Welcome to ELA 2014

1. Welcome to ELA 2014 Helen S. Comba School District of the Chathams

2. What parents need to know! http://www.engageny.org/sites/default/files/resource/attachments/shifts-for-students-and-parents.pdf

3. SDOC: Balancing Fiction and Nonfiction • Treasures* has a balance of fiction and nonfiction. • Classroom libraries have a variety of genre, both fiction and nonfiction. • Teachers are encouraged to have students read more broadly. • Time for Kids Grades 5-6 edition is now being used by Grade 4 teachers. • Junior Scholastic is now being used by Grade 5 to enhance nonfiction reading. * National Geographic’s materials are being ordered for next year in order to improve the quality of informational text being read in school.

4. SDOC: Informational Text • Common Core refers to nonfiction as informational text. • Informational text does not include biography and other books that are more of a blend between fiction and nonfiction. • That said, informational text is a very broad genre. • Important to understand the purpose and audience of informational text.

5. Nonfiction/Informational Text

6. SDOC: Interactive Read Aloud • Teachers engage in read alouds. • Teachers mark think spots on the text. • Teachers model their own thinking. • Students think critically at think spots. • Students synthesize their thinking about a text. • Students pause and ponder about a text. • Teachers and students use Accountable Talk.

7. Marking Think Spots/Coding Evidence

8. Use Accountable Talk

9. SDOC: Close Reading • The Close Reading Model is a set of strategies designed to help students to read text more thoughtfully. • It is useful for reading complex text and citing evidence. • Consultant (Shelly Klein) has provided training to teachers. • Teachers are learning how to teach strategies such as text annotation. • Close Reading is recommended by the authors of the Common Core.

10. SDOC: Challenging Texts How do we support readers when they are reading a challenging text? • Multiple readings of the text • Chunk the text • Read aloud • Use close reading strategies

11. SDOC: Academic Vocabulary • Not all vocabulary requires the same emphasis. • Some words are the mortar between the bricks. These are the high frequency words. • General Academic Words: Some words are not content specific, but may require instruction and repeat exposure to be learned. • Specific Academic Words: Some words are content specific.

12. SDOC: Balancing Text-Types • Narrative Writing: small moments, realistic fiction, personal narratives • Nonfiction Writing: narratives, essays, reports • Persuasive Writing: letters, essays • Poetry: Can be narrative, nonfiction or persuasive • Reading about Writing: RAFT, literary essays

13. Narrative Writing: Realistic Fiction

14. RAFT is for Writing about Reading

15. Update: PARCC • PARCC assessments will be technology based. • Sample computer-based questions are now available. • Students will be typing on computers. • Students will be dragging and dropping responses into boxes. • SDOC students will be participating in pilot testing this spring.

16. Final Remarks: Surface Details • Spelling: Teachers focus on word study (grades four and five include vocabulary study.) • Handwriting: Cursive writing begins in second grade and at the same time PARCC assessment requires computer use. • Grammar: Teachers are Integrating the study of grammar within writing workshop (see examples in the slides that follow). • Writing Workshop Units of Study include grammar mini-lessons. • Teachers will be receiving a grammar resource book in 2014-2015.

17. Grammar Instruction within the Writing Process

18. Direct Instruction: Adjectives (Color Words)

19. Edit/Revise

20. Dialogue

21. Word Choice

22. Powerful Verbs

23. Craft Lessons

24. Resources for Parents • http://www.engageny.org/sites/default/files/resource/attachments/shifts-for-students-and-parents.pdf • http://www.corestandards.org/ • http://www.engageny.org/parent-guides-to-the-common-core-standards • http://pta.org/parents/content.cfm?ItemNumber=2583