Deconstructing the Common Core State Standards for Literacy and the Concept of Text Complexity Heather Mullins Professional Development Consultant, NCDPI

Outcomes Participants will engage with the Common Core State Standards for Literacy and gain an understanding of what teachers already do and what needs to be a focus for teachers. Participants will gain an understanding of what teachers should know and be able to do in their classrooms to ensure students are college and career ready. Participants will understand the concept of text complexity and how to support the work teachers do to determine the complexity band of a text.

Implications to the NCEES Standard II: Teachers Establish a Respectful Environment for a Diverse Population of Students Standard III: Teachers Know the Content They Teach Standard IV: Teachers Facilitate Learning for their Students

Deconstructing the Concepts of Text and Text Complexity

Talking with Teachers What text structures are most prevalent in your classroom? What special skills do students need to navigate these texts? Definition Narrative Problem-Solution Cause-Effect Comparison-Contrast Time-Order Graphs-Charts Maps Art Multimedia

Deconstructing Text Complexity Anchor Standard: R.CCR.10Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently. Example Grade-level Standard (6 th grade): RI.6.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 6- 8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

“The Common Core Standards hinge on students encountering appropriately complex texts at each grade level in order to develop the mature language skills and the conceptual knowledge they need for success in school and life” (p. 3). 8

Understanding the Components

Deconstructing Text Complexity

Example

Initial Data

Quantitative Measure Sites to Explore Lexile Measures and the Common Core State StandardsLexile Measures and the Common Core State Standards Find the Lexile Level of a Book AR Book Finder Analyze the Lexile Level of a Text What Does the Lexile Measure Mean? Overview Video Accelerated Reader Site Accelerated Reader and the Common Core State StandardsAccelerated Reader and the Common Core State Standards

Determining the Qualitative Measure

Step 1 Results: 5 th Grade

Building on Lexile Level

Step 2: Qualitative Measures 20

Step 2 Results: 9 th – 10 th Grade

Discrepancies Revealed

Final Analysis

Reader and Task Considerations Questions

Final Stage

Template for Text Complexity Analysis

What Can Teachers Do About Text Complexity? The Work of Timothy Shanahan

What Teachers Can Do Knowledge of text complexity can help teachers design three important components of literacy instruction: –Building skills –Establishing purpose –Fostering motivation

College and Career Readiness Understanding and Implementing the Common Core State Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects

What does it mean to be College & Career Ready?

College and Career Readiness How do you share this vision with your staff in your own words? If you had to choose one that needs to be a focus for your staff, which one would you choose and why?

Common Core Anchor Standards Define what students should know and be able to do by the end of their 12 th grade year. Teachers in grades 6-12 are building toward these standards –10 Reading (page 60) –10 Writing (page 63) –6 Speaking and Listening (page 48)

The Elephant in the Room “It’s not my job to teach reading and writing!” “I’m not a literacy specialist!” “I don’t have the training or the skills to teach literacy and writing!” “I have my own curriculum and don’t have time for anything else!”

Food for Thought “All reading eventually leads to writing.” David Coleman “Students should read like a detective, and write like an investigative reporter.” …but what happens in between?

Task 1: 5 Minutes Break into groups of three Read the Literacy Standards for Reading, Writing, or the Speaking & Listening Standards in one grade level span to gain an understanding of what students should know and be able to do to be College and Career Ready. Answer the questions found on the Region 7 WikiRegion 7 Wiki

Instructional Talk What “big ideas” did you find in the standards? What do you see that your teachers are already doing well? What do you see that could be a focus in your school?

Reading: Focus on Variety of Appropriate Texts Students need to analyze a variety of challenging texts. Students must be able to evaluate and make connections.

Writing: Focus on Evidence Writing needs to emphasize use of evidence to inform or make an argument rather than the personal narrative.

Speaking and Listening Standards Provide students the opportunity to… –Explore text –Create and express meaning –Synthesize and justify understandings –Collaborate and view each other as sources of wisdom

Paideia: The Perfect Complement “The Paideia philosophy gives students lifetime skills. It teaches them how to engage in civil dialogue, think critically, and look at both sides of issues.” – Steve Ball

The Art of Paideia Text and Question Selection Risk-Taking Environment Use of Evidence Higher-Order Thinking Skills

Rethinking Literacy Task As you watch, target two big ideas to share with the group.

