1. An Update on the Implementation of New Instructional Materials at Mary Tsukamoto Elementary School
Information for Parents
July-September, 2016
EGUSD Department of Curriculum & Professional Learning, A. Trunnell
Talking Points:
Our school site continues to receive information and professional development to prepare us to meet the needs of students.
This presentation provides information regarding what we are doing as a district to continue to implement the California Common Core State Standards.

2. Information on new TK instructional materials
In this presentation:
Information on new TK instructional materials
Information on new K-6 ELA/ELD instructional materials
Where Can I Go for More Information?
Talking Points:
District-wide, all parents at the elementary school level will receive information at Back to School Night on the following:
Information on new TK instructional materials
Information on new K-6 ELA/ELD instructional materials
Where Can I Go for More Information?

3. New in EGUSD
New TK World of Wonders instructional materials will be implemented in the 2016/2017 school year.
New K-6 ELA/ELD California Wonders instructional materials will be implemented in the 2016/2017 school year.
Talking Points:
EGUSD adopted new instructional materials for Transitional Kindergarten, which is an integrated curriculum that incorporates ELA , math, history/social science, science, and social-emotional skills, and for K-6 English Language Arts (ELA) and English Language Development (ELD).
Implementation of these new materials begins this school year.
Your child’s teacher has received necessary training in order to utilize the materials effectively.
You may notice when you get the opportunity to interact with the materials that technology plays an important role in helping you to access information in order to support your child.
Teachers will be making connections through English/Language Arts instruction to History/Social Studies and Science content for expository and informational text.

4. Materials CA Wonders program provides support for
Building a strong reading foundation
Accessing complex text 
Finding and using text evidence
Engaging in collaborative conversations
Writing to sources
This is an over view slide of the program. The intent is to highlight the features of the program. The Reading/Writing Workshop book on the right, the Close reading companion book on the left and the leveled readers in the right hand corner.
Students will have multiple opportunities to practice weekly vocabulary and a variety of opportunities to read text. This program is aligned with the ELA/ELD Framework and has a balance of literature and informational text.

5. All day, every day, every content area WIN Time / ELD Classes
Integrated and Designated Language Development: Working Together in CA Wonders as with other Content Areas
All day,
every day,
every content area
Integrated ELD:
CA ELD Standards used to support English Language Arts Standards during instruction in CA Wonders and all other content areas.
Designated ELD:
A protected time where teachers use the CA ELD Standards as the focal standards in ways that build into and from instruction in CA Wonders.
WIN Time /
ELD Classes
Minimum of daily 30 min of instruction
Emphasize that we will focus on the integrated ELD as we discuss the different components of the program and we will spend a short amount of time on the designated ELD portion today, as there is a summer training day dedicated to designated ELD as well as a full day release in the fall.
Page 78 of Framework
1.) Integrated ELD, in which all teachers with ELs in their classrooms use the CA ELD Standards in tandem with the focal CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy and other content standards All teachers with ELs in their classrooms should use the CA ELD Standards in addition to their focal CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy and other content standards to support their ELs’ linguistic and academic progress. The goal section of each set of grade-level and grade-span CA ELD Standards specifies that in California schools, ELs should engage in activities in which they listen to, read, analyze, interpret, discuss, and create a variety of literary and informational text types. Through these experiences, they develop an understanding of how language is a complex, dynamic, and social resource for making meaning, and they develop language awareness, including an appreciation for their primary language as a valuable resource in its own right and for learning English. They demonstrate knowledge of content through oral presentations, writing, collaborative conversations, and multimedia, and they develop proficiency in shifting language use based on task, purpose, audience, and text type. .
Page 88 of Framework
2. Designated ELD, or a protected time during the regular school day in which teachers use the CA ELD Standards as the focal standards in ways that build into and from content instruction in order to develop critical language ELs need for content learning in English4 Designated ELD is a protected time during the regular school day when teachers use the CA ELD Standards as the focal standards in ways that build into and from content instruction in order to develop critical English language skills, knowledge, and abilities needed for content learning in English.

6. Routine
 Day 1 and 2: Direct teaching explicitly uses the Reading/Writing Workshop textbook in order to pre-teach the comprehension and vocabulary of the week, as well as model close reading.  
Day 3 and 4: Students apply the learned skills to weekly grade level selection in the Literature Anthology and/or the leveled readers.   
The first two days of instruction uses the Reading/Writing workshop text. This is where the teacher will teach and model specific skills aligned to standards.
On days 3 and 4 the students will have an opportunity apply the skills that were taught on the previous days to different selections of text in the leveled readers- and/or in the anthology.

7. Spelling and Grammar Because : Explicit instruction improves spelling
Teaching words and spelling patterns helps students read and write better; in addition, they are maintained over time
Therefore:
The goal is for fewer worksheets and moving away from writing spelling words 10 times each or using word searches
- Meta-analysis of 53 studies , more than 6000 students by Steve Graham and Tanya Santangelo
Presenter Note: The intended message about spelling instruction and how it is different is on the slide itself. We are moving away from worksheets and towards direct instruction with knowledge of the spelling patterns as the focus. Below you will find additional information about spelling.
In terms of grammar it should always be applied to writing, thus fewer worksheets applies here too.
Words will be selected based on challenge or the principles of spelling that they represent
Formal spelling in intermediate grades can be 2-3 times per week
Spelling can be part of homework
Additional Background:
Spelling is related to reading- spelling involves both an understanding of how letters and sounds relate, it also entails and understanding of the meaningful parts of words
Spelling is related to writing- when students can spell well, they are more wiling to use a wide vocabulary and they can reserve their cognitive resources for formulating and communicating their ideas rather than worrying about how to construct words.
Spelling problems may draw negative social judgements- writing quality is more likely to be judged negatively by teachers and evaluators when it contains misspellings.
Spell check will not solve all your problems- if you do not have enough spelling knowledge to approximate a word, you will not be able to get the computer to give you the correct spelling of the word you are looking for.

8. Reading/Writing
Literature: The stories in the literature anthology of Wonders are engaging and high-interest for students.
Writing is directly connected to the reading.
The writing is directly connected to the reading…. This is modeled for students with a student example. (The peer who appears in the Reading/Writing Book – reappears in the Close Reader as well as the Writer’s Workshop book) Responding to text is a key shift in the Common Core State Standards.
“DOK” means “Depth of Knowledge.” The DOK level is directly related to the task that students are asked to do. We use the DOK model in many content areas.

9. Assessments Focuses on skills Given when students are ready
Takes many forms, writing, speaking, selected response, etc.
Notes for bullet points…
Assessments will focus on a skill, not a particular passage. Ideally assessments will have a cold read so that students can demonstrate their knowledge of the standards.
Assessments may be given every other week or when the teacher feels students have had enough practice for mastery. We are not recommending that teachers test each week as a matter or routine, but rather as students should be able to demonstrate mastery.
Assessment will assume many forms such as writing or speaking, not just multiple choice

10. What Parents can do to help their children meet the Standards.
Find out your child’s learning goals for his or her new grade.
Understanding expectations will help you better support your child’s academic success.
Read the National PTA Parents’ Guide to Student Success »
They can google the National PTA Parents’ Guide to Student Success to see a copy of standards

11. Access to Electronic Resources
Open a web browser, and type:
Click “Sign in with EGUSD Account”
Username = student’s EGUSD/Google address, i.e.
Password = computer password student uses at school
Parents can access materials/resources through their child’s account. A handout is being provided to you with this same information.

12. What questions do you have?
Thank you for your time!
What questions
do you have?