“LOOKING FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ELA COMMON CORE SHIFTS” PRESENTED BY: SHERYL WHITE EDUCATIONAL CONSULTANT Common Core Shifts in English Language Arts (ELA)
“LOOKING FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE
ELA COMMON CORE SHIFTS”
P R E S E N T E D B Y :
S H E R Y L W H I T E
E D U C A T I O N A L C O N S U L T A N T
Common Core Shifts in English Language Arts (ELA)
Session Objectives
Work collaboratively as a principal group
Study Common Core State Standards (CCSS) ELA
Look at “Shifts” in CCSS ELA
Identify evidence of Common Core Implementation of the shifts through: Student Behavior Teacher Behavior Classroom Artifacts
Providing Feedback
Common Core Implementation
What is your vision for Common Core implementation?
How has that vision been communicated to staff?
What are the “Look Fors” based on Expectations for Implementation of Common Core Standards?
What should you begin to see more of? Less of?
How will you use the evidence to drive interpretation?
What feedback will you give? How?
Think-Pair-Share
In your table groups, discuss your response to the previous questions.
Share your current progress toward Common Core implementation.
Structure of the Common Core Standards
Structure of the Common Core Standards
Anchor Standards
Standards
Understanding CCSS ELA
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/common-core-standards-ela
Common Core English Language Arts
Elementary K-5 Secondary 6-12
1. Reading
1. Literature
2. Informational Text
3. Foundational Skills*
2. Writing
3. Speaking and Listening
4. Language
1. Reading 1. Literature 2. Informational Text
2. Writing
3. Speaking and Listening
4. Language
5. Literacy in History/Social
Studies, Science and Technical Subject
A Study of the ELA Common Core Standards
Four Corner Summary
Key Verbs
Key Nouns
Anchor Standard Headings
Something New
These standards…
Carousel & Conclusions
Place your summary chart on the wall!
Stand by your chart.
When signaled, you will move from one chart to next.
What conclusions have you drawn about these new standards?
What are you looking for and how?
Settling on Semantics Observation—formal classroom visit that lasts 15-20
minutes or more and provides written feedback to teachers
OR Classroom Walk-through—informal classroom visit
that lasts no more than 15 minutes; feedback can be provided to teachers but can also be compiled into site or as departmental/ grade level statistics
http://ped.state.nm.us/ped/NMTeachDocs/8-29-2012_State_Observation_Protocol_Day_1v3.pdf SREB
Three Broad Areas of Inspection
Artifacts Lesson plans, assignments, assessments,
Student Work products
Student Behavior What should you see students doing?
Teacher Behavior What should you see teachers doing?
Where is instruction focused? Delivery of instruction?
What expectations or objectives are defined for students?
What resources are utilized?
http://ped.state.nm.us/ped/NMTeachDocs/8-29-2012_State_Observation_Protocol_Day_1v3.pdf
More than a checklist…but…
it will be our starting point.
Today’s Focus
Looking for snapshots of Common Core Standards (ELA) implementation.
Teacher: Date/Time:
Student Behavior:
Teacher Behavior:
Classroom Artifacts:
Recording What You See! Keep it Simple
Common Core Shifts in ELA 18
What is a “shift”?
A shift is the transition from present work based on state standards to the common core standards.
There are six (6) shifts that the Common Core in English Language Arts requires of us if we are to be truly aligned in terms of curricular materials and classroom instruction.
6 Shifts in English Language Arts Common Core
1. Balancing Informational and Literary Text
2. Building Knowledge in the Disciplines
3. Staircase of Text Complexity
4. Text-Dependent Questions, Text-Based Answers
5. Writing from Sources
6. Academic Vocabulary
Shift 1: Balancing Informational and Literary Text K-5
Instructional Shift
Students should read a true balance of informational and literary texts.
Students should access the world—science, social studies, the arts, literature—through text.
