A framework to move from common core to classroom practice

1K. Thiebes

Why the Common Core - Data to Consider High school graduation rate in the Unites States is now well behind that of countries such as Denmark (96%),

Japan (93%), and Italy (79%) 40% of all students who enter college must take remedial courses (David Conley, Toward a More Comprehensive Conception of College

Readiness, 3/08

65% of college professors report that what is taught in high school does not prepare students for college. Tony

Wagner, The Global Achievement Gap

All students need new skills to thrive in a global knowledge economy.

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheHuntInstitutehttp://www.achievethecore.org/

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Purposes of the Common Core Standards

To ensure that ALL students are:

oreceiving a high quality education consistently, from school to school and state to state.

ocollege and career-ready.

oready and able to compete in the global economy.

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Instructional Shifts Required by the Common Core

Increasing rigor and relevance

Sharing responsibility of teaching reading and writing across content areas

Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and informational text

Reading, writing, speaking and listening grounded in evidence from texts

Practicing regularly with complex text and its academic vocabulary

Emphasizing 3 modes of academic writing

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Instructional Shifts… A Closer Look

1. Increasing rigor and relevance• High expectations for all students• Career and college ready• Applicable and significant

Instructional Shifts… A Closer Look

2. Reading, writing, speaking and listening grounded in evidence from texts

• “Read like detectives and write like reporters.” – analytically and close

• Currently, students are sometimes asked to respond to questions where reading the text is not necessary

• Citing supporting evidence is a must• Underlying requirement of all standards

Instructional Shifts… A Closer Look

3. Sharing responsibility of teaching reading across content areas

• Literacy development is not only the ELA teacher’s responsibility

Instructional Shifts… A Closer Look

4. Building knowledge through

content-rich nonfiction and

informational text• Informational text used more often in college and

career, yet has been historically under-represented in classrooms

• By Grade 4 – 50% Literary + 50% nonfiction• By Grade 8 – 45% Literary + 55% nonfiction• By Grade 12 – 30% Literary + 70% nonfiction• NF texts viewed as sources of knowledge

Instructional Shifts… A Closer Look 5. Practicing regularly with complex

text and academic vocabulary• Gap between high school and college level text • (350L Lexile gap – Williamson)• School experience should build a staircase of increased

text complexity• Teach students to persevere as readers and build

stamina• Currently – “Sometimes, leveled readers are keeping

kids out of complex text.” – Need for balance!• Academic language = vocab + syntax

Instructional Shifts… A Closer Look

6. Emphasizing 3 modes of academic

writing• Argumentation• Informational / Explanatory• Narrative

And so…

The design team created an instructional framework:

Literacy Design Collaborative

• Based on the Common Core Standards

• Supports and guides teachers in creating quality literacy-based curriculum

• While allowing decision making opportunities and encouraging creativity for teachers, schools, and states.

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LDC Framework is a Strategy for Implementing the Instructional Shifts of the Common Core

• leading with a high level, rigorous and relevant task

• engaging students in active/close reading of complex text

• sharing one’s thinking through oral discourse

• recording and sharing one’s thinking in a written product ….across content areas

1204/21/23 copyright REACH Associates

Overview of the LDC Framework

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Why the emphasis on tasks?

“What was different in the four classrooms was what students were actually being asked to do, and the degree to which the teacher was able to engage students in the work by scaffolding their learning up to the complexity of the task she was asking them to do.”

– Richard ElmoreRounds in Education. lizabeth A. City, Richard F. Elmore, Sarah E. Fiarman, and Lee Teitel

What Task? What Task? - - Section 1

The Core of the LDC Framework

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The CCSS are Hard Wired into the Template Tasks

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Task 2 Template (Argumentation/Analysis): [Insert question] After reading________ (literature or informational texts), write a/an ________ (essay orsubstitute) that addresses the question and support your position with evidencefrom the text(s). L2 Be sure to acknowledge competing views. L3 Give examplesfrom past or current events or issues to illustrate and clarify your position.

Task 14 Template: Informational/Description [Insert question] After reading ________ (literature or informational texts), write ________ (essay, report, or substitutes) that describes ________ (content) and addresses the question. Support your discussion with evidence from the text(s).

Template Task CollectionThe “Template Task Collection” is organized by…

• Writing Type: Argumentation, Informational/Explanatory, Narrative • Text Structure: Definition, Description, Analysis, Problem-Solution, etc. • Task Types: “After researching...” or “Insert Essential Question”

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Task 2 Template (Argumentation/Analysis): [Insert question] After reading________ (literature or informational texts), write a/an ________ (essay orsubstitute) that addresses the question and support your position with evidencefrom the text(s). L2 Be sure to acknowledge competing views. L3 Give examplesfrom past or current events or issues to illustrate and clarify your position.

LDC Template Task Teaching TaskTeachers fill–in-the-blank by choosing:

text - writing product - content - text structure

Teaching Task 2: What combination of market and command systems do you believe creates an ideal mixed economy? After reading informational and opinion texts, write an essay that addresses the question and support your position with evidence from the texts. Be sure to acknowledge competing views.

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Elementary Task 1: [Insert question] After reading_______ (literary or informationaltext/s), write a/n_____ (product) in which you answer the question and explain yourreasons_____ (content). Give ________ (an, several, or #) examples from ____ (text/s) to support your opinion. (Argumentation/Explain)

Elementary Task 1 Science Example: Is pizza a nutritious food product? After reading the two provided articles, write a report in which you answer the question and explain your reasons from a health and science point of view. Give an example from the articles to support your opinion.

