Supporting Students in a Time of Core Standards: English Language Arts, Grades 9-12

Sarah Brown Wessling - the 2010 National Teacher of the Year - and fellow high school teachers demonstrate how to address the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in grades 9-12 while staying true to what they - and you - know about effective, student-centred teaching.

The book begins with an overview of key features of the CCSS, addressing some of the most common questions they raise. Section II moves into individual classrooms, offering snapshots of instruction, showing teachers collaborating and making careful decisions about what will work best for their students, and focusing on formative assessment. Drawing on such diverse texts as Macbeth, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, speeches by Barack Obama, graphic novels, and Star Wars, this section also includes charts showing how the CCSS align with established NCTE principles of effective teaching.

Section III offers suggestions for professional development, both for individuals and for communities of practice. This section recognizes that effective change requires long-term planning as well as collaboration among colleagues, and it offers strategies and materials for planning units of study, articulating grade-level expectations, and mapping yearlong instruction. And throughout the book, icons point you to additional resources and opportunities for interacting with other teachers on a companion website.