Shift 1: Balancing Informational & Literary Text (K-5)
50% 45%
30%
50% 55%
70%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
K-4 5-8 9-12
Informational
Literature
2009 NAEP Reading Framework
Why informational text?
Much of our knowledge base comes from informational text
Makes up vast majority of required reading in college/workplace 80%, yet in most school classrooms 80 % of what a student reads is literary.
Informational text harder for students to comprehend but critical.
Students must read a balance of informational and literary text.
By high school, 70 % of a student’s reading should be informational.
Shift 1: Balancing Informational and Literary Text K-5
Teacher Behaviors- Look for teachers to be…
___giving students informational text to read as often as they do literature
___providing lessons and tasks that are ground in informational text
___providing strategy instruction to students for literature and informational text
___teaching content knowledge (Science, Social Studies, Health, etc.) through informational texts
___scaffolding (reading to, using graphic organizers, modeling) for students when text contains difficult content
Shift 1: Balancing Informational and Literary Text K-5
Student Behaviors- Look for students to be …
___reading multiple informational texts across content areas
___reading informational text throughout the day
___practicing and applying informational based text strategies
___processing content learned in informational texts (discussion, writing, presentation)
___acquiring content and text knowledge as a result of teacher scaffolding of informational texts
Shift 1: Balancing Informational and Literary Text K-5
Artifacts: Evidence of Implementation What concrete pieces of evidence can you identify to
ensure students are reading a balance of literacy and informational text?
As a group, list what you might see on the artifact sheet at your table!
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teaching-science-with-current-events
Shift 1: Balancing Informational and Literary Text K-5
Leader Implications:
Ensure text purchases allow for greater classroom and student access of informational text.
Explore opportunities for media/digital resource availability.
Encourage teachers to rethink how they build a collection of texts for students to access.
Shift 2: Building Knowledge in the Disciplines 6-12
Instructional Shift
Literacy standards (6-12) are predicated on teachers in ELA, social studies, science and technical subjects using their content area expertise to help students meet the particular challenges of reading, writing, speaking, listening and language in their respective fields.
Shared responsibility for literacy development across the school
“Asking a teacher to become a reading teacher is distinctly different from asking a teacher to help students master texts within the teacher’s own field. In fact, subject-area teachers are best qualified to help their students master texts in each course. Subject-area teachers should not be expected to teach basic reading skills, but they can help students develop critical strategies and skills for reading texts in each subject.”
Southern Regional Education Board
Reaction! Reaction!
Shift 2: Building Knowledge in the Disciplines 6-12
Teacher Behaviors-Look for teachers to be…
___giving students tasks that require them to read content area texts
___doing less frontloading and providing of content and requiring students gain more informational for texts read
___providing students with discipline-specific reading and writing strategy instruction
___facilitating students use of text as a key part of instruction; primary and secondary sources, scientific and technical texts
___giving students tasks that require them to cite textual evidence in both discussion and written products
Shift 2: Building Knowledge in the Disciplines 6-12
Student Behaviors-Look for students to be…
___reading content-based texts for many purposes
___reading more and thinking critically about what has been read
___practicing and applying reading and writing strategies; annotating texts, note-taking, graphic representations
___responding to text-based tasks alone and collaboratively
___utilizing multiple texts as a source for both evidence-based reading, writing, and discussion
Shift 2: Building Knowledge in the Disciplines 6-12
Artifacts: Evidence of Implementation
What products will you be able to identify as evidence of disciplinary literacy being taught in grades 6-12?
Clue: Previous slide has some ideas!!
Write one artifact per post-it. Place on the 6-12 “Artifact Chart”
Shift 2: Building Knowledge in the Disciplines 6-12
Implications for Leaders:
Implement school-wide content-area literacy
Look for students reading text and writing about what they read
Look for students being less dependent on the teacher as the major source of information
Look for students applying literacy skills with content area texts; reading and writing for multiple audiences and purposes across disciplines
Shift 3: Staircase of Text Complexity
Instructional Shift
K-12 emphasizes text complexity as the most important factor in developing skilled readers
CCSS ELA requires an incremental step of growth for student reading of complex text from elementary to high school
Instruction should be centered around appropriate text complexity with close reading
ELA CCSS include a list of exemplar texts that illustrate appropriate complexity Appendix B
Why Complex Text?
