adopted by most states.

OER Commons - Building the Promise of the Common Core Promise
Provide educators with open source tools and resources needed to actively engage teachers in making education content localized and adapted to their own environments. ISKME’s Open Author platform and evaluation rubrics allow curriculum leaders to gather Common Core aligned exemplars and frameworks for their teachers, while at the same time, allowing teachers to build and share high quality OER.

Share My Lesson — Coming Soon!
The free site promises to be the go-to online community where teachers of students K through 12 can collaborate and share their best. Share My Lesson has a significant resource bank for Common Core State Standards, covering all aspects of the standards, from advice and guides to help with dedicated resources that support the standards.

StoryCorpsU College Readiness Curriculum
StoryCorpsU curriculum introduces students to the power of their own voice, helps them articulate their aspirations, and develops public speaking and critical listening skills. Students practice college and career readiness skills such as learning to communicate information in a well-structured, audience-appropriate manner and writing for a range of tasks, purposes and audiences.

Teacher Blog: 5 Free Apps That Align To The Common Core: ELA Edition — Always Prepped
For educators there is the extra challenge of choosing apps that meet the needs of their students and align to the curriculum and Common Core Standards. It often requires one to think outside the box, looking past the original purpose of the app to make it work in your classroom.

Teaching Channel: Confused about the Common Core? (Classroom Video)
Watch teachers already practicing the new Common Core State Standards… and doing it well. Teaching Channel is a video showcase — online and on TV — of inspired and effective teaching practices.