Common Core | News

Hundreds of Free Common Core Lessons Focus on Math, ELA Standards

• By Stephen Noonoo
• 08/25/14

Compiled by a team of teacher researchers, a digital curriculum platform is adding more than 750 free, Common Core-aligned lesson plans in math and English language arts for grades 2 to 12.

The lesson plans cover in detail a number of specific Common Core standards, and were developed by professional learning platform LearnZillion's Dream Team of educators and researchers pulled from 42 states. Free to individual teachers, the lessons are web-based but can be printed out (for use beyond single classrooms, schools and districts are encouraged to get a subscription to the service).

According to the company, math lessons are task-based and focus on helping students learn required problem-solving and vocabulary skills. ELA lessons include close reading modules and writing exercises and videos, as well as scaffolded test-dependent questions. Lessons feature plenty of formative assessment, too.

A number of job-embedded professional development modules are also available, and include professional learning community facilitator guides to spur learning among groups of educators.

"I spent more than eight weeks developing my 7th grade lessons on triangles," said Shana Lindeman, a middle school math teacher who helped with the lesson plans, in a statement. "It was enlightening to be able to spend so much time figuring out just one standard, but very few teachers have the luxury of planning that way. I'm so glad my lessons will help other teachers get a leg up on planning, and I think they'll really like how they can personalize these new lesson plans for their class."