Elementary Task 1 ELA Example: Would you recommend Charlotte’s Web to a friend? After reading this book, write a book review in which you answer the question and explain your reasons with reference to the author’s use of story-telling strategies. Give several examples from the book to support your opinion.

LDC Template Task Teaching TaskTeachers fill–in-the-blank by choosing:

text - writing product - content - text structure

What Skills? What Skills? – Section 2

By deconstructing the teaching task the needed skills are identified.

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Teaching Task 2: What combination of market and command systems do you believe creates an ideal mixed economy? After reading informational and opinion texts, write an essay that addresses the question and support your position with evidence from the texts. Be sure to acknowledge competing views.

• Preparing for the Task

• The Reading Process

• Transition to Writing

• Writing Process

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SKILL DEFINITION

SKILLS CLUSTER 1: PREPARING FOR THE TASK 1. Academic Learning

Behaviors (ARTS) Ability to recognize and demonstrate learning behaviors (ARTS).

2. Task Analysis Ability to understand and explain the task’s prompt and rubric. 3. Project Planning Ability to plan so that the task is accomplished on time. SKILLS CLUSTER 2: READING PROCESS 1. Readying for Reading Ability to ready for reading by preparing a note-taking format. 2. Close Active Reading

and Note Taking Ability to:

1. read purposefully; cite and record several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text;

2. determine and analyze the development of central idea(s) of text 3. determine connotative and denotative definitions of words and phrases (and analyze their impact on meaning) 4. and cite reference source.

3. Organizing Notes Ability to examine a topic, integrate evidence from different sources/formats, analyze and prioritize relevant content. SKILLS CLUSTER 3: TRANSITION TO WRITING 1. Readying as a Writer Ability to understand the descriptive text structure and informational/explanatory writing. 2. Bridging Conversation

to Writing Ability to transition from reading to writing phase.

SKILLS CLUSTER 4: WRITING PROCESS 1. Initiation of Task Ability to introduce a topic clearly, write a focus/thesis statement and initial draft of an opening paragraph which previews what is to follow. 2. Planning Ability to develop a line of thought and text structure appropriate and relevant to completing an informational/explanatory writing. 3. Development 1 Ability to:

1. construct an initial draft of the body paragraphs which develops the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations and examples.

2. incorporate transition words, phrases and clauses 3. use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary.

4. Development 2 Ability to construct an initial draft of a concluding statement and closing paragraph which follows from and supports the information presented.

5. Revision Ability to apply revision strategies to refine and strengthen the development of informational/explanatory writing, focusing on purpose and audience while maintaining a formal style.

6. Editing Ability to demonstrate command of conventions of standard English grammar and usage; capitalization, punctuation and spelling; and knowledge of language and its conventions when writing and speaking.

What Skills? What Skills? – Section 2

By deconstructing the teaching task the needed skills are identified and grouped into skill clusters.

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Skill Cluster 2: Reading Process (Grade 7)

- Skills are from ELA and content specific grade level standards.

- Definition (ability to….) creates instructional clarity.- Specific skills guide teacher in planning instruction..

Each skill cluster is broken into specific skills which help to guide teachers in planning instruction.

pacing skill prompt and product scoring guide instructional strategies

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What Instruction? What Instruction? - Section 3

- The instruction for each skill is called the “mini-task”.

- Each mini-task is organized into a formative teaching and learning cycle.

PACING SKILL AND DEFINITION MINI-TASK INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

PRODUCT AND PROMPT SCORING (PRODUCT “MEETS EXPECTATIONS” IF IT…)

SKILLS CLUSTER 4: WRITING PROCESS

Day 13 Initiation of Task

Ability to write a focus/thesis statement and initial draft of an opening paragraph relevant to completing the informational/explanatory writing.

Prompt: Review the task and your notes. Write an opening paragraph that includes a thesis statement, has a controlling idea and supporting details.

Product: short response

Meets: Writes an opening

paragraph that includes a focus/thesis statement.

Writes an opening paragraph that establishes a controlling idea.

Writes an opening paragraph that includes supporting details.

Writes in readable prose. Not yet: Attempts to meet the criteria for “meets”

ARTS - purposefully thinking about the day’s learning objectives.

Frame-It - link back to discussions about the task and what students need to do to complete the writing portion. (Refer back to prompt rewrite during the task analysis lesson.) Front Loading –synthesizing important/relevant information from students’ notes to plan a thesis statement. Front Loading – deconstructing, analyzing and writing a ‘quality’ thesis statement. Front Loading - deconstructing, analyzing and writing an introductory paragraph that previews what is to follow and includes supporting details and establishes a controlling idea. Discourse- constructing meaning, sharing and

recording thinking. Exit Slip – student reflection on day’s learning

and student work sample (short response).

What Results? What Results? – Section 4

Scoring Student Work with the LDC Rubric

Can be used to score holistically or analytically 2 rubrics – Informative/explanatory & Argumentative 7 Scoring Elements:

o Focuso Controlling Ideao Reading/Researcho Developmento Organizationo Conventionso Content Understanding

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A Look at LDC in the Classroom A Look at LDC in the Classroom

• Leading with a Task• Skills and Instructional Strategies

What is special about the LDC strategy?

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