Nearly every state has independently adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), making this practical guide an indispensable resource for PreK2 teachers and teachers-in-training. Leading authorities explain each of the English language arts (ELA) standards and vividly show how to implement them. The book is filled with grade-specific classroom vignettes, instructional strategies and activities, sample lesson plans, and discussion questions. Chapters cover the major ELA strands: literature, informational texts, foundational skills, writing, language, and speaking and listening. Issues of assessment and technology integration are also explored. An appendix includes thematic units for each grade level demonstrating ways to embed CCSS/ELA standards into content-area instruction.

Lesley Mandel Morrow, PhD, holds the rank of Professor II in the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Her research deals with early literacy development and the organization and management of language arts programs. Dr. Morrow has published more than 300 journal articles, chapters, and books. Her work has been recognized with awards including the Outstanding Teacher Educator in Reading Award and the William S. Gray Citation of Merit from the International Reading Association (IRA), and the Oscar S. Causey Award from the Literacy Research Association. Dr. Morrow is past president of the IRA and is a member of the Reading Hall of Fame. Timothy Shanahan, PhD, is Professor of Urban Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he is Director of the Center for Literacy and Chair of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Dr. Shanahan served on one of the expert panels that helped develop the Common Core State Standards. His research emphasizes reading-writing relationships, reading assessment, and improving reading achievement. He has served on the Advisory Board of the National Institute for Literacy and on one of the expert panels that helped to develop the Common Core State Standards. Dr. Shanahan is past president of the IRA and is a member of the Reading Hall of Fame. Karen K. Wixson, PhD, is the Dean of the School of Education at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Dr. Wixson has published widely in the areas of literacy curriculum, instruction, and assessment. She co-directed the federally funded Michigan English Language Arts Framework standards project, and served as Co-Director and Principal Investigator of the U.S. Department of Education's Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement. Dr. Wixson also served as a member of the extended work team for the Common Core English Language Arts standards. She is a former board member of the National Reading Conference and the IRA.

Foreword, Susan B. Neuman Introduction, Jennifer Renner Del Nero 1. Understanding the Common Core State Standards, P. David Pearson and Elfrieda H. Hiebert 2. Reading Standards for Literature: Developing Comprehension, Lesley Mandel Morrow, Diane H. Tracey, and Kellyanne M. Healey 3. Reading Standards for Informational Text, Nell K. Duke, Juliet L. Halladay, and Kathryn L. Roberts 4. Reading Standards: Foundational Skills, Kristin M. Gehsmann and Shane Templeton 5. Writing Standards, Jane Hansen 6. Speaking and Listening Standards, Sandra L. Gillam and D. Ray Reutzel 7. Language Standards, Susan Watts-Taffe and Allison Breit-Smith 8. Technology and the Common Core Standards, Michael C. McKenna, Kristin Conradi, Craig A. Young, and Bong Gee Jang 9. Assessment and the Common Core Standards, Peter Afflerbach 10. In Conclusion: On Implementing the Common Core Standards Successfully in Grades K-2, Timothy Shanahan Appendix A. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Grades K-2 Appendix B. Thematic Units for Grades K-2, with Common Core State Standards Embedded