The Teaching of ELA/Literacy as We Transition to the Common Core and PARCC

1. The Teaching of ELA/Literacy as We Transition to the Common Core and PARCC Helen S. Comba Supervisor of English Language Arts School District of the Chathams

2. New expectations… • 2010-2011~ time for planning • 2014-2015~ Common assessments will be operational • Between now and then~ ~ Transitions in assessment systems ~ Phase-in the Standards - Curriculum development and alignment - Professional development

3. Engish/Literacy Standards • Reading • Reading literature • Reading Informational Text • Reading Foundations • Writing • Speaking and Listening • Language • Standards for literacy in history/ social studies, science, and technical subjects

4. Key Shifts in ELA/Literacy • Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction • Reading, writing and speaking grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational • Regular practice with complex text and its academic language

5. Status

6. Considerations… • Common Core: Writing • Writing Assessments • Common Core: Language • Initiatives in Chatham • Writing Workshop

7. Common Core: Writing • 3 Types of Writing: • Narrative writing(personal narrative, story) • Writing about opinions (persuasive, argument) • Nonfiction writing(how to, all about, essay)

8. Expectations include… • Structure (stories have problems, an essay begins with a thesis statement) • Craft (Good writers write strong leads, use dialogue, similes, etc.) • Writing about research • Integrated across the curriculum

9. NJASK- 2013-2014(Transitioning) • Speculative writing- Write a story based on a prompt such as the following: Katie and Pablo were excited about their adventure. Write a story about it. • Poem Prompt- Read a poem* then write a composition about the poem’s theme or main idea such as the following: After reading a poem about a person trying something new- students are asked to think of a time when you tried something new. Tell, describe, explain. • Constructed response questions -Use evidence* from the reading selection. (RAFT)

10. PARCC-2015 and on • Writing about experiences, opinions, information(Common Core) • Performance Tasks- Require integration of reading and writing (Throw your Tooth on the Roof). • Writing about Research-Read 2 or more selections on the same topic to analyze and then synthesize knowledge. • Constructed response questions – similar to NJASK questions.

11. Performance Task for Grade 3:Throw your tooth on the Roof • Writing about personal experiences: Have you ever lost a tooth? Write about it. • Learn about the tooth traditions around the world. • Take notes as you read/view using technology. • Use your notes to compare and contrast these traditions with your own experiences. • Explain what you have learned about tooth traditions citing examples (using evidence).

12. Common Core: Language • Language means both speaking and writing • Language means grammatical usage and vocabulary used in both speaking and writing Think about … • How do children acquire oral language skills? • How do children acquire written language skills

13. SDOC Writing Grades K-5 • 2010 Writing Workshop -Units of Study purchased • 2009- 2013 Training for teacher (LaGatta, Klein) • 2010 Purchase of K-2,3-5 Units of Study • 2013 Purchase of grade level specific units based on the Common Core (Lucy Calkins)

14. Writing Workshop… • Encourages independence • Gives the young writer choice within a framework • Has procedures that are consistent from day to day • Structures the environment to encourage writers to take risks while learning craft • Provides a scaffolding support system to all writers • Has a regular and predictable time to write and amount of time • Gives students direct instruction in writing by different methods; whole class, small group, individual • Uses literature to teach students the craft of writing

15. SDOC Writing Grades 6-12 • Transitioning to writing workshop (TC Model) • Heather Rocco is working to integrate writing workshop in the secondary classroom • More mini-lessons • More drafts in the classroom with teacher conferences • More informal writing to lower the writing risk • More writing that reveals thinking

16. Recent Issues

17. New Issues / New Challenges

18. Facts about Grammar Instruction • CCSS assertion that the study of language should be woven into students’ authentic work is supported by research. • The Language Standards emphasize context-embedded language work over memorization of grammar rules. • Carnegie Corporation- Writing Next (Graham and Perin 2007) concluded that “systematic teaching of parts of speech and sentence structure does not yield effective results.

19. What works… • Research on Writing Workshop has shown Writing Workshop to be the best practice for teaching writing. • Teach grammar in the context of writing. • Teach grammar in the context of reading. • Look at two places to see what grammar skills need to be taught: the Common Core and student writing samples.

20. Teaching Grammar in Context

21. Ways Parents Can SupportReading and Writing at HomeTeachers College Reading and Writing Projecthttp://www.cabrillo.k12.ca.us/faralloneview/files/Parents_Support_Reading_Writing.pdf