Curriculum Associates Expands 'Ready® Common Core Reading' for Grades K-1

Multicomponent program uses best-practice teaching strategies and routines to help students in early grades develop reading comprehension skills assessed by the Common Core

NORTH BILLERICA, Mass., Sept. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Curriculum Associates, LLC, has expanded itsReady® Common Core Reading program with Grades K–1 content to help students in early grade levels meet the new demands of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Ready Common Core Reading offers K–1 students age-appropriate instruction and practice to build reading comprehension skills and supports teachers with point-of-use professional development to help them teach the new, more rigorous standards.

"It all starts in Kindergarten," said Adam Berkin, Vice President of Product Development for Curriculum Associates and co-author of Good Habits, Great Readers with Drs. Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey. "Right from the beginning, we need to teach students critical reading comprehension strategies like close reading and identifying evidence that they will need to succeed in later grade levels and beyond." Mr. Berkin personally oversaw the development of the new Grade K–1 program. "Our challenge when developing this program was finding a way to make these higher-level reading skills and strategies both developmentally appropriate and fun. We've unraveled the mystery of what great readers do naturally and given that 'secret' to our youngest readers."

The program uses high-quality, award-winning read-aloud trade books as the central "vehicle" to teach reading comprehension skills. Single copies of nine literature and informational read-aloud trade books for each grade level are included with the program, and teachers use these books multiple times to teach different standards in conjunction with the detailed lesson plans in the Teacher Resource Books. The read-aloud trade books used in the Ready Common Core Reading program for Grades K–1 were carefully selected to meet the rigor of the CCSS and include well-known literature titles such as Chrysanthemum and My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother, as well as informational titles such as Red-Eyed Tree Frog and Butterflies and Moths.

The Ready Common Core Reading program for Grades K–1 also includes full-color Student Instruction Books that follow a repetitive, predictable structure to support emergent readers. The Student Instruction Books include meaningful activities based on the read-aloud books to encourage students to use text-based evidence to answer questions.

Teacher Resource Books provide teachers with the critical resources they need to understand and best teach the new CCSS. Lessons include Common Core background knowledge such as the learning progression and prerequisite skills, as well as best-practice teaching tips like tapping children's prior knowledge, Tier Two vocabulary suggestions, and ELL support. In addition, "Close Reading" instructional support included in the book gives teachers ideas for guiding close reading of text. The Ready Common Core program also provides teachers with free access to the Online Teacher Toolbox that offers invaluable, easy-to-use resources to engage young learners.

Pricing and Availability
Instruction Student Books can be purchased for $11.99 with an order of 10 or more. The Teacher Support Package includes one Teacher Resource Book and one Read-Aloud Trade Book Set (nine titles) and costs $84.99. The K–1 read-aloud trade books are a critical component of the K–1 reading program because they hold the majority of the text students will encounter. Teacher Resource Books may also be purchased separately.

There are also state-specific versions of the new Ready Reading program for Grades K–1 for New York and North Carolina. For more information, please visit http://www.ReadyNY.com/K1 or http://ReadyNorthCarolina.com/K1.

Ready Common Core Math for Grades K–1 will additionally be available in early 2014, but may be purchased now at an introductory price of $9.99 per student book with an order of 10 or more. Introductory pricing expires on January 31, 2014.

For more information, please visit http://www.readycommoncore.com

About Curriculum Associates
Founded in 1969, privately owned Curriculum Associates, LLC, designs research-based print and online instructional materials, screening and assessment tools, and data management resources. The company's products and outstanding customer service provide teachers and administrators with the resources necessary for teaching diverse student populations and fostering learning for all students. For company and product information, visit Curriculum Associates on the Web at http://www.CurriculumAssociates.com or call 800-225-0248.

SOURCE Curriculum Associates