# 7 Common Core

Common Core is on everyones mind right now. For a long time I felt like I kept hearing the words Common Core but no one could actually tell me what that meant in my classroom. I have not had to jump right into it. I have been allowed to hang out in the shallow end and get a feeling for it.

I think that the new Common Core Standards are great for a number of reasons. I like how our country will now be unified under standards that all students should be learning. I like that teachers will have to know the standard they are supposed to be teaching instead of just knowing what unit they are on. I like how there is a concrete understanding of what needs to be taught during the year.

I have talked to a lot of people about this and what I try to express is to not be scared of Common Core if you are already doing what you are supposed to be doing in your classroom. My experience is that my teaching already fits with the Common Core. It's just that now I have these standards that I have to assign to the learning that is happening.

I love checklists. I love knowing that I am doing all that I need to be doing. I like looking over the standards and thinking about how the learning that is already happening fits into these standards. I also like the challenge of figuring out what is learning is missing and finding a way to fit that into our year.

I am also taking Contemporary Education with John Jimo. One of the books I chose was How to Teach Thinking Skills Within the Common Core: 7 Key Student Proficiencies of the New National Standards. I am excited to educate myself more because I know this is our hot topic and as much as the words Common Core are thrown around I want to be able to have an educated conversation about what that means in our education system.

Nine Ways the Common Core Will Change Classroom Practice