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 structure, terminology, and emphases of the Common Core mathematics standards for middle school. * The meaning of the individual content standards within all six domains--Ratios and Proportional Relationships, the Number System, Expressions and Equations, Functions, Geometry, and Statistics and Probability--with an emphasis on areas that represent the most significant changes to business as usual. * How the content standards and practice standards connect across grade levels to build on prior learning, deepen conceptual understanding, promote real-world application, and prepare students for high school level mathematics. Here, middle school mathematics teachers and teacher leaders will find information they need to begin adapting their practices to ensure that all students master the challenging material present 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 three 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.