Common Core State Standards

1. Writing: Transition and Implementation Patsy Dunton English language arts specialist Maine department of education Patsy.dunton@maine.gov Common Core State Standards

2. Today Review information available in Common Core State Standards (CCSS) documents Develop awareness of value of resources relative to CCSS Identify and begin to explore instructional strategies and resources

3. CCSS Introduction The standards focus on results rather than means The processes of communication are closely connected; the standards present an integrated model of literacy Research and media skills are blended into the standards as a whole; life in a technological society requires one to ask and answer questions and analyze a high volume of information in print and nonprint texts We must share responsibility for literacy development

4. CCSS Introduction While students in elementary school should practice writing narratives, arguments, and expositions equally, by high school, instruction of narrative writing decreases as writing to inform or persuade increases Demands of audience, task, purpose, and discipline are critical areas of instruction and practice Students must critique as well as comprehend Students should build strong content knowledge while developing independence with literacy skills

5. Introduction Students who are post-secondary and workplace ready: Value evidence � details, relevance, clear thinking Use a variety of technology and digital media strategically and capably Understand other perspectives and cultures Write to better understand what they read; they read to inform their writing Are flexible and collaborative

6. From the Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing Students must be curious, open, flexible and creative Formulate questions and know how to get answers Willing to adjust/amend current knowledge and thinking Adapt to a variety of demands and situations Use new or different ways to investigate and share findings Students must be engaged, persistent, and responsible invested in the learning attention remains in short- and long-term experiences actions have consequences Metacognition not addressed hereMetacognition not addressed here

7. From Appendix A: Complexity Students must be able to read, comprehend, and critique increasingly complex texts independently Reading requires skill, concentration, and stamina Complexity considerations include quantitative, qualitative and reader/task

8. From Appendix A: Reader and Task Purpose for reading: Skim to get the gist Study to obtain and retain information Analyze to determine qualities of the text Synthesize to compare to other sources or prior knowledge Exposure to complex texts should precede writing in a similar manner

9. From Appendix A: Qualitative Levels of meaning: Explicit to implicit Simple/conventional/common to complex/unconventional/unique Literal to figurative Clear to ambiguous or purposefully mislseading Common knowledge to specific cultural knowledge Text stands alone to text contains many references or allusions to other texts

10. From Appendix A: Writing Argument An argument is a reasoned, logical way of demonstrating that the writer�s position, belief, or conclusion is valid. Traditionally: to change a reader�s point of view Priority: to ask the reader to accept the writer�s explanation or evaluation of a concept, issue, or problem Assumes truthfulness is challenged Informational/Explanatory Conveys information accurately Begins with an assumption of truthfulness

11. Appendix A: Writing Narratives Conveys an experience Can be used to inform, persuade, instruct, entertain Blends Skilled writers blend writing types to accomplish the purpose Persuasion Usually uses a rhetorical strategy to impact the reader The standards emphasize the argument approach which presents the logic and merit of the information In other words, persuasion is a specialized kind of writing while argument has a more useful, general purposeIn other words, persuasion is a specialized kind of writing while argument has a more useful, general purpose

12. Appendix A: Language Progressive skills, page 31 http://www.maine.gov/education/lres/ela/documents/Common_Core_Standards-ELA_Appendix-A.pdf Many skills mastered in or by grade 6: Shifts in pronoun number and person Correct vague pronouns Vary sentence patterns for style, meaning and interest Maintain consistent style and tone Recognize first while reading : apply to writing after demonstrating comprehension

13. Appendix B: Tasks Students cite explicit textual evidence as well as draw inferences about the drake and the duck from Katherine Paterson�s The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks to support their analysis of the perils of vanity. [RL.6.1] Explain the author�s message about the perils of vanity in The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks. Use specific evidence from the text to support your explanation

14. Appendix B: Tasks Students determine the figurative and connotative meanings of words such as wayfaring, laconic, and taciturnity as well as of phrases such as hold his peace in John Steinbeck�s Travels with Charley: In Search of America. They analyze how Steinbeck�s specific word choices and diction impact the meaning and tone of his writing and the characterization of the individuals and places he describes. [RI.7.4] Analyze Steinbeck�s diction in . . . Include an explanation of such words and phrases as wayfaring, laconic, and hold his peace. Use specific detail from the text to support your response.

