Smart implementation of the Common Core State Standards requires both an overall understanding of the standards and a grasp of their implications for planning, teaching, and learning. This Quick-Start Guide provides a succinct, all-in-one look at * The content, structure, terminology, and emphases of the Common Core standards for mathematics and English language arts in the upper elementary grades. * The meaning of the individual standards within each of the four ELA-literacy strands and five math domains, with an emphasis on areas that represent the most significant changes to business as usual. * How the standards connect across and within strands, domains, and grade levels to develop foundational language arts, literacy, and mathematics learning--and prepare students for success in the critical middle school years. Here, teachers of grades 3-5 and elementary school leaders will find information they need to begin adapting their practices to help all students master the new and challenging material contained in the standards. A practical lesson planning process to use with the Common Core, based on Classroom Instruction That Works, 2nd Ed., is included, along with six sample lessons. LEARN THE ESSENTIALS OF THE COMMON CORE The grade-level and subject-specific Quick-Start Guides in the Understanding the Common Core Standards series, edited by John Kendall, are designed to help school leaders and school staffs turn Common Core standards into coherent, content-rich curriculum and effective, classroom-level lessons.