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The Core Six: Essential Strategies for Achieving Excellence with the Common Core

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Odds are, your state has adopted the Common Core State Standards. You know how the standards emerged, what they cover, and how they are organized. But how do you translate the new standards into practice? Enter the Core six research-based, classroom-proven strategies that will help you and your students respond to the demands of the Common Core. Thanks to more than 40 years of research and hands-on classroom testing, the authors know the best strategies to increase student engagement and achievement and prepare students for college and career. Best of all, these strategies can be used across all grade levels and subject areas. The Core Six include
1. Reading for Meaning.

2. Compare & Contrast.

3. Inductive Learning.

4. Circle of Knowledge.

5. Write to Learn.

6. Vocabulary's CODE.
For each strategy, this practical book provides
* Reasons for using the strategy to address the goals of the Common Core.

* The research behind the strategy.

* A checklist for implementing the strategy in the classroom.

* Multiple sample lessons that illustrate the strategy in action.

* Planning considerations to ensure your effective use of the strategy.
Any strategy can fall flat in the classroom. By offering tips on how to capture students' interest, deepen students' understanding of each strategy, use discussion and questioning techniques to extend student thinking, and ask students to synthesize and transfer their learning, The Core Six will ensure that your instruction is inspired rather than tired.

86 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2012

41 people are currently reading
156 people want to read

About the author

Harvey F. Silver

37 books7 followers

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
Profile Image for jennyreadit.
841 reviews71 followers
June 8, 2013
Oh boy... what power in a such a small book! Read this, read this and read this again before reading anymore "common core" books!
Rather than looking for a "quick" way to begin teaching Common Core ...examine your current curriculum and look for ways to implement these six strategies across all grades as subjects.
This book is not a guide to the standards, nor a detailed description of them, but it IS a collection of strategies to peruse in response to the standards. Some may be familiar and some new, however it's used, I trust adding these six strategies into curriculum will enhance instruction and learning.
The Core Six would be a good partner text with Reading and Writing Genre with Purpose in K-8 Classrooms by Nell K. Duke Good to Great Teaching Focusing on the Literacy Work That Matters by Mary Howard to examine practices.
Profile Image for Ted.
299 reviews3 followers
May 27, 2013
There is a lot to like about this book. I'm sure it is the first time I read it, not the last. For being short (78) it is powerful. Six strategies for teachers to get after the CCSS. As a Literacy Coach I can help teachers use these strategies in the classroom, any classroom. The examples in the book cover all grade levels and subject areas and can be used in a variety of effective ways. I enjoyed it, and am looking forward to sharing it with colleagues.
Profile Image for Jessyca505.
333 reviews15 followers
December 13, 2012
A quick read that addresses 6 strategies to tackle the Common Core State Standards. The strategies are:
Reading for Meaning, Compare and Contrast, Inductive Learning, Circle of Knowledge, Write to Learn, and Vocabulary's Code. Grounded in some of the best work out there (Reeves and Marzano) this is a good guide to reminding teachers to keep best teaching and high yield strategies on hand.
Profile Image for Kevin English.
138 reviews24 followers
September 13, 2015
I liked the emphasis on a common language toward the end and the strategies will be easy to replicate. I just am not fond of references to so much meta-research. These co-authors have a real fondness for Marzano, and the book reads in a way that too often connects "achievement" to "tests."
Profile Image for Stephanie.
58 reviews
October 21, 2019
Great for beginning teachers and perhaps for teachers who have been away for a while, but really this book reads like a how-to for no-teachers, or robots, who want to teach. Each chapter breaks down the skill of that chapter, in such detail yet so simply, that the Art of Teaching becomes the Checklist of Teaching. Great ideas, great for reaffirming what teachers already know.
Profile Image for Sarah Sherman.
292 reviews6 followers
July 30, 2017
So many valuable strategies shared in a short, accessible text! I like how these six strategies can all be integrated across subject areas and at any academic level. Will definitely keep me thinking - looking forward to integrating them next year!
Profile Image for Heatherlyn.
83 reviews1 follower
August 26, 2017
Some excellent strategies I plan on using right off the bat.
Harvey Silver is my teacher "boyfriend" so he's way cool with good stuff to use. Like a distilled version of Strategies that Work. Highly recommended for new or veteran teachers. Super quick read.
Profile Image for Sarah Soper.
168 reviews16 followers
August 16, 2018
There wasn’t much new to me in this book, but this is a great reference for solid, practical strategies to improve teaching and learning. What I liked most is that the strategies are easily implemented in all subject areas. This reminded me a lot of my Reading Apprenticeship training.
9 reviews
November 13, 2018
short and simple

