Changes in English Language Arts In Our Move To Common

Core

January 9, 2014

Jessica Rentas, District Literacy Coach

What are the changes?Fewer, clearer, more rigorous standards

Common assessments: state comparisons will increase pressure for performance

Common assessments provide data to effectively inform classroom instruction

7th Grade ELABefore (NJCCS):Produce written work and oral work that demonstrate comprehension of informational materials.

After (CCSS):Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

NJASK Questions

more literal questionsstudents are able to read and find answers “right there” in the textvocabulary questions ask solely for definitions

Finding Theme

Main Idea

Vocabulary

Right There/Think and Search

“Right There”

PARCC QuestionsTexts worth reading: The assessments will use authentic texts worthy of study and that are motivating and engaging to read, instead of artificially produced or commissioned passages.

Questions worth answering, which includes:Sequences of questions that draw students into deeper encounters with texts (as in an excellent classroom), rather than sets of random questions of varying quality.

Items that allow students to demonstrate what they know, rather than what they don’t know—where items allow for partial credit

Items that allow for expression of divergent thinking

Finding Theme

Main Idea/Supporting Details

Vocabulary

Author and Me and On My Own

“Author and Me”

Ways to support at home.

READread to selfread to someonesomeone reads to them

Discussionsread to self – Students should reflect on the part of the book they liked the best, provide evidence, and explainread to someone – What was the GIST? W’ssomeone reads to them – Talk about the characters and why the characters actions are important