Meeting the Text Complexity Demands of the Common Core

1. Christina Steinbacher-Reed Meeting the Text Complexity Demands of the Common Core

2. Where are you with ELA Common Core ?

3. What questions are on your agenda? • Introduce yourself and your role • What do you want out of today’s session? • Generate wants and questions on post-its to add to Question Chart

4. How does ELA Core impact teaching and learning?

5. Why Common Core?

6. Common Core is NOT: The Common Core was designed as the “WHAT”, not the “HOW”

7. What are the ‘big shifts’? • Balance of literary and informational texts • Knowledge in the disciplines • Staircase of text complexity • Text-based Answers • Writing from Sources • Academic Vocabulary

8. Seasonal Partners

9. Gr. K-12 ELA Common Core Literature Informational Foundational Skills (K-5 only)

10. Gr. 6-12 Content Standards Content Standards

11. Vertical Design Progression

12. Common Core PA Common Core Common Core vs. PA Common Core • All inclusive, nationally accepted K-12 literacy standards • Includes CC that are included in eligible content (tested now) • Organized according to old PA Standards • Need Eligible Content companion in Gr. 3-12 • Includes PreK Standards

13. 2014 2015 Assessment Shifts • Gr. 3-8 Common Core ELA and Math field tests • Gr. 3-8 Reading PSSA • Gr. 5 and 8 Writing PSSA • Gr. 8-12 – End of course Keystone Exams – Lit, Biology, Algebra 1 • Gr. 3-8 ELA and Math Common Core Assessments • Gr. 8-12 – End of course Keystone Exams – Lit, Biology, Algebra 1

14. What/So What?

15. What stands out to you? What are you interested in learning more about?

16. Taking a Closer Look: Reading Standards

17. Common Core Documents • Appendix A – Text Complexity Guidelines • Appendix B – Text Exemplars • Appendix C – Student Writing Samples • Revised Publishers’ Criteria

18. Text Complexity

19. Appendix A - Text Complexity • Qualitative – levels of meaning, structure, clarity, knowledge demands • Quantitative – word length, readability level • Reader and Task - (motivation, background knowledge, purpose and complexity of task) Common Core Appendix A - Page 2-9 Appendix B – Text Examples

20. Appendix B – Exemplar Texts • Provides examples of appropriate complex text by grade span • Includes multiple genres • Not a ‘Required Reading List’

21. Take a moment…

22. Publisher’s Criteria - REVISED • K-2 • Reading Foundations • Text Selection • Questions and Tasks • Gr. 3-12 • Text Selection • Questions and Tasks • Academic Vocabulary • Writing to Sources and Vocabulary

23. Criteria Jigsaw • Select a K-2 or 3-12 • Work in a team of 3 • Each member read and mark a different section • Regroup with your team and share out key ideas

24. Shift in Instruction “. . . it is important to recognize that scaffolding often is entirely appropriate. The expectation that scaffolding will occur with particularly challenging texts is built into the Standards’ grade-by-grade text complexity expectations, for example. The general movement, however, should be toward decreasing scaffolding and increasing independence both within and across the text complexity bands defined in the standards.” Appendix A

25. The Shift To Text-Dependent Questions In “A Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” Dr. King discusses nonviolent protest. Discuss, in writing, a time when you wanted to fight against injustice. Based on this text, and this text alone, what do you know? What can you make out about the letter Dr. King received?

26. How does this compare to how your current practice? Impact on future practice?

27. Take a moment…

28. How do we meet the demands of CC and the needs of the individual? Read Aloud Shared Reading Small Group Differ. Reading Independent Reading TEACHER Standards Aligned Whole Group Instruction with Grade Level + Texts STUDENT

29. Read Aloud Shared Reading Small Group Differ. Reading Independent Reading TEACHER Application and transfer of skills and strategies to differentiated reading levels STUDENT

30. Read Aloud Shared Reading Small Group Differ. Reading Independent Reading TEACHER Close, critical reading STUDENT

31. Engaging Students with the Texts Students need to engage with: • Age/grade appropriate materials for exposure to structures, content, vocabulary • Instructional level materials that allow them to progress • “Easy” materials that allow them to practice Cited by PDE - Source: KAREN WIXSON, PHD UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN/UNCG

32. In Action . . . • Pattern Folders – A Literary Analysis Tool (Gr. 9-12) • Thinking Notes (Gr. 9-12) • Little Notes for Big Ideas (Gr. 3-12) • Analyzing Informational Text - Gr. 5 • Evidence and Arguments - Gr. 9-12 • Poetic Elements - High School • Embedded Vocabulary – Elementary • Text Complexity: A Teacher’s Perspective

33. Lunch

34. What are the CC’s expectation for writing? • List your top three expectations for your students’ writing. Share with a partner. • Read “Note on Range and Content of Student Writing” and mark the text • How do your lists compare to the Common Core?

35. What are the CC’s expectations for writing?

36. What is the difference between Persuasive Writing and Writing argument?

37. Learning Progressions- CCR.W.1 • Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence

38. A Closer Look Take a closer look the set of writing standards that are most relevant to your role (‘National’ Common Core): • K-5 – pg. 18 • Gr. 6-12 ELA - 41 • Gr. 6-12 Literacy Content - Page 63

39. What are the general shifts in writing? • Balance of opinion, informational, and narrative writing • Writing from multiple sources • Citing evidence • Writing short-term and long-term pieces • Process writing • Using technology to support the writing process

40. In Action . . . • Writing an Opinion: Petitions

41. Write for a Variety of Purposes • Teach students to write for a variety of purposes. • Expand students’ concept of audience • Teach students to emulate the features of good writing.

42. Writing for a Purpose • Role - You are you • Audience - You are writing to your administrator • Format - You are writing an email • Topic – Identify a specific Common Core shift or expectation and explain what steps you would like to take in order to begin meeting this expectation.

43. What is RAFT Writing Role – Who am I? What is your viewpoint? Audience – Who is reading this? What is your purpose of the writing? Format – What is the format? Letter to the editor, news article, diary, contract, obituary Topic – What is the my focus?

44. RAFT Writing – Response to Reading

45. RAFT Writing – A Response to Reading

46. Your Turn! • Create a RAFT writing prompt for your unit. • iu17commoncore.wikispaces for RAFT links to support your work.

47. Share your RAFT example. How might you incorporate RAFT writing?

48. Providing Choice in Research Writing – I-Search • Inquiry-based, student-generated research process • Provides opportunities for students to: • Formulate questions • Identify resources • Read informational texts • Organize ideas • Evaluate, analyze, synthesize

49. Begins with a Personal Connection Step 1 and 2: • Personally or professionally, what would you like to know more about, plan or do? • Choose one in which you are most interested.

50. Needs to be Important to YOU Step 3: Introduce your selected topic and write a paragraph of at least five lines explaining why it’s important to you.