Gap between complexity of college and high school texts is huge
Too many students reading at too low a level (<50% of graduates can read sufficiently complex texts)
What students can read, in terms of complexity is greatest predictor of success in college (ACT study)
Increasing text complexity forces students to respond and think to complex ideas that they will need in college and in careers
Text Complexity is Defined by:
Qualitative Measures:
levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality and clarity, and knowledge demands
Quantitative Measures: (Lexiles)
readability and other scores of text complexity (word length or frequency, sentence length, text cohesion)
Reader and Task:
background knowledge of reader, motivation, interests, and complexity generated by tasks assigned
Text Complexity
Quantitative
measures difficulty
+
Qualitative
levels of meaning
+
Reader Task Components
reader motivation and prior knowledge
Shift 3: Staircase of Text Complexity
Teacher Behaviors-Look for teachers to be…
___exposing K-2 students to complex text through read aloud
___assigning students a range of texts to read that are matched to text complexity demand in standards
___reading* complex level text to students and engaging them in activities that require them to think deeply about what they have read or heard
___giving students tasks that require close and deep reading of text
___scheduling increased amounts of time to allow for students’ reading of complex text and activities
___allowing students to productively struggle ___scaffolding text for students as needed; but not doing
the work for them
Shift 3: Staircase of Text Complexity
Student Behaviors-Look for students to be…
___reading a variety of texts that fall in the text complexity range for their grade level independently
___engaging in cooperative discussions, thinking about and responding to complex ideas and questions
___ participating in tasks that require processing of complex text read
___engaging in close reading activities
___reading a variety of complex texts both in class and outside of class
The Common Core Standards suggest that although other contexts should be considered students need to focus on what the AUTHOR ACTUALLY SAYS.
Students will have to use evidence from the text to support their claims.
Students will read closely to make sense of what the author is saying and then compare that to their own experiences and beliefs.
Close reading is the process in which students analyze
multiple components of a text and are invited to revisit the text multiple times.
What is Close Reading?
Students’ Command of Evidence with Complex Texts is at the Core of Every
Part of the PARCC Assessment!
SO. . . Two standards are always in play—whether they be reading or writing items, selected-response or constructed-response items on any one of the four components of PARCC. They are:
Reading Standard One (Use of Evidence)
Reading Standard Ten (Complex Texts)
PARCC Prototypes Power Point 8-12
Shift 3: Staircase of Text Complexity
Artifacts: Evidence of Implementation
How do you know if students are reading complex text?
What evidence can you gather to ensure students are given texts in their text complexity range to read and process?
Give One, Get One!
Each table choose at least 1 to share!
Write on sentence strip.
Tape on chart.
Shift 3: Staircase of Text Complexity
Implications for Leaders:
Ensure teachers are increasing text complexity from grade-to-grade (R.CCR.10)
Review current grade level materials and resources to determine appropriate text complexity
Encourage and look for teachers allowing students to productively struggle with complex texts
Stand Up, Hand Up, Pair Up
What are your thoughts after learning about the first three shifts? What impact will this have on you as a leader? (2 minute think time)
Stand Up/Hand Up/Pair Up
Share with your partner.
Repeat twice with another partner.
Shift 4: Text-Dependent Questions
Instructional Shift
Teachers should train students to go back to the text to find evidence to and develop their ability to engage in rich, evidence-based dialogue about a text they have read
Teachers should design questions and tasks that require students to respond both orally and in writing to questions about a text in which the answers are found within the text and not based on prior knowledge, experience or opinion text.
Shift 4: Text-Dependent Questions
Students will be asked to answer questions that are dependent on reading of text
Implications for classroom practice:
Far longer amounts of classroom time spent on text worth reading and rereading carefully.