The core 6 ideas explained in a clear manner. This book gives beginner teacher a general concept to plan a lesson.
172 reviews
July 21, 2019
Six core strategies that improve student learning. Each strategy is clearly defined with three sample lessons to illustrate the process. Worth the read.
Profile Image for Erin.
48 reviews2 followers
August 8, 2013
Just yesterday, I was reading an article in the New York Times about New York Stats administering a test based on the new common core standards for the first time. The results of the test were abysmal, with only 26 percent of New York City kids passing the English exam (as compared to 47 percent on the test using the old standards during the previous school year). Presumably, the dramatic drop in scores was due to the fact that the recent test gains have been a result of teaching that was more focused more on testing strategies and less on truly developing critical reading and writing skills. This news, while not really surprising to me, reinforced the importance of teaching English in a way that helps students gain deep critical thinking skills and advanced reading skills, which are not the focus of current testing efforts.
In our effort to do just that, I was given the Core Six by one of my English colleagues. This book was a great introduction to some research based strategies that can be directly implemented in the classroom to foster critical engagement and a deeper understanding of complex texts. Because I am a person who loves knowing the larger ideas behind everyday decisions and actions, I really appreciated this (brief) theoretical basis for each of the stratgies suggested. I also liked the fact that each chapter suggests ways to implement reading skills across content areas, not just in the English classroom, putting an emphasis on making improved literacy a school-wide effort. Lastly, I really liked that the ideas for implementation were straightforward and well explained, so that I can use them in my classroom immediately.
This book is a quick read (just an hour or two!)that can add some great, research tested, ideas your toolbox.
Profile Image for Dr.Given.
116 reviews8 followers
August 22, 2015
Straightforward discussion and modeling of key educational practices that can be leveraged to teach content though helping students to think as scholars. I was impressed with the elegance and simplicity of its presentation. As a gifted intervention specialist, I worry about the current movement to push students to learn "more rigorous" content without a more cohesive approach to teaching them the skills they need for learning beyond the classroom or solving problems they encounter. This book links these important facets of curriculum well. Checkout a follow up book called Tools for Thoughtful Assessment. http://www.amazon.com/Tools-Thoughtfu...
Profile Image for Ophelia.
87 reviews3 followers
July 13, 2014
This was suggested to me as a summer read by my principal as we are looking to use it I. professional development in the fall. I thought it was great and exactly what I expected it to be - straightforward, to-the-point strategies to use in any classroom to help improve student learning in areas highly focused on in the CCSS. This is a quick read, less than 80 pages, so if you're expecting in depth research and theory, look elsewhere. If you're looking for some tools to add to what you're already doing, take an evening and dig out your high lighter or sticky notes.
6 reviews
July 27, 2013
Though definitely useful, the ideas in this book were far more rudimentary than I'd expected. While I wish I'd had this as a guide when I was launching into my teaching career, at this point it's a rehash of what I've been doing for years.

I see this as most helpful for those new to teaching Reading to help build a foundation from which to start. It does include sample lesson plans for each of the "Core Six", which is definitely helpful for those new to planning and the structure of lessons.
Profile Image for Jean.
52 reviews2 followers
September 1, 2013
This was a great book--I have lots of ideas I want to try plus questions I really need to ask of others. There are many ideas I can incorporate into my classroom right now (Vocab CODE, some of Writing to Learn, parts of Circle of Discussion). It really made me feel that as I transfer my students over to Common Core I was on the right path all along because it is how I teach.
Profile Image for Stacey M.
150 reviews23 followers
December 28, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy read, which was great. It got to the point. This book goes through Six strategies to use with common core. While these strategies are not new, they are presented in a way that makes it easier to add them to your instruction. The examples and explanations are very clear.
Profile Image for Jonathan Stefanopoulos.
53 reviews
October 21, 2014
Helpful strategies such as Compare and Contrast and Vocabulary strategies. Research based information and data to support the six different strategies. It provides differentiation for the various strategies which helps me as a special education teacher. Marzano is one of the leading researchers in education, he is a speaker, trainer, and author of more than 25 books.
Profile Image for Katherine Hebert.
570 reviews6 followers
September 4, 2012
Hot off the press. Makes teaching with the CCSS a lot less intimidating by providing some tried and true strategies as well as many newer ones so teachers can teach well and kids can learn well and deeply without a lot of fuss and bother about the CCSS.
Profile Image for jmjester.
145 reviews29 followers
April 10, 2013
This is a great book for content area teachers on incorporating CCSS into their classrooms. There's nothing earth-shattering here for Writing Project people, but it distills what we know to be Best Practice for those whose charge is not teaching reading or writing.
541 reviews7 followers
May 19, 2013
I am using this book for a professional development I am teaching. I like that it promotes student-centered critical thinking skills. it shows teachers how to amp up what they are already doing as well as providing awesome concrete examples and organizers.
Profile Image for Shakura Weathers.
1 review
July 4, 2013
This book proves that large things can come in small packages. Despite it's size, this book includes strategies, research to support the effectiveness of these strategies, and examples of implementation at varies grade levels k-12, & different content areas. Awesome resource!
Profile Image for Kathleen Dean.
3 reviews1 follower
July 23, 2013
This is a great resource on how to apply the Common Core to the classroom. The six strategies are very practical and can be applied to all subject areas and grade levels! It is a Los a very quick read!
437 reviews1 follower
August 6, 2013
One of the best professional books I've read in a while. Provides effective, research based practices with plans for how to implement the strategies in the classroom. Good book for all teacher to read as we move into implementing to CCSS. Well worth the time to read.
Profile Image for Scott Whitney.
1,115 reviews14 followers
December 16, 2013
Though these are essential strategies for working with the common core, these are also great strategies for teaching. My experience with common core is that we can teach what we have before, but we are changing the terms we have for talking about it.
Profile Image for Creyer.
89 reviews
May 30, 2016
Lacking lots of information and doesn't go into a lot of depth about its strategies...it also bothered me that 90% of the lessons were not original work and taken from someone else...extremely disappointed.
Profile Image for Peter Galamaga.
225 reviews2 followers
October 22, 2013
Basic and useful discussion of strategies in the area of teaching reading, writing, and thinking skills.
Profile Image for Mrs. J Dinan.
4 reviews
October 29, 2012
Very informational; easy to read; strategies I can use in my classroom immediately.
Profile Image for Tweller83.
3,304 reviews11 followers
January 25, 2013
This is a fine book and very quickly read. I will probably come back to it at some point next year and try to finish it. I just couldn't get into it right now towards the end of the year.
Profile Image for Mike Mullen.
36 reviews47 followers
February 1, 2014
For the teacher facing CORE, this is a great help. Provides six essential strategies for teaching the core , the research behind them, and samples in how they can be implemented.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews

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