K-12 Literacy & The Common Core

1. K-12 Literacy & The Common Core

2. This Session’s Learning Targets: • I can define literacy. • I can describe the characteristics of complex text. • I can compare and contrast teacher and learner strategies.

3. Every Teacher is a Reading Teacher Standard III: Teachers know the content they teach

4. Every Teacher is a Reading Teacher Standard IV: Teachers facilitate learning for their students.

5. Think-Pair-Share: • Think about and record your definition of literacy • Pair with a colleague • Identify common language in definitions • Share with group What is Literacy?

6. Literacy is........... “....the ability to read, speak, listen, and THINK in order to learn, communicate and construct meaning.” -NC Literacy Plan

7. A Vision for Literacy in NC • All students in NC will graduate with reading, writing, speaking, listening and viewing skills necessary to: • interact successfully for a variety of audiences and purposes. • understand the characteristics of various types of text with an emphasis on reading for information and digital literacy. • read and communicate analytically and thoughtfully. NC Literacy Plan

8. Time to Reflect: • Evaluate your experience with the literacy initiatives through one of the following: • Writing • Storytelling • Role Play • Visual

9. What happened? Where do we go from here?

10. Your Turn! What did you notice yourself do as a reader to comprehend this complex text?

11. Clarifying Terms Teacher Strategies are the tools that assist in understanding what is being read. Learner Strategies allow students to monitor and assess their understanding what is being read, this is a metacognitive process. These strategies allow students to access complex text!

12. Building the Case for Complex Text • 43% of students at two-year public colleges and 29% of students at four-year public colleges had to take a remedial math, reading, or writing course. • 30% of students drop-out within the first year of college. • This is due to the inability to grasp complex text, the most prominent monitor of college readiness.

13. Why Complex Text........... Anchor Standard #10 By the time they complete high school, students must be able to read and comprehend independently and proficiently the kinds of complex texts commonly found in college and careers.

14. What Does Complex Text Look Like? • Quality: • Meaning • Purpose • Knowledge Demands • Quantity: • Word Length • Word Frequency • Sentence Length • Who and What: • Reader – Motivation/Background Knowledge and Experiences • Task – What is the purpose of students reading the text?

15. Why Complex Text........... 3rd Grade Released Form

16. Why Complex Text........... 8th Grade Released Form

17. Why Complex Text........... English II Released Form

18. Text Complexity: According to the Common Core “The inherent difficulty of reading and comprehending a text combined with consideration of reader and task variables; in the Standards, a three-part assessment of text difficulty that pairs qualitative and quantitative measures with reader-task considerations.” What texts are we exposing our students to and what are we doing with those texts?

19. Where Can Complex Text be Found? • Appendix B: Text Exemplars • Bookroom • Primary Source Documents • Class Texts • Digital Media • Periodicals What task are you giving to your students when they are reading complex text?

20. Learner Strategies that Proficient Readers use when Tackling Complex Text Connecting Inferring Questioning Visualizing Monitoring Summarizing Synthesizing • These are researched based strategies from: • NC Comprehensive Literacy Plan, Appendix A • CCSS • National Reading Panel • International Reading Association

21. Connecting Description: Making connections, based on evidence from the text, with something in their life, another text or something occurring in the world. CCSS: Anchor Standard 1 and 10

22. Inferring Description: Combining background knowledge with information from the text to predict, conclude, make judgments and interpret. CCSS: Anchor Standard 1, 2 and 4

23. Questioning Description: Posing and answering questions that clarify meaning and promote deeper understanding of the text. CCSS: Anchor Standard 3, 5, 6 and 8

24. Visualizing Description: Creating a mental image engaging their imagination and using their senses. CCSS: Anchor Standard 10

25. Monitoring Description: Stopping to think about the text and knowing what to do when meaning is disrupted. CCSS: Anchor Standard 10

26. Summarizing Description: Identifying and accumulating the most important ideas and restating them in their own words. CCSS: Anchor Standard 2 and 3

27. Synthesizing Description: Creating an evolution of meaning by combining understanding with knowledge from other texts and/or sources. CCSS: Anchor Standard 7, 8 and 9

28. Who will Train the Teachers? • Criteria for K-12 Alignment Teacher Representatives: • Teachers who are committed to literacy instruction • Teachers with strong verbal and presentation skills • Teachers with strong EVAAS or other assessment data • Teachers who are comfortable with technology • Teachers who are organized and flexible • Teachers who have strong collaboration skills • Teachers who are currently in the classroom

29. K-12 Teacher Representative Meetings Please email names of Teacher Representatives to Caroline Hedrick by 8-30-13.

30. SMART Goals: Overall SMART goals: By 2015, 100% of the teachers at _____, working through PLCs, will plan and teach high yield lesson plans for vocabulary instruction and literacy activities for students to access complex text. By 2015, 100% of the students at ____, will show mastery in the use of literacy learner strategies for comprehending complex text as evidenced through formative/summative assessments.

31. SMART Goal: Target SMART goal: By 2014, _____% of teachers at _____, working through PLCs will deliver and assess lessons that incorporate appropriate vocabulary instruction and strategic literacy activities to access complex text. Target SMART goal: By 2014, _____% of students will show mastery in the use of literacy learner strategies for comprehending complex text as evidenced through formative/summative assessments.

32. Possible Action Steps: • August 14, 2013- All K-12 Administrators receive training regarding literacy strategies, complex text, and vocabulary. • August, 2013- All certified teachers receive professional development to include an overview of literacy strategies and complex text. • Monthly staff development sessions spotlighting literacy strategies, literacy activities, vocabulary instruction and complex text modeled by teacher leaders. • Monthly walkthroughs to observe lesson plans, classroom activities and student engagement which demonstrate literacy strategies. • Bi-weekly administrator involvement in school-based PLC meetings.

33. Possible Evidences: Lesson plans Walkthrough data PLC minutes Classroom observations Testing data Professional development documentation Student work Assessments Development of lesson plans and assessments to monitor student understanding of comprehension strategies and complex text.

34. Learning Target Reflection: • I can define literacy. • I can describe the characteristics of complex text. • I can compare and contrast teacher and learner strategies.

35. References: • A Vision for Literacy in North Carolina, NCDPI • Too Dumb for Complex Texts?, ASCD • Common Core State Standards • NC Literacy Plan • NC Comprehensive Reading Plan • Images from: • http://www.islands.com/articles/win-trip-palau-your-kids-padi • http://www.ethicalocean.com/welcome?destination=frontpage • www.nationalgeographic.com • www.aquahut.net • www.theinformationarchives.com • www.stuffpoint.com