As Common Core goes into effect in Tennessee and across the nation, two of the most immediate changes parents may notice are a new emphasis on nonfiction reading and a push to get students of all ages to sharpen their analytical writing skills.

For example, some of the expectations for first-graders in reading are that they will learn to ask and answer questions about details in what they’re reading, show they understand the main ideas and be able to describe characters, settings and events.

Common Core is a set of standards. It is not a curriculum. It is not a textbook. It is not a method of teaching.

Common Core does not dictate how to meet the needs of students in the classroom. Instead, Common Core sets the bar for what all students need to know each year to be on track for college and career readiness.

Common Core standards simply spell out expectations of what students should know and be able to do at the end of every grade, from kindergarten through high school. They cover reading, writing, speaking and listening, vocabulary and mathematics. They are brief and deal with fundamentals.

An easy way to learn more about the Common Core standards at each grade level is to visit the National PTA website. They have created Parent Guides outlining the standards of each grade level.

http://pta.org/parents/content.cfm?ItemNumber=2583

Here’s a quick example: From kindergarten, teachers will ask their pupils to come up with an opinion and some reason for it. (I liked this book because…) And in later years, learn to write that in well-turned paragraphs.