The source of information should not come solely from the teacher.
Student answers should be based on what has been read, not opinions or experience.
Why?
Shift 4: Text-Dependent Questions
2010 research indicated that 80% of the questions students were asked after they read a text:
Did not require them to read the text to answer the questions
Did not directly relate to the text read by the students.
Bringing the Common Core to Life" David Coleman · Founder, Student Achievement Partners Chancellors Hall · State Education Building · Albany, NY April 28, 2011
Text-Dependent Questions…
Questions that can only be answered correctly by close reading of the text and demand careful attention to the text
Require an understanding that extends beyond recalling facts
Often require students to infer
Do not depend on information from outside sources, opinions or personal experiences
Allow students to gather evidence and build knowledge
Part A: Highlight the claim that is supported by the most relevant and sufficient facts within “Earhart’s Final Resting Place Believed Found.”
Part B: Click on two facts within the article that best provide evidence to support the claim selected in Part A.
Grade 7 Technology-Enhanced Constructed-Response Item
49
Claims
Earhart and Noonan lived as castaways on Nikumaroro Island.
Earhart and Noonan’s plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean
People don’t really know where Earhart and Noonan died.
Part A: Based on the passage from Julie of the Wolves, how does Miyax feel about her father?
a. She is angry that he left her alone. b. She blames him for her difficult childhood. c. She appreciates him for his knowledge of nature.* d. She is grateful that he planned out her future.
Part B: Which sentence from the passage best shows Miyax’s feelings for her father?
a. “She had been lost without food for many sleeps on the North Slope of Alaska.” b. “This could be done she knew, for her father, an Eskimo hunter, had done so.”* c. “Unfortunately, Miyax’s father never explained to her how he had told the wolf
of his needs.” d. “And not long afterward he paddled his kayak into the Bering Sea to hunt for
seal, and he never returned.”
Grade 6 Evidence-Based Selected-Response Item #2
50
Shift 4: Text-Dependent Questions
Teacher Behaviors-Look for teachers to be… ___asking students questions that require them to
refer to the text in order to respond both orally and in writing
___teaching students strategies for citing evidence from text
___crafting questions for students that are text dependent the majority of the time
___asking students questions that require them to cite textual evidence, infer, and respond to questions that are at higher levels of thinking
___building in increased processing time for students to respond to text-dependent questions
Shift 4: Text-Dependent Questions Text-Based Answers
Student Behaviors-Look for students to be…
___citing text both orally and in writing when responding to questions and supporting arguments
___becoming accustomed to responding to questions based in evidence from the text (literally/inferentially)
___responding to questions at both the lower and upper levels of thinking with consistent reference to text
___ engaging in close reading activities that require students to read and reread, developing stamina for task completion
Shift 4: Text-Dependent Questions
Artifacts: Evidence of Implementation
What evidence can we gather to ensure that students are given text-dependent questions and tasks?
How might teachers and/or students be a source of this information?
Fold the Line
Bring a writing utensil and index card to write with…
Shift 4: Text-Dependent Questions
Implications for Leaders:
Encourage teachers to spend more time teaching students how to revisit texts to find evidence and write stronger arguments
Look for students who are responding to text-dependent questions based on evidence and findings from the text
Provide planning time for teachers to craft appropriate text-dependent questions, tasks and close reading assignments
Putting Some Pieces Together -Grade 5
Responding to Text-Dependent Questions
Integration of multiple standards
Reading for Informational Text
Speaking and Listening
Citing textual evidence
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/analyzing-text-as-a-group?fd=1
Shift 5: Writing From Sources
Instructional Shift
Students should write from multiple sources about a single topic.
Writing needs to use evidence to inform or make an argument.
Less emphasis on personal narratives
Writing should respond to ideas, events, and facts read in texts.
