Reading and Writing and the Common Core Standards

1. Reading and Writing and the Common Core Standards Jen Fiegen Laura Norris Eva Petersen

2. Introduction to English Language Arts Standards(ELA) • Research and evidence based • Aligned with college and work expectations, starts with those expectations and works backward to Kindergarten • Rigorous • Internationally benchmarked • Divided into three main sections: K-5 section, English Language Arts grades 6-12 section and content-area grades 6-12

3. Key Design Considerations • Common Core Reading and Writing Standards anchor the document • Grade specific standards in K-8, grade bands for 9-10 and 11-12 • Focus on results, rather than means • Integrated model of literacy • Shared responsibility for students’ literacy development

4. What is NOT Covered by the Standards • CCSS define what students are expected to know and do, NOT how teachers should teach • CCSS articulate fundamentals, but NOT all that can or should be taught • CCSS set grade specific standards, but does NOT define interventions, modifications, or advanced work, nor designate materials

5. English Language Arts Strands • Reading • Foundational Skills • Writing • Speaking and Listening • Language Standards

6. Reading • Ten Anchor Standardsfor Kindergarten through twelfth grade • Detailed standards for both literature and informational texts • Four sections: Key Ideas and Details, Craft and Structure, Integration of Knowledge and ideas, and Ranges of Reading and Level of Text Complexity • Shift: equal emphasis on literature and informational texts

7. Foundational Skills (K-5) • Fosters “understanding and working knowledge of concepts of print, the alphabetic principle, and other basic conventions” • Includes print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, and fluency

8. Writing • Ten Anchor Standards for Kindergarten through Twelfth grade • Four sections include: Text Types and Purposes, Production and Distribution of Writing, Research to Build and Present Knowledge, and Range of Writing • Shift: equal emphasis on opinion, informative/explanatory, and narrative writing

9. Listening and Speaking • Six Anchor Standards correspond to the specific standards for each grade level, similar to the Anchor Standards’ structure in Reading and Writing • Two sections: Comprehension and Collaboration and Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas • May be integrated into reading and writing as well as content standards

10. Language Standards • Six Anchor Standards correspond to the specific standards for each grade level, similar to the Anchor Standards’ structure in Reading and Writing • Three sections: Conventions of Standard English, Knowledge of Language, and Vocabulary Acquisition and Use • Although a stand alone strand they are inseparable from reading, writing, speaking and listening

11. Reading Anchor Standard 1 • “Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.”

12. Progression of Standard One: Kindergarten-4th Grade • Kindergarten: With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text. • First grade: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text. • Second Grade: Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

13. Progression of Standard One: Kindergarten-4th Grade • Third Grade: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. • Fourth Grade: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

14. Reading Anchor Standard 10Text Complexity • “Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.”

15. Progression of Standard Ten: Kindergarten-4th Grade • Kindergarten: Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding. • First Grade: With prompting and support, read prose and poetry of appropriate complexity for grade 1. • Second Grade: By the end of the year read and comprehend literature, including stories and poetry, in the grades 2–3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

16. Progression of Standard Ten: Kindergarten-4th Grade • Third Grade: By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 2–3 text complexity band independently and proficiently. • Fourth Grade: By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, in the grades 4–5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

17. “Hunter Games” Activity • Reading experience with text complexity using an article from the New Yorker

18. “Hunter Games” Debrief • Describe your experience reading each version of the article • Imagine this experience from your child’s perspective with a text that is too complex or not in their independent reading range

19. Leveled Texts • Teachers assess students in various ways with diagnostic assessments • After considering formal and informal assessments, including anecdotal notes, teachers help match readers and texts • Bands of levels and book characteristics support student behaviors and skills

20. Stages of Development to Support Text Complexity • Six stages of development for Elementary students: Emerging, Developing, Beginning, Expanding, Bridging, and Fluent • Examples of each stage with text representation both literature and informational • Chart on student behaviors and book characteristics • Booklists for each stage of development

21. Resources • Common Core State Standards Site http://www.corestandards.org/ • Teachers College Reading and Writing Project http://readingandwritingproject.com • Booksource or Scholastic for leveling texts