Essential to Understanding the CCSS: The Appendices

1. Essential to Understanding the CCSS:The Appendices Training Modules Brought to you by the Idaho State Department of Education and Rachel Bear, Jess Westhoff, Ramey Uriarte, Paula Uriarte, and Chris Butts, Boise State Writing Project Teacher Consultants

2. What is in the Appendices? • Appendix A: supplementary material on reading, writing, speaking & listening, and language as well as a glossary of key terms • Appendix B: text exemplars illustrating the complexity, quality and range of reading appropriate for various grade levels with accompanying sample performance tasks • Appendix C: annotated writing samples demonstrating adequate performance in student work at various grade levels Boise State Writing Project Common Core State Standards Team

3. What is in Appendix A? • Provides important breakdowns of the standards’ key elements, and the research supporting these elements, for the four areas of literacy: • Reading • Writing • Speaking and Listening • Language • Includes a glossary of important terms used in the CCSS, with detailed explanations of their meanings as they apply to the implementation of the standards Boise State Writing Project Common Core State Standards Team

4. Divide and Conquer • Each group will be the expert on their pages and will be responsible for teaching the rest of us its content. • After reading, as a group, identify the key concepts in your section. Create a visual that best represents these concepts from your assigned section. Be prepared to share this visual and report out on the essential elements of your section. • Please make sure you label your poster with the section you read and your group number. Boise State Writing Project Common Core State Standards Team

5. What Standards Were Addressed? • Place an asterisk next to each standard that was addressed in this activity. Boise State Writing Project Common Core State Standards Team

6. Appendix A: Backyard BBQ • Read your assigned section of Appendix A and identify key points and critical questions. Document these on a note catcher. • Please stand up and mingle with your colleagues. Find people who have explored different sections of Appendix A. • Take notes as you learn about the other five sections. • Return to your seat when your note catcher is complete. Boise State Writing Project Common Core State Standards Team

7. Appendix A: Backyard BBQ Debrief • What did you learn from the research supporting the CCSS that supports your current practices? • What did you learn that surprises you? • What argument is the Common Core making about learning? How does this compare with your beliefs about learning? • CLICK HERE TO SEE A VIDEO OF THIS ACTIVITY Boise State Writing Project Common Core State Standards Team

8. Understanding Text Complexity and Exemplar Texts • Text Complexity: • Quantitative: www.lexile.com • Qualitative—levels of meaning or purpose, structure, language conventionality and clarity, knowledge demands • Reader and task—teacher professional judgment, experience and knowledge • Exemplar Texts: • Complexity • Quality • Range Boise State Writing Project Common Core State Standards Team

9. From the Introduction to Appendix B • “The following text samples primarily serve to exemplify the level of complexity and quality that the Standards require all students in a given grade band to engage with. Additionally, they are suggestive of the breadth of texts that students should encounter in the text types required by the Standards. The choices should serve as useful guideposts in helping educators select texts of similar complexity, quality, and range for their own classrooms. They expressly do not represent a partial or complete reading list.” Boise State Writing Project Common Core State Standards Team

10. Text Complexity Analysis • Purpose: to begin process of identifying appropriate texts for your current grade level and content area • Process: follow protocol—be sure to take notes as you go to share with your colleagues • Deliverable: Analysis of as many exemplar texts as possible in the time you have Boise State Writing Project Common Core State Standards Team

11. CCSS and Text Complexity: Working with Appendix B Purpose: The purpose of this activity is to consider the text exemplars at each grade level and discipline and to evaluate your current curriculum for inclusion of each type of text in order to ensure your curriculum includes texts of the complexity, quality and range endorsed by the CCSS. Process: • Read and discuss the introduction to Appendix B. • Go to your grade level and discipline in the Table of Contents • Consider the text exemplars for your area • Discuss and identify the following for each text exemplar • (start with the ones you recognize or use a laptop to look at the full Appendix B which includes passages from each exemplar) Boise State Writing Project Common Core State Standards Team

12. Title • Author • Origin • Time Period • Type of Text • Complexity • Qualitative • Quantitative • Match to Reader and Task • Other texts like it, based on information above (DOUBLE CHECK TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE NOT LISTED AT ANOTHER GRADE LEVEL) • Discuss: is this text type currently represented in your curriculum? Do you teach this specific text or another like it? (see previous step) Boise State Writing Project Common Core State Standards Team

13. Example: Grade 9-10 English Language Arts • “Story” Text Exemplar • Title: The Odyssey • Author: Homer • Origin: Greek Mythology • Time Period: near end of 8th Century BC • Type of Text: epic poem Boise State Writing Project Common Core State Standards Team

14. Complexity (Example, continued) • Qualitative: I would rate this text pretty high as far as the qualitative dimension. The structure is on the more complex end because it begins in medias res and jumps back and forth between the story of Odysseus and his son Telemachus. As far as language complexity, it is also high because there is much figurative language and the language is archaic. The knowledge demands are also quite high because it requires knowledge of Greek customs and characteristics of mythology. It also has a relatively high intertextuality as there are references to The Iliad and other Greek myths. • Quantitative: Lexile level=1130 (low end of 9-10 band according to CCSS Appendix A, page 8) • Reader and Task: This text is not easily matched to my current 10th graders. They will need much support in connecting to this text and a great Essential Question in order to navigate the text. I have a few students who would embrace this text as a challenge, but the majority would give up if asked to read this without the proper supports. Boise State Writing Project Common Core State Standards Team

15. Example, continued. Other texts like this: The Iliad, Ramayana, Epic of Gilgamesh, Aeneid, Metamorphoses, The Inferno, Beowulf • This text-type is not currently represented in my 10th grade curriculum. The Odyssey and the other texts like it are all listed in the 12th grade curriculum for the Boise School district and I have always taught them at the 12th grade level. There is a Greek drama, Antigone, at the 10th grade level, but no epic poems. • CLICK HERE TO SEE A VIDEO OF THIS ACTIVITY Boise State Writing Project Common Core State Standards Team

16. Exit Ticket • 3—major takeaways from the activities • 2—questions you have about the CCSS and/or implementation • 1—thing you know you can do right away to begin aligning to the CCSS in your classroom, school or district Boise State Writing Project Common Core State Standards Team

17. References Common core state standards initiative.(2012). Retrieved from www.corestandards.org. Boise State Writing Project Common Core State Standards Team

18. Acknowledgements Boise State Writing Project Teacher Consultants involved in developing activities in this module: Rachel Bear, Cecilia Pattee, Anna Daley, and Katie Rotchford Linda Christensen, Oregon Writing Project Director