Common Core: Close Reading Informational Text Professional Development Session Presenters: Chelsea Armann Adrienne Van Gorden

 Staff members will demonstrate the ability to read, analyze, and compare and contrast two informational texts about the Common Core standards, and will identify implications for teaching the standards in their own classrooms. Objective

Seating Arrangement  Please sit in groups of 4.  Number off 1, 2, 3, 4.  Make sure you have blank paper, 4 pens (black, green, red, blue), one copy of each article, and two highlighters.

Think time…  Imagine a student who graduated college in June and has found a job in human resources at a technology company in our area. Think about how well prepared this person is to begin his or her career.

Shoulder Partners  Share with your shoulder partner:  Do the anecdotes you just heard match your answer to the question posed about the fictional college graduate?  Were the anecdotes surprising to you? Why or why not?

Informational Text  What is it? “To be ready for college, workforce training, and life in a technological society, students need the ability to gather, comprehend, evaluate, synthesize, and report on information and ideas…and to analyze and create a high volume and extensive range of print and nonprint texts” (CCSS Introduction).  At this time, please fill in Question 1 on your Exit Slip: How confident do you feel about teaching informational text in your classroom?

What do we already know?  To show what we already think and know about the CCSS and informational text, we will create Circle Maps to brainstorm our ideas.  #1s will draw a small circle with black pen in the middle of a blank piece of paper and write the title “Informational Text” within the circle.  #2s will draw a large circle with black pen (all the way to the edges of the paper).

Your circle map should look similar to this: Informational Text

With your group, brainstorm for 3 minutes what you already think and know about the CCSS and informational text. Informational Text Use words and phrases! Use pictures! All of your ideas, facts, and opinions!

Highlight any positive words or pictures in one color. Highlight any negative words or pictures in another color. Make a key on the side. Informational Text Idea #1 Idea #2 Idea #3 Yellow = negative Green = positive

Add your frame of reference: Informational Text Idea #1 Idea #2 Idea #3 Yellow = negative Green = positive Significance Sentence Perspective Summary Sentence Source

Share out  #3s, be ready to read your summary and significance sentences to the whole group.  Listen to see what we have in common and what is different.

Informational Text Sample Lesson Lesson process adapted from Pathways to the Common Core by Lucy Calkins, Mary Ehrenworth, and Christopher Lehman.

Directions  #1s and 2s, you will read “The Truth about Common Core.” Decide who is partner A and who is partner B.  #3s and 4s, you will read “Who’s Minding the Schools?” Decide who is partner A and who is partner B.  Chelsea and Adrienne will take you through the articles step by step to illustrate how all the CCSS informational text standards can be addressed in the same lesson, in any subject classroom.

Standard 1 “Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly.”  This standard is NOT asking what the reader thinks or feels about the topic.  Read the first two paragraphs silently to yourself.  Partner A, teach partner B what you have read and learned so far.  Bs: Listen to make sure As are only stating what is in the text, not what they think or feel.  As: in one color pen, write a sentence or a few bullets in the margin near paragraph 2 of what you taught partner B.

Standard 2 Determine central ideas and summarize the text.  Note the standard says “central ideas,” not one main idea.  Read the next two paragraphs silently to yourself. As you read, ask yourself, “What is this article starting to be about? What does it suggest?”  Note evidence to support your ideas.  If this is difficult, go back and try standard 1 again (state what the text says).  Partner B, tell A what you think some of the central ideas are and your evidence.  Bs: in a different color pen, write down your central ideas in the margin by paragraph 4. Underline any details that support your ideas.

Standard 3 Analyze how ideas develop over the course of a text.  Read the next four paragraphs to yourself.  Discuss with your partner how the author’s ideas have developed so far.  For example, is the author giving additional facts and examples, or only concentrating on one idea?  Is the author leading you towards a specific conclusion?  Use your same color pen to make any notes in the margins or underline.

Standard 4 Interpret the author’s word choice; identify how word choice affects the reader’s understanding of the text.  Read the rest of the article to yourself.  With your partner, go back through the article and highlight any words that seem important, surprising, or symbolic.  Why might the author have chosen these words?  Are there any categories/types of words used? (i.e. inflammatory, poetic, Biblical, neutral, scientific, etc…)  Continue using your same color pen to make any notes in the margins.

Standard 5 Examine how the text is structured.  Imagine how you would divide the article into parts.  Think of the purpose of each paragraph and about the different sort of work each paragraph does.  Explanation? Argument? Anecdote? Evidence? Reflection? Another purpose?  Continue using your same color pen to make any notes about the purpose of each paragraph or section in the margins.

Standard 6 Determine the author’s point of view.  Review your work for standards 4 and 5 (word choice and text structure).  How do the choices made by the author for words and structure help you determine his or her point of view?  What is your evidence from the text to support your idea?  At the end of the article, write down what you think the point of view is, and 3-5 pieces of supporting evidence.

Standard 7 Compare the text to different media on the same topic.  With unlimited time, we would examine a website, news clip, video, Ted Talk, or another source to compare with our article.

Standard 8 Evaluating the validity of the author’s claims.  How well did the author support his or her ideas?  Is there sufficient evidence to make his or her point believable?  If yes, circle the best evidence.  If no, state what it would need to be more believable.

Standard 9 Comparing two texts on the same topic.  Compare and contrast your article with your table group. Begin by concentrating on:  Central ideas  Point of view  Validity  If you have time, discuss word choice and text structure.  Remember to use evidence directly from your article in your reasoning. Avoid bringing in your own feelings about the matter.

Wrap Up  Reexamine your Circle Map from the beginning of the activity. Have any of your opinions or thoughts changed? Can you add something more to the map?  Each person in the group should share their opinion and thoughts about the Common Core standards and if anything changed.  Feel free to add additional thoughts to the map.

Exit Slip  Before you leave, please fill out the rest of the Exit Slip and leave on your table.  Your presenters will the results of questions 3 and 4 to the staff.