Educators are standing at a distinct moment in American education, when students will no longer be compared to other students by ability, but instead will be held to the same rigorous standards as their peers. Instruction must change if we are to successfully prepare our students for the rigor of the Common Core State Standards. But what does that change entail, and how can we bring it about? The transition to Common Core standards and assessments will require teachers to develop and expand a new repertoire of skills in anticipation of these measures of achievement. Teachers will need to shift how they teach and how they assess students, and students will need to adapt to those instructional changes. Engaged Instruction: Thriving Classrooms in the Age of the Common Core is a timely anthology of practical ideas from 13 educators who represent a wide range of grade spans, content areas, leadership levels, and specializations. Each author-practitioner provides concrete strategies and examples for teachers to engage students in their classrooms now, in the new age of the Common Core State Standards. Re-envision Instruction Engaged Instruction is filled with ideas you can immediately implement to prepare students for the rigor of the Common Core. Foundation-Setting Practices for, Enhancing instructional leadership, Facilitating student engagement, Creating a learning culture, Developing skills and concepts for technology in the classroom, Promoting learning and achievement with the right teaching tools Strategies for Content-area Needs Argumentative writing, Reading for critical thinking, Student-centered math, Balancing science instruction, Approaches for Special Situations English language learners, Response to Intervention, Supporting new teachers, High school literacy, The research and statistics cited in this book reinforce the resolve that we and our students can't afford to wait any longer. Book jacket.