Boyle County Schools – Literacy Design Collaborative

1. Boyle County Schools – Literacy Design Collaborative

2. About Boyle County • Boyle County – Rural county in South Central Kentucky • County Seat – Danville • Boyle County Schools – 3 Elementary Schools, 1 Middle School, and 1 High School • Enrollment – 2650 Students • Boyle County High School – 850 + Students • Boyle County Middle School – 650 + Students

3. Boyle County – Getting Results and Proud of Our Students! • Top 20 District in Kentucky (Based on KCCT Data) • 11th Ranked District in Kentucky (Based on 8th grade EXPLORE Data) • Focus on College Readiness: - Early College Program - 61% Pass Rate on AP Exams • Heavy focus on high-quality teaching (Boyle County Blueprint for Success) • Selected as one of only 6 districts in Kentucky to participate in CCSSO and Stupski Foundation’s Partnership for Next Generation Learning (PNxGL)

4. Boyle County Schools and The Literacy Design Collaborative • Chosen as one of only 4 districts initially to send representatives to Santa Monica, CA • Now in Year 2, Phase 2 of LDC implementation • 25 high school and middle school teachers participating, including: • ELA teachers • Social Studies teachers • Science teachers • Business/Tech teachers • Agriculture teachers

5. LDC Basics • Template Tasks/Teaching Tasks – prompts with scoring rubrics • Instructional Ladder - outlines the skills to be built around the teaching task • Instructional Modules – small segments of study that focus on skills and information needed in order for students to complete the teaching tasks • Common Core Literacy Standards built into templates • All tasks tied to primary and secondary text sources (reading connection)

6. The LDC Bullseye * Task = The Bulls Eye inside the Module * Module is inside the Unit UNIT MODULE TASK

7. Question: When do I use LDC teaching tasks in my classroom? Answer: When it is the best way to assess the content I am teaching

8. Tools … “Hammers do not build, needles do not sew, and LDC resources do not generate richer levels of student learning on their own. In the hands of skilled practitioners, though, good tools can speed the work, whether the craft in question is building, quilting, or equipping the next generation with the literacy skills they need for adult success.” LDC design team, The LDC Guidebook for Teachers LDC Introduction to Construction

9. Template Tasks (See Handout) LDC template tasks are “shells” of assignments that ask students to read, write, and think about important academic content in science, social studies, English, or another subject. Teachers fill in those shells, deciding the texts students will read, the writing students will produce, and the content students will engage.

10. Template Tasks (Continued) Template tasks come with rubrics for scoring students’ work and specifications of the Common Core State Standards the resulting tasks will address. Some template tasks provide optional additions (levers) to the basic assignment, allowing teachers an additional way to vary the level of work students will create. LDC Introduction to Construction

11. Template Task 2 [Insert essential question] After reading ___________ (literature or informational texts), write an ________ (essay or substitute) that addresses the question and support your position with evidence from the text(s). L2 Be sure to acknowledge competing views. L3 Give examples from past or current events or issues to illustrate and clarify your position. LDC design team, Template Task Bank LDC Introduction to Construction

12. Basic Work Processes (See handout) LDC: Teaching Task Design

13. A Complete Example LDC: Module Completion

14. Maggie Brewer Boyle County High School September 27, 2011 High SchoolSocial Studies

15. College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 9th – 10th: Compare the point of view of two or moreauthors for how they treat the same or similartopics, including which details they include andemphasize in their respective accounts.

16. What is a REVOLUTION?After researching William Harvey’s “On the Circulation of the Blood,” “The Fall of the Bastille” from a Paris newspaper, and “Manchester Becomes a Thriving City” by John Aikin from The Age of Revolutions, write an essay that (1) defines REVOLUTIONand (2) explains how revolutions lead to societal change.Support your discussion with evidence from your research.

17. How it went… • Model good reading and writing strategies • Tasks helped students to connect what they read to what they needed to write • Students needed help with each step of the writing process • The rubric made scoring more clear • Not all students turned in their papers…but those who did had much stronger outcomes than submitted in previous years.

18. Teaching Implications • Creating a common writing vocabulary • Finding primary and secondary sources for all reading levels • Creating tasks and modules • Sharing with other content teachers

19. Why does prejudice exist in the world? After reading excerpts from The Nature of Prejudice, the essay “I'm Black, You're White, Who's Innocent”, and one or more other article/s/essays of your choice, write an argumentative essay that addresses the question and support your position with evidence from the text. Boyle County High School ELA (Task 2)

20. Boyle County High School ELA (Task 2) • Would Odysseus be considered a hero in the 21st century? After reading the Odyssey and texts about heroism, write an argumentative essay that addresses the question and support your position with evidence from the texts.

21. Boyle County Middle School Task • After reading about the Indian Removal Act in the text book and the article, “Whitey, Go Home”, write an editorial that argues your position, pro or con, on whether or not non-natives should be forced to move from a reservation. Support your position with evidence from the reading.

22. Boyle County Middle School Task • After researching articles on religious discrimination, write an essay (write a speech) that defines religious discrimination and explain how it still exists today. Support your discussion with evidence from your research.

23. Other Teaching Tasks • Should the Amazon rainforest be used for human benefit or be preserved in its natural state? After reading “Last of the Amazon” and excerpts from the chapter “Land Use Conflict in the Amazon Rainforest”, write an essay that addresses the question and support your position with evidence from the text. (6th grade science)

24. Other Teaching Tasks • Does race affect the way we view different cultures and people? After reading the excerpt of “Cry the Beloved Country” and the short story “After You, my Dear Alphonse” write an essay that addresses the question of race and stereotypes and support your position with evidence from the text. (High School Social Studies)

25. Other Teaching Tasks • Should we invest resources into producing bio-fuels in sufficient quantities to replace petroleum-based fuels? After reading “The Case Against Biofuels: Probing Ethanol’s Hidden Cost” and the website www.biofuel.org , write an editorial that addresses the question and support your position with evidence from the text. (High School Agriculture)

26. Feedback from LDC teachers • Many students were not accustomedfor this level of thinking or writing. They also lacked fundamental skills. • With the introduction of the task, they panicked….but only for a moment! • They needed a goodamount of scaffolding to decrease their anxiety and increase their knowledge. • Teachers are an integral part of the process. (They must work extremely hard to facilitate the learning that must take place.)

27. Feedback from LDC teachers (continued) • Argumentative essays can be fun for students; teenagers like to argue! • Overall, the template tasks allowed my students to produce the BEST writing I have ever received. • Finding good sources of text is sometimes very difficult • LDC can create a common vocabulary among teachers and students • It was a difficult, but rewarding, process.

28. Scaffolding for the Task • Graphic Organizers • Notes (argumentation vs. persuasion, MLA format, etc.) • PowerPoints (thesis statements, paragraphs) • Outlines • Scaffolding = One of the “keys” to success for students

29. Questions, Comments? Contact Information: David Young Assistant Superintendent Boyle County Schools David.young@boyle.kyschools.us (859) 236-6634