Day 2: Refining the Task, Building the Ladder Ben Taylor, Ed.D .

1. Day 2: Refining the Task, Building the LadderBen Taylor, Ed.D.

2. Objectives for today: • Review what makes a good Task • Publish, critique, revise Tasks • Understand the importance of the Instructional Ladder • Create a Module for teaching in the 1st semester

3. Set up for today: • Take a sheet of chart paper. • Write your grade level and content area at top. • Write your full task on the paper! • Includes: EQ, reading, and writing assignment – complete wording from template task • Post around the room.

4. Quick Review: Literacy Strategy: Quiz, Quiz, Trade Step 1: Grab a note card. Write a factual question about the CCSS or LDC on the front; write the answer on the back. Step 2: Stand up, hand up, pair up. Step 3: Quiz your partner, get quizzed, trade cards. Step 4: Find a new partner and repeat!

5. Developing a Critical Eye • Look at the sample tasks in the PowerPoint • Decide what, if anything, could be improved with the task. • After diagnosing each individually, discuss with your team what revisions to make to each task to make it more effective.

6. Task 19: Can social climbers really move into a new social class? After reading The Great Gatsby, Vanity Fair, and Limbo: Blue-Collar Roots, White-Collar Dreams, write an essay that explains how a character succeeded or failed in efforts to move to a higher social class. What conclusions or implications can you draw? Cite at least two sources, pointing out key elements from each source. English III

7. Task 18: After researching the War of 1812, write a report that explains the impact of the Battle of New Orleans on American presidential elections through 1836. What conclusions or implications can you draw? Cite at least 3 sources, pointing out key elements from each source. 7th Grade U.S. History

8. Task 11: After researching Romeo and Juliet and Westside Story, write a report that defines “star-crossed lovers.” Support your discussion with evidence from your research. If you had friends who were in love and whose families disapproved, what advice would you give them? 10th Grade English

9. Task 12: What is the most important challenge you have met? After reading several personal challenge essays on the Internet, write an essay that defines your challenge and explains how you met it. Support your discussion with evidence from your research. 6th Grade Language Arts

10. Task 2: Where have all the flowers gone? After reading selected anti-war poems and song lyrics, write an essay that addresses the question and support your position with evidence from the texts. 9th Grade Government and Civics

11. Task 3: After researching your textbook chapters on human anatomy, write an article for students your age that compares two major body systems and argues which one is the most exciting. Be sure to support your position with evidence from the texts. 8th Grade Life Sciences

12. Task 21: What will it take to raise voter participation? After reading "Where Have All the Voters Gone?” and “Many will mark this election by not voting,” write a legislative proposal that addresses the question and analyzes the best legal changes to increase participation, providing examples to clarify your analysis. What conclusions or implications can you draw? A.P. U.S. Government

13. Let’s Get Critical! • Collect your poster from yesterday. • Make necessary corrections to get the essential question ready. • Add the wording from Task 2 including the reading selections and the writing piece. • Re-post.

14. Let’s Get Critical! • Literacy Strategy: Carousel Feedback • Start with the posted Task to the right of your own. Your team should post (using your Post-it Notes) a question, a positive comment or a concern on each task. • Continue around and comment on as many tasks as possible.

15. Main Points to Critique • Is the essential question clear? • Is the essential question interesting? • Does the essential questions lend itself to a writing piece? • Is the task doable in 2-4 weeks? • Does it cover essential curriculum? • Does it remain true to the template?

16. Criticism is a Learning Tool • Criticism is a plus not a minus • Criticism is a suggestion not a mandate • Criticism helps refine! Use your critiques to revise and refine your Task a final time

17. Deconstructing a Module • At your tables, pull up my module and make a list of the major pieces of the module and discuss what is in each section. • What is the purpose of the teacher’s materials section at the end of the module, and how can it help you and your students in planning?

18. Let’s take a quiz! Literacy Strategy: Numbered Heads Together • WRITE QUESTIONS ANS STEPS

19. The LDC Module Framework • Key Components of Modules • Introduction and reading/writing task • What is the importance of this unit? (Essential Question) • What must students do to succeed? • What outcome do I expect? • Skills • What do my students need to do to achieve? • Instructional strategies • What must I do to teach them what they need? * Results/rubric

20. A Complete Example

21. LDC Skills Clusters • Understanding the Task • Reading • Bridging • Writing What do these mean?

22. Skills Students Need • To understand the Task and assignment • To read rigorous materials from different genres • To analyze their reading and synthesize it in preparation for writing • To write thoughtful and insightful pieces demonstrating their learning

23. Skill Cluster 1: Understanding the Task • Don’t skip this one! • Journal or quick writes • Student group discussion • Checking for understanding

24. Skill Cluster 2: Reading

25. Skill Cluster 3: Bridging • This step often where students falter • Must teach organization • Must use format (graphic organizer that works!) • Must have frequent checks

26. Skill Cluster 4: Writing

27. Module Section 3:Instruction How will students be taught to succeed on the teaching task? • Teachers establish the instructional plan – and instructional ladder – to teach students the skills necessary to succeed on the task • Students are taught each skill through a “mini-task” • Mini-tasks connect across the 2-4 weeks to lead students to completing the task

28. Instructional Ladder Instructional ladder – outlines step-by-step what students will do (and what teachers will teach) to achieve larger teaching task. Skills list/clusters Design mini-task for each skill Instructional strategies and pacing

29. The Ladder Product If you were climbing a ladder, you wouldn’t want to miss a rung. This is also true in teaching students how to create a final product.

30. Example from Instructional Ladder

31. Mini-Tasks Mini-tasks – a small or short assignment that engages students in learning each of the skills necessary to complete the task. Core Elements of Mini-Tasks Prompt Product Scoring guide

32. Example of a Mini-Task

33. Instructional Strategies & Pacing Instructional strategies – outline what the teacher will do to teach the skill. Pacing – suggested amount of class time for the mini-task or when the mini-task will occur in relation to other mini-tasks.

34. Once we know what skills are needed, we know what we need to teach and we determine pacing, we climb the ladder to success. Instructional Ladder Evaluate student each skill Teach each skill along the way Determine skills needed

35. If we are not where we want to be with student achievement and literacy… Problem of Practice Students are graduating without the necessary literacy skills needed to succeed in college or workplace. Theory of Action If we implement the LDC across the school, then students will be better equipped for college and the workplace.

36. Afternoon Work Session! • Using the Module Template provided, begin to create your module. • Remember your module: • Should cover 2-4 weeks of study • Should be a major unit of your course • Should involve rigorous reading in varied genres and types • Should result in a major piece of writing • Should be made up of mini-tasks that are evaluated along the way (instructional ladder)

37. Funwork (Homework)Reading in The Disciplines Assignments: • ALL: Introduction/Overview (pp. 2-4; 15-18) • Science: pp. 4-6 • Social Studies: pp. 6-9 • ELA: pp. 9-12 • CTE: Teaching Content/Conclusion (pp. 17-21)

38. Questions for Homework: • What does reading look like in your discipline? • What will you incorporate into your module, in the Skills Cluster 2: Reading Process section, to help students comprehend content area selections?

39. Reflections and Homework • Evaluation Form • Homework: • Read Reading in the Disciplines • Module build by 10/8 (not taught yet, unless you are ready!). • Next PD day – • 10/22 • Ben.taylor@sreb.org

40. Literacy Strategies Used: Quiz, Quiz, Trade Carousel Feedback Numbered Heads Together