Comon core elementary

Editor's Notes

• #3: Today we are focusing on three essential questions related to unpacking the PA Common Core State Standards. Read each question aloud.
• #4: To have more students meeting the requirements for post-secondary success, there needed greater clarity in what is expected of students each year during k-12 education. Typical state standards that preceded the Common Core were too vague and too long to realistically inform instruction. So the Common Core was designed to be a set of standards that are fewer in number, clearer in describing outcomes, and higher . What is included is what is expected for ALL students. To help students achieve these standards, all practitioners must be honest about the time they require. Teaching less at a much deeper level really is the key to Common Core success. The decisions surrounding how to focus the standards had to be grounded in evidence regarding what students in fact need in order to have a solid base of education and to be well prepared for career or college demands. There had to be many decisions about what not to include. The focus was narrowed to what mattered most. You can look at the anchor standards and probably agree that all of them are skills you would really want every student you know and care about to leave school able to exercise. So the CCSS represent that rarest of moments in education when an effort starts by communicating that we must stop doing certain things, rather than telling educators about one more thing they can add to their already overbooked agenda to help support their students. You can think of the standards and this focus on the shifts that really are at the center of what is different about them as the “power of the eraser” over the power of the pen.
• #5: The United States is lagging well behind high performers—Finland, South Korea, and Japan. arts. Seven countries most mentioned in the area of math and science: Canada, England, Finland, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, and Singapore. Cited most often in this area was Singapore, with 18 states naming it as a model for current standards in math or science.
• #7: Why PA Common Core-Pennsylvania Timeline This slide speaks to the evolution of standards in Pennsylvania through the years. We in Pennsylvania have been using and refining standards in education since the 1990s. This progression builds on all the lessons we have learned over the last two decades. The reason the new Pennsylvania administration make the decision to develop a Pennsylvania Common Core instead of  simply using the Common Core State Standards it the desire to make the CCSS our own Standards and reframe them in the style and format of the Pennsylvania Standards.  We wanted to have the flavor, feel and style of the PA Standards.  The work of the PA Common Core is the Common Core.
• #8: This graphic depicts the design of the PA Common Core Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects. The CCR standards were used as the overarching structure for the PA Common Core Standards.   The PA Common Core Standards are organized around five Standard Categories: Foundational Skills, Reading Informational Text, Reading Literature, Writing, and Speaking and Literature.   There are five supporting documents for the PA Common Core Standards. They include the three appendices from the Common Core State Standards (Appendix A, Appendix B, and Appendix C) and the Literacy standards for History and Social Studies (Appendix D) and Literacy standards for Science and Technical Subjects (Appendix E).
• #9: The numbering structure of the PA Common Core Standards.
• #10: The numbering structure of the PA Assessment Anchors and Eligible Content
• #11: This graphic shows an example of a 3 rd grade standard and eligible content.
• #12: 1.1 Foundational Skills – clearly and thoroughly standards outline the phonological awareness and phonics instruction that students need to learn to become readers. 1.2 Challenging Texts - If students cannot read challenging texts with understanding—if they have not developed the skill, concentration, and stamina to read such texts—they will read less in general. If students cannot read complex expository text to gain information, they will likely turn to text-free or text-light sources, such as video, podcasts, and tweets. To grow, our students must read lots, and more specifically they must read lots of ‘complex’ texts—texts that offer them new language, new knowledge, and new modes of thought”
• #14: The shifts are a high-level summary of the biggest changes signified by the adoption of the CCSS. They represent the most significant shifts for curriculum materials, instruction, student learning, and thinking about assessment. Taken all together, they should lead to desired student outcomes. Communicate the shifts to everyone who will listen! Everyone working in your school and district should have a solid understanding of the shifts required in both ELA/Literacy and Mathematics. They are a great starting point for learning about and understanding the CCSS. You can test any message or effort regarding the CCSS against these touchstones. From state, district, school, or classroom – how does X support the ideas of the shifts. They are meant to be succinct and easy to remember. We’ll discuss them each in turn.
• #15: In K-5 this means that we should have a balance in what students read of 50/50. So about half of instructional material is stories, poetry and drama, and the other half is nonfiction. In middle school, the recommendation shifts to a 45/55 split between literary texts and informational. By high school, the standards call for a 30/70 split between literary texts and informational texts.
