Module 1: Common Core Instruction for ELA & Literacy

1. Module 1:Common Core Instruction for ELA & Literacy Session 2: Informational Text Audience: K-5 Teachers

2. Expected outcomes • Become familiar with the K-5 CCSS Informational Text Reading Standards • Identify a few of the standards that may be new (or a new emphasis) for Oregon teachers • Become aware of relevant resources in K-12 Teachers: Building Comprehension in the Common Core, a resource aligned with the CCSS and the Oregon K-12 Literacy Framework. • http://www.ode.state.or.us/teachlearn/subjects/elarts/reading/literacy/have-you-ever.pdf

3. A balance of informational text K-5

4. NAEP • The Standards follow NAEP’S lead in balancing the reading of literature with informational texts, including texts in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects.

5. What is informational text in K-5? • Literary nonfiction and historical, scientific, and technical texts. Includes • Biographies and autobiographies; • Books about history, social studies, science, and the arts; • Technical texts, including directions, forms, and information displayed in graphs, charts, or maps; and • Digital sources on a range of topics • Emphasis is on text structure other than narrative • Cause and effect; chronological/sequential • Compare/contrast; enumeration and description • Opinion and supporting arguments

6. Activity: Progression of difficulty • Read through the K-5 continuum of several of the Reading Informational Text standards (#1 – 10) on the Handout “CCSS Reading Informational Text Standards K-5.” • Remember that each “step up” in task difficulty is matched by a “step up” in text complexity. • Identify the “step up” in task difficulty at each grade K-5 for several standards. (Begin with Standard 9.)

7. Standard 9 progression of difficulty • 1st – omitted “With prompting and support” • 2nd – added “most important” points • 3rd – added “and key details” • 4th – added “Integrate” … “in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably” • 5th – added “several” texts

8. Activity: What’s new at your grade level? • Identify grade-specific standards that are new at your grade(s) or represent a new emphasis in classroom instruction at your grade(s). • Think about the instructional strategies and approaches that you will apply to these standards.

9. Results of a “crosswalk” comparing CCSS to Oregon’s current ELA standards • Some of the additions or changes • Standard 2, grades K-3 (main idea & details) • Standard 3, grades K-5 (development & interaction) • Standard 5, grades 4- 5 (text structures) • Standard 6, grades 1-5 (point of view/purpose) • Standard 8, grades K-5 (analyze argument) • Standard 9, grades K-3 (compare texts) • Complete “Crosswalks” are posted on the ODE website at http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=3356

10. Activity: Ideas to approach these standards? • Standard 3: Development and interaction • Asks students to describe the connections, relationships, interactions among individuals, events, ideas, procedures, steps, concepts, etc. • Standard 6: Point of view and purpose • K, 1, 2 focus on role (author, illustrator) and purpose • 3, 4, 5 require students to conceptualize two or more points of view on an event or topic • Standard 8: Analyze argument • Requires students to differentiate between main points and the reasons/evidence that support them; logical connection

11. Raising the level of achievement • The Common Core State Standards tell us WHAT all students should know and be able to do. • The Oregon K-12 Reading Framework suggests HOW districts and schools can succeed in helping all students read well. Its purpose is to ensure students are • Reading grade-level text or above by the end of first grade • Developing grade-level or above reading skills K-12 across all classes • Receiving intensified instruction to help them read at grade level, if they are not. http://www.ode.state.or.us/teachlearn/subjects/elarts/reading/literacy/chapter-3-instruction.pdf

12. “Reading to learn” • Explicit comprehension instruction should not be delayed until students are able to read grade-level text independently. • Read-alouds and the use of text-based discussions are opportunities to help students learn from complex informational text, especially when students are just learning to read or if students struggle to read informational text independently (Beck & McKeown, 2001; Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998).– From K-12 Teachers: Building Comprehension in the Common Core

13. Students who struggle • Students who struggle with reading can successfully handle informational text when instruction includes • explicit teaching of text structure, • procedural facilitators such as think sheets, prompt cards, and mnemonics, and • the use of teacher modeling and guided feedback (Gersten & Baker, 2000, 2001; Williams, 2008) – From K-12 Teachers: Building Comprehension in the Common Core

14. Young children’s preference • When discussion followed the read-aloud, students seemed to prefer informational text. • When no discussion followed the read-aloud, the students preferred narrative text. • Research also suggests that students are more likely to select informational for independent reading if their teacher used the informational text in a read-aloud Dreher & Dromsky, 2000; Duke, Bennett-Armistead, & Roberts, 2003). – From K-12 Teachers: Building Comprehension in the Common Core

15. Classroom snapshot: You would see • Time spent with informational texts • Books on a wide variety of topics that interest elementary grade children • Informational texts and stories grouped in a thematic unit (see http://commoncore.org/free/ ) • Graphic organizers • Explicit comprehension strategy instruction • Teachers and students using a core set of questions • More at K-12 Teachers: Building Comprehension in the Common Core, including specific examples of organizers, strategies, questions, etc.

16. Classroom snapshot: You would hear • Teacher and student-initiated questions about the text • Teacher-facilitated read-alouds and text-based discussions • Use of before-during-after reading components to discuss the text and apply comprehension strategies • Students retelling what they learned from an informational text with a partner • Teachers and students using content language and text-related academic language • More at K-12 Teachers: Building Comprehension in the Common Core, including hyperlinks to resources in Oregon K-12 Literacy Framework

17. How did we do? • What will be the percentages of informational text and literature in your grade(s)? • What are some text structures students may encounter in informational text? • What is one standard new or new in emphasis at your grade(s) that will impact your instruction? • What is one strategy, approach, or classroom context that supports learning to read informational text?

18. Suggested follow-up activities • Check out the resources on informational text in K – 12 Teachers: Building Comprehension in the Common Core on the ODE website. • Follow one of the hyperlinks in the above document to the “Instruction” chapter in the K-12 Oregon Literacy Framework to see more concrete examples and resources. • Cross-grade level groups select one standard and develop a short lesson at each grade level, illustrating the K-5 progression.