21 st Century Learning: Curriculum & Instruction An introduction to District & State content standards and instructional practices

MI State Standards – a little background: They are aligned with college and work expectations. Are clear, understandable and consistent. Include rigorous content and application of knowledge through higher order skills. Build on current state standards, but are intended to be fewer and in more depth. Are evidence based.

Six Shifts in ELA/Literacy Source: engageNY, New York Dept. of Education 1.Read as much non-fiction as fiction, or more as they get older. 1.4 th grade: 50-50%, 8 th gd.: 55/45%, 12 th gd.: 70/30% 2.Learn about the world by reading. 3.Read more challenging material closely. 4.Discuss reading using evidence. 5.Write non-fiction using evidence. 6.Increase academic vocabulary.

The Power of Vocabulary and Early Reading Skills By age 3, children from affluent families have heard 30 million more words than children from parents living in poverty (Hart and Risley, 1995). Children with larger vocabularies and greater understanding of spoken language do better in school (Whitehurst and Lonigan). Children who are not reading at grade level by 3 rd grade are four times more likely to leave high school without a diploma (Hernandez, 2011).

Mathematics: Standards for Practice Source: Spotlight on the Common Core State Standards by Education Northwest, March Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. 2.Reason abstractly and quantitatively. 3.Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. 4.Model with mathematics. 5.Use appropriate tools strategically. 6.Attend to precision. 7.Look for and make use of structure. 8.Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

Math Shift #1: Learn more about less Students will… – Spend more time on fewer concepts. – Develop deeper “conceptual understanding.” – Need to show understanding of a variety solution methods. Recognize what works, what doesn’t and explain it.

Math Shift #2: Know it really well, do it repeatedly Students will… – Understand why the math works, make the math work. – Talk about why the math works. – Prove that they know why and how the math works. Go beyond solving problems and following steps – show it and explain it.

Math Shift #3: Real World Application Students will… – Apply math in real world situations. – Know which math to use for which situation. – Explain their rationale for solving problems and recognize/critique alternate solutions for accuracy.

A Summary of Math Shifts Students need to go beyond simply reciting math facts and following steps to solve problems. – Less repetitive math facts and teacher guided multi-step problems. More application of math skill into problem based application. – Students will be given problems to solve independently and in groups. More dialogue about how students solved problems. – This allows students to explain their answers and critique/evaluate the accuracy of others’ solutions.

Where’s All the Homework? Research does not support positive impact of homework on achievement. – Homework: An unnecessary evil? Surprising findings from new research, The Washington Post, 11/26/12. Reading appropriate leveled books is best. Math practice looks different: some digital some challenging tasks. – Questions to ask when helping with homework: How do you know that? Why do you think that is correct? Explain your thinking.

Assessment Examples: what does this look like in practice? Sample 4 th Gd. Reading Question:

Sample 4 th Gd. Reading Question, #2

Sample Reading Question, #3

Math Examples

Math Examples, cont.

Where can I find the standards?

Resources Common Core State Standards – Parent Roadmaps to the Common Core Standards from the Council of the Great City Schools – Common Core Standards Parent Handbook, by the California County Superintendents ESA, 2011 – ndbook_ doc.pdf Parent Guides to the Common Core Standards by engageNY (NY State Education Dept) – standards