15. Appendix B: Tasks Students evaluate the premises of James M. McPherson�s argument regarding why Northern soldiers fought in the Civil War by corroborating the evidence provided from the letters and diaries of these soldiers with other primary and secondary sources and challenging McPherson�s claims where appropriate. [RH.11�12.8] Verb � see Bloom�s Parameters Source of evidence

16. Appendix C Exemplars of the standard Annotations to illuminate the standard Not a score point

17. Writing Standards In a brief video, learn about the development of the writing standards from the authors http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt_2jI010WU&list=PL9F9C431FF82A15B5&index=2&feature=plpp_video

18. Writing Standards Text types and purposes: one standard for each type to express developmental progression within a genre of writing Production and distribution of writing: addresses a variety of purposes, suggests MULTIPLE writing processes, establishes use of various media and technologies Research to build and present knowledge: outlines the act of gathering evidence as a multi-layer process

19. Writing Standards Range of writing: second mention in the standards of writing long and short pieces, of writing on demand and over time, of being clear about purpose and audience How much is enough? Examine the k-12 progression: http://www.maine.gov/education/lres/ela/documents/ELA_Break-Down/ccss-writing_811.pdf

20. Writing Next Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle and High Schools http://carnegie.org/fileadmin/Media/Publications/PDF/writingnext.pdf 11 elements of effective writing instruction Teach writing strategies which involve a variety of processes to match a variety of purposes Explicitly and systematically teach students to summarize texts Work collaboratively during the writing process (fosters independence) Be clear about specific product goals for writing

21. Writing Next Use technology as instructional support for writing assignments Use sentence combining as a method to teach students to write more complex, sophisticated sentences Teach prewriting strategies to general or organize ideas Engage in inquiry activities to analyze information relative to a specific task

22. Writing Next Include a process writing approach which develops extended writing opportunities in a workshop environment Read, analyze, and emulate models of good writing Write as a means to learn content material Critical claim: no single approach to writing instruction will meet the needs of all learners Published in 2007, the report is still a valuable source of instructional strategies

23. What�s Missing? The language strand Conventions includes grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization Knowledge of language means that students understand why using �ain�t� may be appropriate in one situation but alarming in another Vocabulary acquisition and use articulates the expectations for understanding words distinctly All of these apply to reading, writing, speaking, listening

24. Writing Instruction Explore the relationship of the standards in all 4 strands: The �craft and structure� reading standards provide students the opportunity to evaluate another author�s methods as a model for writing �Craft and structure� reading standards require knowledge of vocabulary, sentence structures, word use, diction, etc. �Production and distribution� writing standards assume knowledge of craft and structure!

25. Writing: ELA and Content http://www.maine.gov/education/lres/ela/documents/ccss-writing_chart.pdf Writing instruction cannot be contained in a vacuum Make sure students are reading and evaluating or analyzing good models of the writing you want them to do long before they are held accountable for proficient production of writing Provide sufficient opportunity to comprehend stimulus materials

26. Writing Try pairing or clustering/bundling texts (use texts from different genres) Annotate texts to focus attention on an instructional target (such as use of punctuation for effect or recognizing a shift in style or tone) Choose texts, at least excerpts, which provide an opportunity to analyze complex sentences Assign short writing for a specific purpose: to apply understanding of a kind of structure, to use specific vocabulary, to gather information

27. Writing TM language is OK � for note taking, prewriting, helping students collaborate Technology assists collaboration Provide writing feedback from a variety of sources � the student, another student, the teacher, others Understand that when a person writes in a complex manner on a complex topic, more errors will be made in grammar, usage, and mechanics than when writing simply on an uncomplicated topic