Short, focused research projects K-12
Common Core Three Types of Writing
1. To provide opinions or develop arguments
2. To inform and explain
3. To write narratives
Shift #5: Writing from Sources
30% 35% 40%
35% 35%
40%
35% 30% 20%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Grade 4 Grade 8 Grade 12
Narrative
Informational-Explanatory
Opinion/Argument
Shift 5: Writing From Sources
Teacher Behavior…Look for teachers to be…
___providing students direct instruction on how to write various types of writing, using rubrics as an instructional tool
___having students write often for multiple purposes
___providing students instruction in how to write both argument and informational/explanatory writing
___teaching students text features and how to apply to writing
___providing modeling and instruction to students on how to use multiple sources to build logical arguments and compose accurate informational texts
___assigning students short term research projects
Shift 5: Writing From Sources
Student Behavior…Look for students to be…
___writing both argument and informational/ explanatory text often
___following the procedures and strategies learned to compose both argument, informational/ explanatory and narrative writing
___identifying appropriate, multiple sources when writing and utilizing sources to make strong arguments or provide accurate information
___conducting short research projects on a regular basis
Shift 5: Writing From Sources
Artifacts: Evidence of Implementation
This one is easy….writing is a product based target!!!
What artifacts would be evident for this shift?
Shift 5: Writing From Sources
Implications for Leaders:
Expect direct instruction for writing versus just having writing assignments
Guide teachers to increase opportunities for students to write from sources.
Caution! Maintain focus on writing genres in CCSS.
Shift 6: Academic Vocabulary
Instructional Shift
Students must acquire and apply academic vocabulary that crosses multiple content areas and is found in both informational and literary text.
Academic vocabulary development will facilitate access and comprehension of grade-level complex text.
Students must also acquire and apply domain-specific vocabulary.
Vocabulary
Academic Vocabulary
Three Tiers of words
Tier 1: Words of everyday speech* baby, school, house, friend
Tier 2: Academic Vocabulary: informational texts; analyze, relative, vary,
formulate, specify, and accumulate
technical texts; calibrate, itemize, periphery
literary texts; misfortune, dignified, faltered, unabashedly
Tier 3: Domain Specific circumference, lava, aorta, autocratic
Tier 2 Academic Vocabulary Tier 3 Domain-Specific Vocabulary
Words related to a specific content or field of study
• ANALYZE FORTUNATE • COMPARE COINCIDENCE • DEFINE FACADE • PREDICT
MATH
• addition • triangle
SCIENCE • constellation • matter
SOCIAL STUDIES
• community • citizen
Tie
r 2
T
ier
3
Let’s Try Identifying Critical Vocabulary
Grades K-5
Volcanoes
Read the excerpt on the next slide.
Use the T-chart chart to identify and record words into tiers:
Tier 2 Academic
Tier 3 Domain-Specific
Common Core Appendix A
Volcanoes
In early times, no one knew how volcanoes formed or why they spouted red-hot molten rock. In modern times, scientists began to study volcanoes. They still don’t know all the answers, but they know much about how a volcano works. Our planet made up of many layers of rock. The top layers of solid rock are called the crust. Deep beneath the crust is the mantle, where it is so hot that some rock melts. The melted, or molten, rock is called magma. Volcanoes are formed when magma pushes its way up through the crack in Earth’s crust. This is called a volcanic eruption. When magma pours forth on the surface, it is called lava.
How did you do?
Shift 6: Academic Vocabulary
Teacher Behavior…Look for teachers to be…
___providing direct and explicit instruction of academic vocabulary
___using research-based instructional strategies that teach both vocabulary acquisition and word meaning strategies
___developing students’ ability to use and access words found in text that may slightly out of reach
___selecting an appropriate number and type of academic and domain-specific vocabulary to teach vs. an extensive isolated vocabulary list
Shift 6: Academic Vocabulary
Student Behavior…Look for students to be…
___ engaging in multiple learning activities that support acquisition of vocabulary or provide strategies to identify word-meaning
___learning and applying academic vocabulary in reading, writing, speaking, and listening
___understanding how to identify the meaning of words
___spending more time learning words, word nuances and associating words with others instead of learning individual isolated vocabulary
___comprehending and applying both Tier Two and Tier Three vocabulary in reading, writing, speaking and listening successfully perform tasks
Part A: What does the word vanity mean in these lines from the text “Daedalus and Icarus”? “Proud of his success, the foolish Icarus forsook his guide, and, bold in vanity, began to soar” (lines 345-349)
a. arrogance* b. fear c. heroism d. enthusiasm
Part B: Which word from the lines from the text in Part A best helps the reader understand the meaning of vanity?
