Common Core State Standards

1. Common Core State Standards English Language Arts Mia Johnson and Lora Drum Jan. 2012

2. Clear Learning Targets: • I can define the Six Shifts in ELA. • I can identify teacher and student responsibilities in the classroom.

3. Standards vs. Curriculum Myth: The Standards tell teachers what to teach. Fact: The best understanding of what works in the classroom comes from the teachers who are in them. That’s why these standards will establish what students need to learn, but they will not dictate how teachers should teach. Instead, schools and teachers will decide how best to help students reach the standards. http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards/myths-vs-facts

4. Key Features: • Reading Standards: Text complexity and the growth of comprehension • Reading Informational Text (10) • Reading Literature (10) • Reading-Foundational Skills K-5 (5): Knowledge of concepts of print, the alphabetic principle, and other basic conventions of the English writing system. • Writing Standards (10): Text types, responding to reading, and research • Speaking and Listening Standards (6): Flexible communication and collaboration • Language Standards (6): Conventions, effective use, and vocabulary. • Appendices A, B, and C • Appendix A contains supplementary material on reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language as well as a glossary of key terms. • Appendix B consists of text exemplars illustrating the complexity, quality, and range of reading appropriate for various grade levels with accompanying sample performance tasks. • Appendix C includes annotated samples demonstrating at least adequate performance in student writing at various grade levels.

6. Six Shifts in ELA Common Core The new English Language Arts Common Core State Standards contain many changes in learning standards, but they can be grouped into 6 main shifts. The shifts are directly linked to the College and Career Readiness Standards. Shift 1: Balance of literature and information text (K-5) -50% of information text by 4th grade Shift 2: Literacy across all content areas (6-12) Shift 3: Staircase of complexity Shift 4: Question and Answers: text-dependent Shift 5: Writing to inform or argue using evidences Shift 6: Academic Vocabulary

7. Shift 1: Balance of literature and informational text(K-5) -50% of information text by 4th grade Students read a true balance of informational and literary texts. Elementary school classrooms are, therefore, places where students access the world – science, social studies, the arts and literature – through text. At least 50% of what students read is informational. CCSS R.I 1-10 R.L 1-10 NCTEP Standard III- Teachers know the content they teach and recognize the interconnectedness of content areas/disciplines. Standard IV-Teachers facilitate learning for their students.

8. Shift 1: Balance of Literature and Informational Text

9. Shift 2: Literacy across all content areas (6-12) Content area teachers outside of the ELA classroom emphasize literacy experiences in their planning and instruction. Students learn through domain-specific texts in science and social studies classrooms – rather than referring to the text, they are expected to learn from what they read. CCSS Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects RI. 1-10 NCTEP Standard III- Teachers know the content they teach and make instruction relevant to students. Teachers recognize the interconnectedness of content areas/disciplines. Standard IV-Teachers facilitate learning for their students.

10. Shift 2: Literacy Across All Content Areas (6-12)

11. Shift 3: Staircase of Complexity In order to prepare students for the complexity of college and career ready texts, each grade level requires a “step” of growth on the “staircase”. Students read the central, grade appropriate text around which instruction is centered. Teachers are patient, create more time and space in the curriculum for this close and careful reading, and provide appropriate and necessary scaffolding and supports so that it is possible for students reading below grade level. CCSS R10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently. NCTEP Standard II- Consideration of diversity and student interest when selecting appropriate text which directly effects text complexity. Standard IV-Teachers facilitate learning for their students.

12. Shift 3: Staircase of Complexity

13. Shift 4: Text Based Answers Students have rich and rigorous conversations which are dependent on a common text. Teachers insist that classroom experiences stay deeply connected to the text on the page and that students develop habits for making evidentiary arguments both in conversation, as well as in writing to assess comprehension of a text. CCSS R1. 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. NCTEP Standard III-Teachers know the content appropriate to their teaching specialty: Develop and apply strategies to make the curriculum rigorous and relevant Standard IV-Teachers facilitate learning for their students.

14. Shift 4: Text-Based Answers

15. Shift 5: Writing From Sources Writing needs to emphasize use of evidence to inform or make an argument rather than the personal narrative and other forms of decontextualized prompts. While the narrative still has an important role, students develop skills through written arguments that respond to the ideas, events, facts, and arguments presented in the texts they read. CCSS W1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. W7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. W8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism. W9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. SL1.Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. Specific Standard to address grammar and conventions: NCTEP Standard III-Teachers know the content they teach. Standard IV-Teachers facilitate learning for their students.

16. Shift 5: Writing From Sources

17. Shift 6: Academic Vocabulary Students constantly build the vocabulary they need to access grade level complex texts. By focusing strategically on comprehension of pivotal and commonly found words (such as “discourse,” “generation,” “theory,” and “principled”) and less on esoteric literary terms (such as “onomatopoeia” or “homonym”), teachers constantly build students’ ability to access more complex texts across the content areas. CCSS R4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meaning, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone. R10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently. NCTEP Standard III-Teachers know the content they teach. Standard IV-Teachers facilitate learning for their students.

18. Shift 6: Academic Vocabulary

19. Wrapping Up: • Provide opportunities for collaboration and in depth discussion on the CCSS. • K-2 can go ahead and teach using Common Core State Standards. • We will be willing to meet with you, your faculty, grade levels, or individual teachers to assist in understanding how this might look in K-6 classrooms.