• #17: No random reading…everything should have a purpose In Science and SS, teachers engage students in reading of the informational text. It is important that students see that text as a source of knowledge – that you always read about something. As they read a series of texts on a particular topic, they are building their knowledge and understanding of that area. The better they get at reading, the more able they are to learn independently and efficiently through text.
• #18: Research that informed the development of the Standards revealed that there is a significant gap in the complexity of what students read by the end of high school and what they are required to read in both college and careers – 4 years! In a study done by ACT in 2006, it was found that the complexity level of what students read at each grade level has dropped 4 years in the last half of the 20th century (and has remained the same in the last decade.) The academic language of informational text is different than narrative literature. Exposing students to this enhances the breadth of their academic language, lack of this exposure narrows it. For too long, proficiency in reading has been defined as skill in using reading strategies, even to the point of separating those strategies from the context or challenge that might call for a given strategy. The Common Core puts the text in the center of the equation and demands that students activate strategies in service of understanding the text. Mastering the strategies in isolation only take students so far. A successful reader possesses the ability to activate strategies skillfully in response to challenges most frequently encountered in complex text. Like every other complex set of skills, this takes lots of practice. Increasing complexity of text is the path to CCR, not increasing complicated reading strategies.
• #19: Complex text contains any and all combinations of these features in many combinations. The complexity level is determined by both quantitative and qualitative measures. The details of text complexity are well described in Appendix A of the Standards, one of the supplemental readings offered with this module. New tools have been developed since the Standards were developed to help determine qualitative text complexity. Those materials are available on www.achievethecore.org S tudents who struggle with reading almost always have gaps in their vocabulary and their ability to deal with more complex sentence structures. This too is well documented in research. Too often, less proficient students are given texts at their level where they do not see these features, where the demands of vocabulary and sentence structure are lowered. Though this is done for the kindest of reasons, it has disastrous consequences. Day by day, differentiating by level of text during instructional time increases the achievement gap between high performers and those who struggle. Students cannot address gaps in their vocabulary and develop skill with unpacking complex syntax text when they are not given the opportunity to work with material that provides these opportunities. With that said, there is a place for providing students with text more appropriately matched to their individual reading abilities to build fluency and provide opportunity for increasing the volume of reading. But those texts cannot be the primary texts for instruction.
• #20: This does not mean students do this without any support! It is essential that teachers and instructional material provide scaffolds to support ALL students in comprehending complex text. These scaffolding types will reliably support many students and a has a strong research base: Multiple readings. Complex text takes multiple reads to fully understand the layers of meaning provided by the author. Because of this, the text selected for close reading should be excellent or they will not be worthy of the time commitment they require to read fully. Re-reading assists fluency and is the primary way readers make sense of challenges encountered when reading. Reading the text aloud while students follow along . Fluency challenges are rampant when students encounter grade level appropriate text. All teachers must be aware of this and reach in to help. The two best ways to help are having the students follow along while the text is read aloud and by reading text multiple times. These two methods are systematically built into the close reading model. Read aloud is especially important for early readers K-2 because the standards are too complex to master with the texts students can read on their own and students cannot develop academic language through what students read on their own at these grades (levels); for all practical purposes it provides students who come to kindergarten with less developed academic language with a way to catch up “ Chunking” longer text into smaller and logical sections makes the text more manageable and helps demonstrate how the author structured the text. Careful, text-specific questions point readers to challenging sentences and ask for special attention to be paid to them. They direct students to what matters most and asks them to examine those parts. They also pay particularly close attention to vocabulary that can be figured out in the context of the text. Because they require text evidence, they demand re-reading. Pointing out text structures or features that will either provide comprehension support (like section headers) or challenges (like long paragraphs or sentences). Supports that do not promote improved reading incomes and do not have research support behind them: Previewing the topic of the reading in a text-free way (just “teacher talk”). A careful examination of the text is solid practice. But telling students what they will be reading will remove any motivation for discovering that for themselves and teach students that learning from reading is not a central activity in that classroom. Providing simple text to weak readers and complex texts to strong readers. Differentiation by text type, as opposed to providing a variety of supports for the same complex text leads to the “Matthew Effect” – “to those who have, more will be given. To those who have little, even that little will be taken away” a well-researched finding. This is particularly true because of the differences in vocabulary that students will see from simpler to more complex text. Words create much of the differences in texts. The goal is growing independence with increasingly complex text. The strategies implemented should all aim at getting students stronger and more skilled – like exercises and scrimmages in a sports practice.
