The Common Core Companion: The Standards Decoded, Grades K-2

What They Say, What They Mean, How to Teach Them

With the click of a mouse, anyone has access to the standards. So aligning our instruction should be a snap. If only it were that simple . . . Jim Burke anticipated the challenges and developed the Common Core Companion series for K-12. In his next smart move, he deferred to the talents of Sharon Taberski to be author of the K-2 volume.

What makes Sharon Taberski’s Common Core Companion “that version of the standards you wish you had”? It’s the way Sharon translates each and every standard for reading, writing, speaking and listening, language, and foundational skills into the day-to-day “what you do”: lesson ideas, best literacy practices, grouping configurations, adaptations for ELLs, anchor charts, and so much more.

It’s all here, page by page:

• The standards for literature and informational texts put side by side for easier planning
• More than a dozen teaching ideas for each standard
• Recommendations on how to cultivate the habits of mind that are critical to meeting the standards, including interpersonal skills, collaboration, and perseverance
• A glossary of academic language for each standard
• Teaching suggestions for how to support ELL students
• Developmental debriefs to signal how you may need to adapt expectations to meet students where they’re at
• An online bank of graphic organizers, student reproducibles, sample classroom charts, rubrics, and photos
• Reproducible planning templates for each standard to help you map out lessons, select books, generate key questions, and more

With more than 30 years of classroom experience in the primary grades and years of consulting in schools nationwide, Sharon Taberski has a depth of knowledge about what both students and teachers in this country need in order to cultivate the win-win of high expectations and high engagement in K-2.  She is a nationally recognized educator, author, and presenter, and a leader in the field of early reading instruction. Her professional books and teaching materials have revolutionized the way primary teachers approach reading and remain classics in the field.