Common Core | BetterLesson





I have recently been introduced to a new online resource for helping us meet the Common Core Standards in our lesson plans - Better Lesson.

Better Lesson has brought together 130+ teachers in grades K-12 math and ELA who have graciously agreed to share their CCS-aligned lessons as well as the insights that they have gained through using them in the classroom.

Better Lesson currently has over 3,000 free, publicly-available lessons across every grade level and CC standard and they're adding hundreds each week (the plan is to be at 16,000+ by the fall).

I reviewed a few of the lessons and they are well-planned and come complete with all of the necessary resources available for immediate download. You are able to search by grade or directly via the specific standards.

I am sure that everyone has their "go-to" lesson plan websites, but it never hurts to have a new resource at your disposal. Check out Better Lesson today and let me know what you think.

Here's a fun idea to bring the 21st century into your classroom... next time your students write a report, let them create a FAKE Twitter feed or Facebook page.


Here is a Start-Up Guide that shows you all the great things you can personalize on your Fakebook page as well as a Evaluation Sheet which provides a rubric for grading your projects.

Here is where you input your Twitter text

Here is the finished Twitter Thread

3M Science of Everyday Life by Discovery Education is a fantastic site that encourages teachers to "bring the science of everyday life into the classroom."


The site is broken down by grades (K-2; 3-5; 6-8) and offers lesson plans, videos and interactive activities. As stated on the website, "these exciting inquiry-based lessons address key areas of life science, physical science, earth science, and technology/innovation using common materials you can find in your classroom. Help students make real world connections to science and ignite the spark that may eventually lead students to a scientific career!" Topics range from recycling to your brain, seasons to circuitry.

Take a look at 3M Science of Everyday Life today. Let me know what you think by commenting below.

Here is a fantastic website that not only helps educate our students, it also helps feed the hungry at the same time! FreeRice.com is a non-profit website that is owned by and supports the United Nations World Food Programme.

FreeRice has two goals: to provide education to everyone for free & help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

When you go to FreeRice.com, you are presented with a vocabulary question. Simply click on the right answer. If you get it right, you get a harder question. If you get it wrong, you get an easier question. For each answer you get right, FreeRice donates 10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program.

While vocabulary questions pop up first, there are several subjects available at FreeRice including math, science, geography, art history, foreign languages and more.

NoRedInk.com is a web-based learning platform that helps K-8 (and beyond) students improve their grammar and writing skills. NoRedInk offers:

• High-interest Content: The first time a student logs into NoRedInk, they have the opportunity to choose their favorite celebrities, hobbies, TV shows, and personal friends. Content is then generated using this information so that students remain engaged in the task.

• Adaptive Learning: NoRedInk provides differentiated instruction, adjusting questions based on what each individual student masters. When a student gets stuck on a concept, there are tutorials that help them correct their mistakes and keep going.

• Practice Exercises/Quizzes/Assignments: Students can create exercises on their own or teachers can give assignments and quizzes. All questions are uniquely generated according to each student's indicated interests.

• Progress-tracking Features: A color-coded "heat map" allows teachers, students, and administrators to track progress easily and adapt instruction as needed.

The Teacher Dashboard on NoRedInk.com provides easy one-click access to  everything the teacher does.

The Student Dashboard on NoRedInk.com shows pending quizzes and assignments. Students can also create a practice themselves.

Right now, the site offers help with apostrophes, subject-verb agreement, comma issues, sentence fragments, run-on sentences, and commonly confused words. Plans are in the works for pronoun agreement, capitalization and several other categories.

Give NoRedInk a try and let me know what you think. Just add your comments below.

Here is a fun opportunity that promotes creative writing! Storybird.com is a website that provides "visual storytelling for everyone." Storybird reverses visual storytelling by starting with the image and "unlocking" the story inside.

There are hundreds of illustrations to spark your creativity.

To put it simply, students log into a personal account on www.storybird.com and search for artwork based on a personal interest or a pre-defined topic. Once they have selected the artwork style, students begin to create a digital story using the FREE art as their inspiration. Artwork is added to their story using a drag-and-drop method; text is added by typing the story directly into text boxes. Stories can be as long or as short as the writer wishes.

Working within Storybird is as easy as drag-and-drop.

Teachers are encouraged to create an account through which you can create a Storybird class. A class is a private learning space on the Storybird platform that lets you:

• create student accounts without needing an email address,
• issue assignments,
• host online discussions, and
• easily track and manage the activity of your students.

In short, it's a place for you and your students to enjoy writing and reading stories. Creating a Forever Free account allows up to 75 students in a maximum of three classrooms. Subscription-based accounts offer more.

Students stories are automatically published to your Storybird class library as they are completed. Note, student stories are private and not included in the public library. However, students can find, read, and comment on each other's stories since they're linked together within the classroom account. You also have the option to embed student stories on public blogs, wikis, etc.

Parents can to log into their child's account to see what they have been working on. Another great option is the ability to purchase their child's book in a soft cover, hard cover or premium hardcover format. Defined as a "Fundraiser", the school receives $5 per order to use as they see fit.

Try out Storybird in your classroom today. Beyond traditional writing lessons, consider using Storybird in your religion, social studies or even world languages class... there are so many ways to try it out! Let me know if you do and what you think by commenting below.

Tween Tribune is a great website that provides non-fiction current event articles written in a context that middle schoolers can understand. The site is broken into four sections: Grades K-4, Grades 5-8, Grades 9-12 and Spanish.

Teachers can create an account to manage classrooms, add students, create assignments, provide instruction and keep track of their students' activity. Student accounts do not require an email address ~ consider using their school login. Passwords will be provided.

Two types of quizzes are available for students on Tween Tribune:

• Daily Quiz consists of three multiple-choice questions that test vocabulary, comprehension and critical thinking from three different stories on the site. Students can access the Daily Quiz when they log in.
• Story Quiz consists of three multiple-choice questions that test vocabulary, comprehension and critical thinking from one story on the homepage. Students can access the Story Quiz from the "Take Quiz" link that appears beneath the stories on the homepage.

www.tweentribune.com