Digital Learning Activities and Educational Games -- Free!

As every teacher knows, not all educational games are created equal! Some have genuine value and can serve as wonderful reinforcements for student learning, or can expand student learning beyond the classroom. Yet how do you find educational games and digital learning activities that have been vetted and curated without spending hours of your own time testing them, or paying for memberships?

Check out this fantastic website: Powermylearning.org! It's a free digital learning platform with resources for teachers, students, and parents alike, and was developed by the well-respected national education nonprofit CFY. If you're looking for games, videos, interactives, and other digital resources to incorporate into your Common Core lesson plans for the classroom, then this is the website for you.

Each resource in Math and ELA is aligned directly to a Common Core standard. Plus, there are countless resources for science, social studies, the arts, technology and more. You'll need to create an account to access all the material on the site, but once you do, you'll be able to tap into hundreds of carefully-vetted, free digital resources.

Unpacking Common Core State Standards: ELA

Without a doubt, if you're a teacher in a Common Core state, you're already aligning your instruction to the Common Core, and have been thinking about ways to implement new lesson plans, formative assessments, and other fantastic strategies for meeting your students' needs.

But sometimes it can be helpful to get back to the basics before you start the new school year, and reinforce your understanding of the standards in your area. This free resource from LearnZillion shows you three simple steps to understanding Common Core ELA standards. It also includes links to other helpful resources, and can serve as an introduction to the standards for those who may not have worked with them yet, or as a refresher for teachers who are planning for the next year.

CLICK HERE to check out the website. And by the way--if you create a user profile with LearnZillion, you can access a list of webinars, lesson plans, and other great, free, resources!

Reaching Out to Parents--How to Talk About Common Core

As every educator knows, having active, involved, supportive parents can make an enormous difference for students. No doubt you have heard questions or concerns from the parents of your students about what Common Core State Standards will mean for their children, and how CCSS will impact students.

These resources from the National PTA are a great place to help begin the conversation with parents. There is a brochure with parent FAQs about student success, plus longer booklets geared toward parents of K-8 students. The focus is on math and ELA standards, and the parent guides offer suggested methods and activities for extending learning beyond the classroom into the home, and key things to know about CCSS. There are even tips for parents of high schoolers about college and career planning.

Knowing and understanding parent concerns, and getting ideas about how to address them better will help you partner with parents as you implement CCSS instruction and assessment in your classroom! Let them know about these great resources, and TAKE A LOOK at them yourself so you can be prepared for conversations and collaboration!

Making a Difference in Student Achievement

Maybe you've been wondering just how Common Core State Standards are different from the state standards you have been using in the classroom until recently. Are there really such major differences? What kind of an impact will the change to CCSS be able to make for student outcomes, and how will students be better served by the switch, both in short-term and long-term ways? Maybe you're wondering how you can really make the most of the enormous potential that CCSS has to prepare students for college and career? Or what the implications of the switch will be for your classroom instruction.

This PCG white paper does a fantastic job presenting an overview of the differences between the new CCSS and earlier state standards. It offers some clear and basic suggestions for the kinds of instruction and the concrete actions at the school level that will help educators make the most of the CCSS for their students.

If you're looking for good ideas and helpful research as you prepare to bring the Common Core into your classroom and your school, this is a great place to start! CLICK HERE to check it out.