Book excerpt: The Common Core Language Arts Workouts: Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, and Language Skills Practice series for grades six through eight is designed to help teachers and parents meet the challenges set forth by the Common Core State Standards. Filled with skills practice, critical thinking tasks, and creative exercises, some are practice exercises, while others pose creative or analytical challenges. These workouts make great warm-up or assessment exercises. They can be used to set the stage and teach the content covered by the standards or to assess what students have learned after the content has been taught. Mark Twain Media Publishing Company specializes in providing captivating, supplemental books and decorative resources to complement middle- and upper-grade classrooms. Designed by leading educators, the product line covers a range of subjects including mathematics, sciences, language arts, social studies, history, government, fine arts, and character.