Common Core is Here!

Maryland has adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and it is in full effect this year. I know it's a bit overwhelming, but I am actually really excited about it. I feel like I have more autonomy and room to be creative in my instruction. We are getting our students "College and Career Ready," so I decided to amp up the non-fiction section of my classroom library by organizing books by topics that one might study in college. I looked up academic departments at University of Maryland, College Park and I created sections in my classroom library that cater to various topics of study. I made sections for Mathematics and Economics, Cultural Studies, Physics, Earth Science, etc. Since some of these terms are unfamiliar to students, I created labels with visuals to go along with each term. I made labels for fiction genres as well. I printed the labels out in color, laminated them, and taped them to each book bin. Here are some examples of what the labels look like. If you would like to see more, click here to check out my TpT store.