Common Core implementation begins with asking the right questions!
While the Common Core couldn't be clearer about what to teach, they never quite tackle how to teach. That's what makes Inquiring into the Common Core such an essential resource. It offers teachers an inquiry-based professional development model for achieving greater understanding of the standards themselves, then determining best ways to realize desired outcomes. Posing questions to stimulate action and higher-level insight, teachers and students engage in a parallel process in service of the very same Common Core goals. The book is their guide, providing
Tools to systematically study teaching effectiveness while adapting to new standards
Classroom-ready, student inquiry techniques and strategies to apply within Common Core's framework
Real life inquiry-implementation examples from a high-need, high-poverty school

List of Figures
Foreword by Ann Lieberman
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
1. The Common Core and Inquiry
What is the Common Core?
How did the Common Core Develop?
Why Is the Common Core Important?
How Is the Common Core Different from the Status Quo?
What Difference Will the Common Core Make to Teachers and Students?
How Can Teachers Learn More About the Common Core and Its Relationship to Their Practice?
How Can Teachers Actualize the Common Core in their Daily Approach to Teaching?
Where Can I Learn More About the Common Core?
2. Teacher Inquiry: The Basics
What is Inquiry?
Components of the Inquiry Process
Where Can I Learn More About Inquiry?
3. Teacher Inquiry Into the Common Core: The Story of Lareal
Finding a Wondering and Developing an Inquiry Plan
The Start of Lareal's Inquiry
Collaborating with the Reading Coach
Continuing the Inquiry Journey
Summative Data Analysis and Sharing with Woodson Faculty
4. Student Inquiry: The Basics
What is Student Inquiry?
What Is the Relationship Between Student Inquiry and the Common Core State Standards?
How is Teaching as Inquiry Different from the Status Quo?
What Does Teaching as Inquiry Look Like in Practice?
What's the General Structure for Student Inquiry?
Where Can I Learn More About Student Inquiry?
5. Student Inquiry and the Common Core: The Story of Mary
First Things First: Creating a Culture of Inquiry
Starting Small: An Inquiry-Based Lesson
Expanding Horizons: An Inquiry-Based Unit
6. Making the Common Core Come Alive Through Inquiry: Lessons Learned
Lessons About Teacher Inquiry and the Common Core State Standards
Lessons About Student Inquiry and the Common Core State Standards
The Most Important Lesson
References
Index

Nancy Fichtman Dana is currently professor of education in the School of Teaching and Learning at the University of Florida, Gainesville. She began her career in education as an elementary school teacher in Hannibal Central Schools, New York. Since earning her PhD from Florida State University in 1991, she has been a passionate advocate for teacher inquiry and has worked >extensively in supporting schools, districts and universities in implementing powerful programs of job-embedded professional development through inquiry across the United States and in several countries, including China, South Korea, Belgium, Portugal, The Netherlands, Slovenia, and Estonia. She has published ten books and over 100 articles in professional journals and edited books focused on her research exploring teacher and principal professional development and practitioner inquiry. Dana has received many honors, including the Association of Teacher Educator's Distinguished Research in Teacher Education Award and the National Staff Development Council (now Learning Forward) Book of the Year Award, both honoring Dana and Yendol-Hoppey's work related to practitioner inquiry.