Classroom Resources - ELA

EQuIP Resources for Common Core Alignment

• EQuIP e-Learning Modules – The purpose of this e-Learning module is to develop the learner’s knowledge and understanding of the EQuIP Quality Review Process, which is designed to increase the ability of educators – and educational leaders – to identify and create quality instructional materials aligned to the Common Core State Standards. Specifically, learners will explore what effective observations and criterion-based feedback look like and experience the process of reviewing instructional materials using the EQuIP Quality Review criteria, rating scales, and rating descriptors. (achieve.org) 
• The EQuIP Student Work Protocol is designed to establish or articulate the relationship between student work and the quality and alignment of instructional materials that previously have been reviewed using the EQuIP quality review process. Focusing on this relationship enables educators to develop a common understanding of the challenging work required by the CCSS. (achieve.org)
• Annotated Student Work Initiative - To complement the EQuIP quality review process, Achieve launched the EQuIP Annotated Student Work Initiative. Student work samples provide additional indicators of the alignment and quality of instructional materials. As such, this initiative is designed to add annotated student work samples to the existing collection of exemplar lessons and units for each content area and grade band.  (Achieve)  
• EQuIP Student Work Annotation Guide – This guide describes a process for identifying and applying key annotations to student work, for the purpose of enhancing implementation of instructional materials. (Achieve)  
• Strengthening Lessons for the Common Core -  This video explores the role of the EQuIP rubrics in instructional planning,  calibration and what teachers might learn from evaluating lessons together. (Achieve and Teaching Channel)
• Peer Review in Action: The ELA EQuIP Rubric - This video introduces a Student Work Protocol to evaluate an ELA/Literacy lesson using the EQuIP rubric. (Achieve and Teaching Channel)
• EQuIP Rubric for Lessons & Units: ELA/Literacy Grades K-2 (achieve.org)
• EQuIP Rubric for Lessons and Units: ELA/Literacy (Grades 3-5) and ELA (Grades 6-12) (achieve.org)
• Understanding Quality and Alignment: EQuIP ELA/Literacy - This video provides an overview of Achieve's EQuIP collaborative and the Tri-State Rubrics for evaluating the quality of instructional materials. (achieve.org/EQuIP)
• EQuIP: Educators Evaluating Quality Instructional Products (achieve.org)

Toolkits and Materials

• Smarter Balanced Digital Library
• Text to Text Graphic Organizers - As students read and discuss, they might find one or more of these organizers helpful for taking notes.  They can be printed or used as editable PDFs on computers. (learning.blogs.nytimes.com) 
  • Comparing Two or More Texts
  • Double-Entry Chart for Close Reading
  • Document Analysis Questions
• Instructional Materials Evaluation Tool for CCSS Alignment in ELA Grades K-12 (IMET) – Student Achievement Partners (achievethecore.org)  
• The Adapting Materials Project – This project gives readers an inside look at the process four districts used to adapt their math and ELA/Literacy materials for Common Core alignment. Training resources and tools used to develop adaptations, free adapted materials for the classroom, case studies of the adaption process, as well as expert panel findings about aligning instructional materials are included. (achievethecore.org) 
• Common Core-Aligned Interventions for Adolescent Readers - This resource package is designed to help school leaders, instructional coaches, general education teachers, special education, and intervention teachers think and plan together about strategic ways to best use additional support time beyond the typical ELA block. The suggestions here could certainly be applied to all learners, but are targeted particularly for students who aren’t meeting grade level standards during a standard class period. Once you get to the linked site, you will need to scroll down to this resource.  (commoncoresuccess.elschools.org) 
• 40 Resources and Tools for Deeper Learning – K-12 Resources include a video series with supporting materials including rubrics, lesson plans, research, and strategy documents (teachingchannel.org)
• PBS LearningMediaTools - Lesson Builder lets teachers create and assign an interactive lesson in three short steps. (pbslearningmedia)
• PBS LearningMediaTools - Quiz Maker lets teachers create a simple assessment.(pbslearningmedia)
• PBS LearningMediaTools – Storyboard is a way to illustrate a concept or topic through a collection of videos, text and images. Just save the storyboard to access a URL to share with a class. (pbslearningmedia)
• WebTools4U2Use: Finding the Right Tool (webtools4u2use.wikispaces.com)
• FYI for Kids is a collection of engaging and high-quality magazine articles designed to enhance the Common Core classroom’s reading repertoire by using short engaging articles that communicate critical information. (textproject.org)
• Comprehension Response Sheets to accompany FYI for Kids created by Pat Cunniham for use with all 5 levels of texts in the FYI for Kids section of the textproject.org website.  
• Stories of Words – This free series aims to develop students' interest in interesting words. Each book of the series (in pdf format) explores the vocabulary of a different topic such as food, movies, and acronyms. Each topic falls into one of four methods of how words have been added to the English language: languages from other parts of the world, themes that play a big part of our lives, words that we've manipulated or reused to suit different needs, new words to describe new inventions or technological advances. (textproject.org)