a. proud* b. success c. foolish d. soar
Grade 10 Evidence-Based Selected-Response Item
73
Part A: What does the word “regal” mean as it is used in the passage?
a. generous b. threatening c. kingly* d. uninterested
Part B: Which of the phrases from the passage best helps the reader understand the meaning of “regal?”
a. “wagging their tales as they awoke” b. “the wolves, who were shy” c. “their sounds and movements expressed goodwill” d. “with his head high and his chest out”*
Grade 6 Evidence-Based Selected-Response Item #1
74
Shift 6: Academic Vocabulary
Artifacts: Evidence of Implementation
What tangible evidence of can you see that supports instruction and acquisition of academic vocabulary?
Shift 6: Academic Vocabulary
Snowball Fight
Using the orange pieces of paper in the middle of your table, record one artifact you can gather regarding the teaching of academic vocabulary.
When signaled, wad it up and toss it across the room.
Pick up a “new” snowball and read.
We will record the ideas together.
Shift 6: Academic Vocabulary
Implications for Leaders:
Look for explicit, research-based vocabulary instruction in which students are being taught transferable strategies
Look at students reading a variety of texts often
Look for students discussing words in relation to previous knowledge, what they are reading, digital media and informational text.
One More Movie…
Looking at an integrated model of literacy
What shifts are present?
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/literacy-analysis-lesson?resume=0
Supporting Implementation through Feedback
In what ways can you provide staff feedback that will boost implementation of the Common Core shifts?
How do we communicate to staff that implementation is a PROCESS not an EVENT?
Whole Staff Feedback
Grade Level or Department Feedback
Individual Feedback
Preparing Staff for Implementation Walk-Throughs
Form groups by your level….
Elementary
Middle School
High School
What will you do to prepare your staff?
REMEMBER!
BUILD TRUST!
PROMOTE REFLECTION!
REMEMBER!
ACKNOWLEDGE CHANGE!
EXPECT GROWTH!
REMEMBER!
EMBRACE COLLABORATION!
The ELA/Literacy Common Core State Standards signify a need to change practice
in the areas of content, instruction and assessment in order to prepare New Mexico
students to be college and career ready.
If teachers are to teach differently, then principals need to lead differently.
The importance of structures like teacher teams, common planning time, as well as
support from school leadership, are integral to a school’s ability to make significant shifts in
their everyday classroom practice.
The Future of Our Students...
is in our hands!
Your Feedback!
3 “Take Always” from this session…
1 Action You Will Take Right Away
2 Things You will Communicate to Staff
Video Resources
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/common-core-standards-ela ELA overview
Analyzing Complex Text (5th) https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/analyzing-text-lesson?fd=1
Text Dependent Analysis: http://turnonyourbrain.wordpress.com/2012/03/29/defining-deep-reading-and-text-dependent-questions/
Tex-Dependent Questions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXc85d2b_p8&feature=plcp
Video Resources
Asking Good Questions: (Lolita 9-10) https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/questions-for-inquiry-based-teaching?fd=1
Close Reading-Text Analysis w/ Evidence TDQ-Writing
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/literacy-analysis-lesson?resume=0
Discipline Literacy-Debate to Develop Arguments
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teaching-economics-with-debating?resume=0
Disciplinary Literacy-Science Literacy w Discussion
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teaching-science-with-current-events