Task 2: 10 Minutes Explore the Literacy Design Collaborative Website, specifically the Resources section of the website.Literacy Design Collaborative Website Resources –Be prepared to share one to two resources you found useful. –How can this site inform your work as the instructional leader in your school?

Getting Started What skills do students need to read like a _______? What skills do students need to write like a _______? What do students need to research like a ________? What do students need to understand about resources in _________?

K-5 Focus: Learning to read & write 6-12 Focus: Reading & writing to learn Acknowledging the Elephant

What does a Literacy-Rich Classroom Look Like? Reading Writing Speaking and Listening

Task 3: 25 Minutes Rejoin your three-person group. As we view each literacy-rich classroom, look for examples of the standards in each video. You will shift standards for each video.

Grade 12: English

Grade 11-12: Add info here

Grade 7: Math

Grade 6: Science

Task 3: Review In what ways is the classroom literacy rich? Share the standards you saw in action. How can you support teachers as they begin to incorporate the Common Core State Standards for Literacy?

Barrier for Teachers Misconception of what it means to be a teacher of literacy in middle and high school

Task 4: 5 Minutes Choose one of the CCSSO Literacy Q&A Documents on the Region 7 Wiki.Region 7 Wiki How can these resources help you work with your teachers as they begin to implement the Common Core State Standards for Literacy?

Differentiation and Literacy

Task 5: 5 Minutes Review the self-paced literacy-rich lessons from Teachers’ Domain.Teachers’ Domain How might this structure support differentiation and engagement? How realistic is this model for your school?

Questions?

PLC Option: Self-Assessment For each standard, rank yourself 1-5. Find examples of skills standards in your Essential Standards that align with the literacy standards, and make personal notes. Identify 1-3 areas for growth.

One Final Resource Getting Down to the Nitty Gritty

Good Quality Research-Based Instructional Strategies

Task 6: 5 Minutes Review the Instructional Strategies in the handout. Choose a strategy that you will share with your staff. Be prepared to share the strategy with your colleagues.

Looking for More? How to Analyze Complex Texts in the Classroom

Analyzing Complex Texts

Optional Task 7: 5 Minutes How are these students effectively analyzing two complex texts? How could teachers in other disciplines modify this activity to help students analyze complex texts in their classrooms?

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Coming Soon Disciplinary Literacy NC Education

Resources Shanahan, T., Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2012). Educational Leadership:Reading: The Core Skill:The Challenge of Challenging Text. Membership, policy, and professional development for educators - ASCD. Retrieved April 25, 2012, from Challenge-of-Challenging-Text.aspx Content Matters: A Disciplinary Literacy Approach to Improving Student Learning edited by Stephanie. M. McConachie & Anthony R. Petrosky Disciplinary Literacy: Redefining Deep Understanding and Leadership for 21 st -Century Demands by Thomasina Piercy & William Piercy Literacy is Not Enough: 21 st Century Fluencies for the Digital Age by Lee Crockett, Ian Jukes & Andrew Churches Digital Citizenship in Schools by Mike Ribble Curriculum 21: Essential Education for a Changing World edited by Heidi Hayes Jacobs CCSSO’s Adolescent Literacy Toolkit php php

Contact Information Skype: waterlovers3 Phone: (H) Blog: Wiki: Twitter:

Julie Joslin, Ed.D. Section Lead Grades 9-12 English Language Arts Consultant Cindy Dewey, Ph.D. Grades 3-8 English Language Arts Consultant Dan Tetreault K-5 English Language Arts Consultant Lisa McIntosh (Llewellyn) K-5 English Language Arts Consultant Anna Lea Frost, M.Ed 6-12 English Language Arts Consultant Heather Mullins, M.Ed. PD Consultant,Region Kimberly Simmons, M.Ed. PD Consultant,Region The digital tools used during the course of the NCDPI Summer Institute 2012 have been helpful to some educators across the state. However, due to the rapidly changing digital environment, NCDPI does not represent nor endorse that these tools are the exclusive digital tools for the purposes outlined during the Summer Institute.” “The digital tools used during the course of the NCDPI RESA trainings have been helpful to some educators across the state. However, due to the rapidly changing digital environment, NCDPI does not represent nor endorse that these tools are the exclusive digital tools for the purposes outlined during the RESA trainings.” Contact Information:

“The digital tools used during the course of this NCDPI district-level training have been helpful to some educators across the state. However, due to the rapidly changing digital environment, NCDPI does not represent nor endorse that these tools are the exclusive digital tools for the purposes outlined during the Summer Institute.”