This "water cooler" column features e-mail conversations between Erin Koning and three teachers--Beth, Jenna, and Patrice--and is a reflection of their participation in a Chicago Public School (CPS), professional development series designed to support the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in grades K-12. At the beginning of the 2011 school year, CPS launched the Early Adopter Professional Development Workshop, and 64 schools across the district were selected to begin the implementation of the CCSS for all grades at each school. Schools were selected through a survey process using criteria designated by the Department of Literacy (DOL), Chicago Public Schools (CPS). The purpose of the Early Adopter Program was for CPS teachers to build instructional plans that were aligned to the CCSS in literacy so that all CPS teachers had a resource from which to draw as they began their own work planning CCSS aligned to the curriculum.