Writing and the Common Core Standards

A box was delivered to my classroom last week. It was a box with nine books in it. The box was titled:

Units of Study for Primary Writing: A Yearlong Curriculum

Two of the books included in the box:

And the other books:

Poetry: Powerful Thoughts in Tiny Packages by Lucy Calkins and Stephanie Parsons

Nonfiction Writing: Procedures and Reports by Lucy Calkins and Laurie Pessah

Authors as Mentors by Lucy Calkins and Amanda Hartman

The Craft of Revision by Lucy Calkins and Pat Bleichman

Writing for Readers: Teaching Skills and Strategies by Lucy Calkins and Natalie Louis

Small Moments: Personal Narrative Writing by Lucy Calkins and Abby Oxenhorn

Launching the Writing Workshop by Lucy Calkins and Leah Mermelstein

Don't you just love those titles? 

These are added to my Summer Reading List. (Actually, I already started reading one of them. ) The year's not over, and I'm already thinking about next year.

Our district is in the process of implementing the Common Core Standards. We will begin with the writing standards.  Each elementary teacher was given a set of these books to use in the classroom. District training meetings and these resources will help support us as we make the transition to the new standards.

I had the privilege of hearing Lucy Calkins speak at a conference I attended several years ago. It changed the way I view children's writing capabilities. I've used this book for many years:

It's one of those books that I use as a reference book. It has sticky notes sticking out, writing on the margins, and highlighted throughout. Those are my favorite kinds of books.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on these books.

Seven more days of school left . . .