What's New on our Website

We frequently update our website to continually improve support of your Core Knowledge implementation. We have highlighted below some of the newest additions to our website.

Fall 2011

Updated September 26, 2011

E.D. Hirsch New York Times Op-Ed

"How to Stop the Drop in Verbal Scores"
By E.D. Hirsch Jr., New York Times, September 19, 2011
A decline in reading and writing scores on the SAT demonstrate that current reform strategies focused on testing and improving teacher quality are not enough.

2011 Back to School Letter

The 2011-2012 Back to School Letter from the Foundation has been distributed and can also be viewed online.

Principals and Coordinators Update

Join us quarterly for the Core Knowledge Principals and Coordinators Update.  These free webinars will review the latest information on Core Knowledge products, support, and offerings and will will provide you with a real-time opportunity to ask questions!

The Fall 2011 Update will take place on October 17, 2011 from 3PM - 5PM EST.

Core Knowledge National Conference

Plans are progressing smoothly for our November National Conference. We have some exciting sessions in store including a revised Saturday "Share the Knowledge" format, guest speakers including E. D. Hirsch, Jr., David Steiner, and Doug Lemov, release of a new implementation guide, and opportunities to network with folks from other Core Knowledge schools.

Curriculum Mapping Tools

Our curriculum planning page has been updated to organize and describe the tools and templates available to support you in the planning process.

Professional Development

Our professional development pages have been updated to provide information on our new and revised offerings for better understanding the curriculum, effective instruction, and strong leadership.

Spring 2011

Updated April 4, 2011

Support for the Common Core State Standards

We’ve recently added a number of resources to our website to provide guidance on using the Core Knowledge Sequence to implement the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). These supports include:

• A narrated PowerPoint (in MP4 or WMV format) that outlines research supporting the Core Knowledge Language Arts Program (CKLA) and briefly describes how CKLA supports the Common Core State Standards.
• Alignments between the Core Knowledge Sequence and both the CCSS for Math and the CCSS for ELA.
• Free curriculum maps for Kindergarten and Grade 1 that exemplify integration of CCSS with ELA reading and writing and listening and speaking lessons.
• An evaluation rubric to guide evaluation of comprehensive English Language Arts programs for alignment with the Common Core State Standards.
• Three new workshops to provide guidance and understanding of Core Knowledge support for the standards:

1. Developing Domain-based English Language Arts Units
2. Overview of Core Knowledge Support for Common Core Math Standards
3. Overview of Core Knowledge Support for Common Core ELA Standards

Redesigned Lesson Plans Page

Our Lesson Plans page has been redesigned to streamline access to a variety of lesson and unit plans for Core Knowledge. 

• Domain-based Unit Plans are a new form of Core Knowledge unit designed to demonstrate high-quality read-aloud based units that exemplify implementation of the Common Core State Standards. Also included are Templates and Tools for planning and creating domain-based units.
• Core Knowledge Classic Lesson Plans are lessons that have been presented in the past at the Core Knowledge National Conference.
• Colorado Lesson Plans and Units were created as part of summer unit writing workshops in Colorado and were not developed in association with the Core Knowledge Foundation.
• Baltimore Curriculum Project lessons were created for topics in the Core Knowledge Sequence, but were not developed in association with the Core Knowledge Foundation.

Core Knowledge Language Arts

We’ve created a narrated PowerPoint (in MP4 or WMV format) that outlines research supporting the Core Knowledge Language Arts Program (CKLA) and briefly describes how CKLA supports the Common Core State Standards.

We’ve also created a new CKLA Frequently Asked Questions page to provide quick access to answers to the most frequently asked questions about the Core Knowledge Language Arts Program.