Common Core State Standards: Supporting new standards for elementary students This presentation was developed for a webinar hosted by the California Library Association. My goal is to introduce public librarians to the key elements of the Common Core and show how we can support students, teachers and families.

1. Common Core State Standards
Supporting the new standards for elementary students
by Mary Ann Scheuer
Berkeley Unified School District
April 2014
maryannscheuer@berkeley.net
Twitter: @MaryAnnScheuer

2. What are the Common Core State
Standards (CCSS)?
The Common Core is a set of high-quality academic standards in
mathematics and English language arts/literacy (ELA). These
learning goals outline what a student should know and be able to
do at the end of each grade.
source: CoreStandards.org

3. What’s our attitude?
CatnipComic by Jeff Hoyle

4. Adoption & Implementation
❖ 44 states have adopted the CCSS
❖ California adopted in 2012
❖ Implementation plan available through CDE
❖ School districts are juggling both curriculum
and assessment

5. Skills
Assessment
It’s half full by Jessica C.

6. Libraries provide essential support
New wheel by Ian Turk
Nonfiction
Primary
sources
Databases
e-books
Research
skills
Reading
levels
fiction
content

7. Key shifts in the Common Core ELA
❖ Reading more nonfiction
❖ Gradually increasing text
complexity
❖ Using primary sources
❖ Learning academic
vocabulary
Antique key by Microsoft Clipartfor more information, see EngageNY

8. Reading more nonfiction
Balancing informational and literary text, K-5
Developing knowledge in the disciplines, 6-12
Grade Literary Informational
K-5 50% 50%
6-8 45% 55%
9-12 30% 70%

9. Librarians provide essential help
Wow, by Jip Jin Lee
Dad… this is BORING, by Mike
Nonfiction can be
interesting!
Textbooks ARE boring!

10. Key Standard: Informational Text
● Craft and structure
○ “Know and use various text features”
● headings
● captions
● bold print
● subheadings
● index
● glossary
Goldfish, by Anita Ganeri
Capstone, 2009

11. Text Features
● headings
● captions
● bold print
● diagrams
● index
● glossary
Devastated by a Volcano,
by Stephen Person
Bearport, 20010

12. Key Standard: Informational Text
● Craft and structure
○ “Identify the main purpose of a text”

13. Key Standard: Literature &
Informational Text
● Range of reading levels
○ “Staircase of complexity”

14. Understanding reading levels
Comparing different systems
○ What do they measure?
○ Which do our schools use?
○ How do we estimate with new books?

15. Understanding reading levels
➢ Vocabulary length
➢ Sentence complexity
➢ Narrative structure
Emotional complexity is
another matter
Lego DNA, by Michael Knowles

16. Resources to learn more
❖ California Department of Education
❖ EngageNY - especially video library (ELA overview)
❖ ALSC Common Core Resources
❖ SLJ webinar archives
❖ Blog features like Common Core IRL

17. Questions?
Mary Ann Scheuer
Berkeley Unified School District
➢ maryannscheuer@berkeley.net
➢ Twitter: @MaryAnnScheuer
➢ Great Kid Books http:
//greatkidbooks.blogspot.com
Puzzled people by Microsoft Clipart