Cultivating Collaboration: The First "C"
The Common Core (CCSS) has arrived. We've had time to study the standards, peruse the list of recommended materials, and explore the suggested curriculum maps and assessments. Now, how do we begin to put this nationwide initiative into operation? What meaningful steps forward can we take? In this column, we'll focus on the ideas that shape our approach to the standards. All start with the letter "C"—we call them "The 10 C's." We begin with the concept that holds all the others together: collaboration.
The best place for the collaboration to begin is around the topic of quality nonfiction. Under the Common Core, the expectation is that 50 percent of elementary grade reading is in informational texts; at the high school level, the percentage increases to 70 percent.