• #21: close reading hones in on difficult portions of text, and provides students an opportunity to work with those sections; as opposed to "think aloud" where teacher explains these difficult portions before students have had a chance to learn from them on their own Read appropriately complex non-fiction or literature, and ask students to respond the text dependent questions about the text. See handout
• #23: In Appendix A Lexiles are defined including features of text and grade bands. Once a child's Lexile score is determined, teachers and parents can reference a list of books that fall within the child's reading abilities based on Lexile score. Frequent reading outside of school has been proven to boost academic success, so the selection of appropriate reading material may help a child succeed in school by increasing independent reading.
• #28: As the kids we work with need basically a new book most days to read, the steps here are not feasible for us to do for every book we hand a child. However, if you assign a chapter book that several days will be spent reading and working with it, you may want to consider using some of the following resources to help you match a book to your readers. The first are the rubrics; one for literary texts and one for informational texts. Since the demand for students to be able to read and critique informational text has increased with the adoption of the PA CCSS, it is imperative for teachers to be thinking about this genre of texts and how to increase time students spend with informational text and the time spent teaching using informational text.
• #32: Most college and career writing requires students to take a position or inform others citing evidence from the text, not provide a personal opinion. Across the grades, and even across the content areas, students need to develop the skill of grounding their responses in evidence from the text. Requiring students to use evidence can and should occur during oral discussions with read aloud in the youngest grades and continue across all grades and content areas. This is a sharp departure from much current practice where the focus is commonly to relate the text to yourself in narrative expressive pieces where students share their views on various topics. Even when students are reading grade-level texts, they have too often been encouraged to write or discuss without having to use evidence from the text. it is easier to talk about personal responses than to analyze what the text has to say, hence students - and teachers - are likely to engage in this type of dialogue before a text is fully analyzed. The unintended consequence of all of this is less time in the text more outside the text; problematic in any case but far more so with complex text. This is does not mean banishing personal response to a text. Though not called for in the standards, there are times these responses and discussion are essential. They are best done however AFTER the text is fully analyzed. At this point students' personal responses will be enhanced by what the text has to offer.
• #33: Examples of questions that take students outside and inside the text. Text-dependent questions require students to pay attention to the text at hand and to draw evidence from that text. What does this look like in the classroom? Teachers insist that classroom experiences stay deeply connected to the text on the page and that students develop habits for making evidentiary argument both in conversation, as well as in writing to assess comprehension of a text. Students have rich and rigorous conversations and develop writing that are dependent on a common text.
• #34: {The next few slides have examples of prompts that are meant to show the contrast between text-dependent questions and questions which students are often asked to answer that do not require the text at all. Ask participants to discuss the questions. In professional development settings, teachers can examine some of their own questions or questions found in the resources used in class.} Let’s look at the contrast between non text dependent questions that require no careful reading of the text vs. those that require "reading like a detective”. This example comes from a high school biology textbook. The text itself is excellent. The problem is that students are not “rewarded” for the work of careful reading of the text. Again the prompt requires no comprehension of the excerpt.
• #35: This prompt in response to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer includes a few elements. First students identify methods included in the text. Is this text-dependent? Yes. However it is a pretty low-level text-dependent question. Very little analysis is required. The most energy intensive piece of this begins with students devising their own charms and writing about that. Could a student respond without reading the text?
• #36: In contrast, consider this prompt in response to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. A student who is able to answer this certainly has a grasp of the text and Twain’s subtle use of syntax and nuance to create effects. To evaluate a question to see if it is CCSS aligned, think whether students have to have read the text in order to accurately respond (vs. drawing on background knowledge or offering an unsupported opinion or connection). {For more on this, refer to the Text Dependent Questions module on www.achievethecore.org Emphasizing the use to text dependent questions in the classroom in a effective first step in the shift toward the CCSS.}
• #37: Narrative writing isn’t gone, but these other forms develop skills better and deeper.
