Chances are, your lessons/projects/units already are already aligned with the Common Core State Standards!
"As educators pursue CCSS alignment... it is crucial to design curricula and assessment systems that emphasize authentic real world problems, engage students in inquiry and exploration and provide opportunities for students to apply what they know in meaningful ways" (P21)
The following practices are suggested as educators work to align CCSS:
- Use backward-design principles (such as Understanding by Design) to design curriculum that encourages inquiry-based learning and enables embedded, performance-based assessments.
- Develop interdisciplinary performance tasks and/or project based learning units; consider capstone performances such as senior portfolios.
- Create curricula-embedded assessments to enable assessment as and for learning.
- Collect and share exemplary student work that demonstrates mastery of college and career ready knowledge and skills. Use these examples to improve professional understanding among educators of “how to identify 21st century knowledge and skills” in student work.
- Provide meaningful opportunities for educators to collaboratively review curricula,student work and student performance data, in order to refine the curricula and assessments over time (P21)
"Creativity and innovation are considered by P21 to be some of the most important areas on which to focus CCSS work. In the 21st century, creativity and innovation skills are central components of college and career readiness."
"Life and Career Skills such as Self-direction, Flexibility, Adaptability, Productivity and Responsibility are important competencies for all students today, and are readily incorporated into the CCSS in ELA and Mathematics."