My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Dr. Katherine McKnight is an author, educator and consultant. She regularly publishes in professional journals and has written eleven books including titles like The English Teacher’s Survival Guide and The Elementary Teacher’s Big Book of Graphic Organizers--recipient of the 2013 Teachers’ Choice Award.
Three of her books are on Common Core, the latest being Common Core Literacy for ELA, History/Social Studies, and the Humanities: Strategies to Deepen Content Knowledge (Jossey-Bass 2014). When I saw this book on my Amazon Vine list, I was excited to read her thoughts on effective delivery of these far-reaching Standards.
She starts with an overview of Common Core in an easy-to-read fashion with just the right detail in all the right places. The book’s blurb promises strategies–lessons, templates, ideas–and she delivers on that promise. Readers receive a toolkit of ideas to differentiate for each unique student in their classroom.
I particularly like that she puts technology in the middle of many of the strategies. Sure Common Core wants that, but lots of teachers don’t know how to use tech in their classroom. Kati has made that a lot easier with this book.
Overall, a good choice. I’d recommend it to anyone struggling to meet Common Core literacy standards in their classroom.
More on Common Core:
11 Things I Love About Common Core
How do I prepare students for PARCC Tests?
Tech Ed Resources for your Classroom–Common Core Bundle
Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.