• #39: Notice the difference in rigor in example # 2
• #42: 11/30/12 Prepared by Kathleen Eich & Karen Ruddle Spend most of your instructional time with Tier 2 words. These are the words that characterize written text – but are not so common in everyday speech. Words do NOT change tiers depending on the age of the student or the knowledge of the learner. For example, glance is a Tier 2 word because it fits certain criteria. It is not the most basic way to express a concept (look quickly would be more basic), it is a general word, found in various types of genre, and is more common in written than in oral language. This is not, however, a word you would teach the typical middle schooler since most know it. But that doesn’t make it a tier one word for middle school. Don’t limit vocabulary words to student’s reading ability. Knowing a word is not an all or nothing proposition Ranges from having a general sense to deep knowledge (relationship to other words, changes across contexts, applies to all situations Part of your lexicon Content area teachers – add 1-2 tier two words to each of your vocab lists!!
• #44: DOK 1 + DOK 1 doesn’t equal DOK2
• #45: Levels of Cognitive Complexity (DOK Wheel Handout)   Distribute the DOK Wheel handout. This visual representation points out the kind of actions typically associated with each of the levels.   Level 1: Recall and Reproduction Level 2: Skills & Concepts Level 3: Strategic Thinking Level 4: Extended Thinking
• #46: Orally provide samples and ask the group to identify which level it is. Use handout
• #47: One verb, three different DOK levels (Handout-Hess Matrix)   DOK 3- Describe a model that you might use to represent the relationships that exist within the rock cycle. (requires deep understanding of rock cycle and a determination of how best to represent it)   DOK 2- Describe the difference between metamorphic and igneous rocks. (requires cognitive processing to determine the differences in the two rock types)   DOK 1- Describe three characteristics of metamorphic rocks. (simple recall)   Distribute the Hess Matrix handout. The Hess matrix gives you a more precise way of determining DOK. On the left you will see Bloom ’s Taxonomy. Think of a task that you would have student do and decide where it would fit in Bloom’s Taxonomy. Now move to the right across the matrix to determine DOK.
• #48: DOK is NOT about difficulty… Difficulty is a reference to how many students answer a question correctly.   How many of you know the definition of exaggerate ? If all of you know the definition, this question is an easy question. (DOK 1 - Recall   How many of you know the definition of prescient ? knowledge of things or events before they exist or happen If most of you do not know the definition, this question is a difficult question. (DOK 1 – Recall )   Distribute the “4 Myths of Rigor Article.” Read the introduction paragraph together. For over 20 years, we ’ve worked with teachers and principals on ways to improve their schools. Our efforts have centered on promoting the core concepts of rigor: creating schools where every student is known by adults, where students have a positive relation­ship with adults and other students, and where they are challenged to achieve at high levels. We’ve met thousands of committed teachers and principals who work incredibly hard to positively impact the learning of every student.   Concurrently and on a national level, the 3 R ’s—Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships—have become accepted as necessary characteristics of quality schools, with many states adopt­ing the 3 R’s Model as a requirement for school improvement efforts. And yet, there remain many misconceptions and myths regarding rigor itself. Here, we cite others’ research as well as our own work to dispel those myths and to demonstrate how academic rigor can ultimate­ly benefit every one of your students and staff members. It ’s time to set the record straight on what rigor is and what it isn’t.   Split the group into 4 sections and assign one myth to each section. After reading, the groups should discuss their myth and prepare to share with the larger group. Allow each group to present their myth to the group as a whole and discuss. The next slide is a visual representation of the final section describing what rigor is.
• #49: Graphic depicting the relationship between Meeting the Rigor of the Common Core and Producing Cognitive Sweat.
• #50: Distribute paper copies of the PA Emphasis Documents or guide participants to their location online. http://www.pdesas.org/Standard/CommonCore   Take a look at look at your grade level first and highlight the Common Core Shifts you may have already addressed.   Provide evidence of how this occurred.   Propose how the ones not highlighted will be addressed.
• #51: http://commoncore.americaachieves.org/landing and then click on my videos
• #53: Today we are focusing on three essential questions related to unpacking the PA Common Core State Standards. Read each question aloud.