CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONTom Torlakson, State Superintendent of Public Instruction

Common Core State Standards Professional Learning Series

English Language Arts: Informational Text — Reading Unit I: Examining the CCSS for Reading Literature and Informational Text

September 2012

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Module OverviewThis module introduces the major features and instructional implications of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy for History/Social Studies, Science, and TechnicalSubjects for Reading Informational Text (CCSS for ELA/Literacy). 

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Module Outline

• Unit 1: Examining the CCSS for Reading Literature and Informational Text

• Unit 2: Dimensions of Text Complexity

• Unit 3: Supporting Student Comprehension of Informational Text

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Pre-Assessment

Let’s take a moment to take thepre-assessment found in your participant packet to gauge your current knowledge regarding the CCSS for ELA/Literacy.

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Unit 1 Objectives• Examine the relationship

among the standards for reading

• Learn about the importance of informational texts

• Identify different types of informational text

• Understand the importance of balancing literature and informational texts

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Examining the CCSS for ELA/Literacy

Video, “Education Update: The Common Core State Standards for ELA and Literacy,” discusses the structure and emphasis of the standards.

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/common-core-standards-ela

While watching the video:◦Pay particular attention to:◦The role of the College and Career Readiness

(CCR) Anchor Standards◦The emphasis of the Reading Standards◦The balance between the literary and

informational texts◦The role of content-area teachers

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“Education Update”Questions

1. What is the relationship of the CCR Anchor Standards to the specific grade-level standards?

2. What do the CCR Anchor Standards for Reading emphasize?

3. Which content-areas are responsible for implementing the CCSS standards?

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CCR Anchor Standards

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Key ShiftsThe CCSS for ELA/Literacy emphasize the following key shifts: 1. building knowledge through

content-rich nonfiction2. reading, writing, and speaking

grounded in text-based evidence3. regular practice with complex

text and its academic language. Source: Student Achievement Partners http://www.achievethecore.org/steal-these-tools

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Reading Standards for Informational Text K–2

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Reading Standards for Informational Text 3–5

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Table Group DiscussionHow do you think these standards will affect your teaching?

Discuss with a partner in your table group.

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Comparing Standards for Literature and for Informational Text

The numbers used to identify a standard correspond across the

CCR Anchor Standards, the  standards for literature, those for

Informational text, and those for literacy in the content-areas.

While Standard 1, about citing evidence, is very similar across

these reading standards, Standard 9 varies the most

CCR ANCHOR STANDARD FOR READING STANDARD 9“Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes ortopics in order to build knowledge or to compare theapproaches the authors take. “

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Comparing Standards for Literature and for Informational Text (Cont.)

READING STANDARDS FOR LITERATURE GRADE 69. Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems;

historicalnovels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and stories.

READING STANDARDS FOR INFORMATIONAL TEXT GRADE 6 9. Compare and contrast one author's presentation of events with that of another (e.g.,

amemoir written by and a biography on the same person).

READING STANDARDS FOR LITERACY IN HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIESGRADES 6–8 9. Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.

READING STANDARDS FOR LITERACY IN SCIENCE AND TECHNICALSUBJECTS GRADES 6–8 9. Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, videos,

ormultimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic.

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Examining a Standard Across Grade Levels

Turning our attention directly to the

informational text reading standards, it is

extremely helpful to examine a single

standard’s progression from Kindergarten

through Grade 12 and the relationship to

the CCR Anchor Standard. Begin by looking

at CCR Anchor Standard for Reading 1.

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Examining a Standard Across Grade Levels (Cont.)

Turning our attention directly to theinformational text reading standards, it

isextremely helpful to:

examine a single standard’s progression from kindergarten to Grade 12

the relationship to the CCR Anchor Standard.

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Examining a Standard Across Grade Levels (Cont.)

CCR Anchor Standard for Reading 1

“Read closely to determine what the text saysexplicitly and to make logical inferences from it;

cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking To support conclusions drawn from the text.”

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Examining a Standard Across Grade Levels (Cont.)

Now use the CCR Anchor Standard forReading 1 handout to examine how thestandard progresses across the grades.

Pay close attention to how it changes fromgrade to grade. Also consider the benefits

ofexamining a standard progression across

thegrades. 

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21st Century Skills: Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, and Critical Thinking

Today’s students are moving beyond the basics and embracing the 4Cs – “Super Skills” for the 21st Century!

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What are the 4C’s?Communication: Sharing thoughts, questions, ideas, and solutions

Collaboration: Working together to reach a goal, putting talent, expertise, and smarts to work

Critical Thinking: Looking at problems in a new way, linking and learning across subjects and disciplines

Creativity: Trying new approaches to get things done equals innovation and invention

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What are the 4C’s (Cont.)?Of the 21st Century skills and activities shown in the video, which will you be most likely to try in your classroom?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OTIBDR4Dn2g

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21st Century Skills for English Learners and Underperforming Students

English learners and underperforming

students must have access to informational

text to develop the 21st Century Skills of

Creativity, Collaboration, Communication,

and Critical Thinking they need for college

and career success.

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21st Century Skills for English Learners: New ELD Standards

The State Board of Education adopted new EnglishLanguage Development (ELD) Standards in the fallof 2012. “The ELD Standards are designed tocorrespond with the California Common CoreState Standards for English Language Arts andLiteracy in History. Social Studies, Science, andTechnical Subjects (the Common Core Standards)and are designed to apply to English language andliteracy skills across all academic content areas, inaddition to classes specifically designed for Englishlanguage development.”

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Application of the CCSS for ELA/Literacy

for English LearnersEnglish Learners (ELs)“…are a heterogeneous group withdifferences in ethnic background, first language,socioeconomic status, quality of prior schooling, and levels ofEnglish language proficiency. Effectively educating thesestudents requires diagnosing each student instructionally,adjusting instruction accordingly, and closely monitoringstudent progress.”

Source: “Application of The Standards of English Language Learners” by the Common Core State Standards

Initiative (page 1)

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Meeting the Needs of English LearnersChallenges Meeting Student Needs

The language and literacy demands of the CCSS are high

Address the full foundation of language skills and English Language Development (ELD) needed by ELs

Currently many ELs are not achieving proficiency on the California English Language Development Test (CELDT)

Strengthen and focus on high quality ELD and scaffolding strategies across the curriculum

The narrowing of the curriculum has resulted in weak content knowledge in social studies and science

Provide a full rigorous academic curriculum

Many ELs have only engaged with simplified texts which offers them little or no examples of academic language

Engage ELs with a balance of rigorous and scaffolded text

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21st Century Skills for Underperforming Students

The CCSS Initiative document “Application toStudents with Disabilities” examines the need forthese students to be supported in accessing thecore curriculum in the classroom:

“Students with disabilities students eligible under theIndividuals with Disabilities Education Act(IDEA) must be challenged to excel within the generalcurriculum and be prepared for success in their postschool lives, including college and/or careers. Thesecommon standards provide an historic opportunity toimprove access to rigorous academic content standardsfor students with disabilities.”

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Meeting the Needs of Students With

DisabilitiesChallenges Meeting Student Needs

Lack of meaningful access to certain standards in both instruction and assessment based on their communication and academic needs.

Provide supports and accommodations to ensure that students receive multiple means of learning and opportunities to demonstrate knowledge

Lack of access to general education curriculum

Instructional supports for learning― based on the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)―which foster student engagement by presenting information in multiple ways and allowing for diverse avenues of action and expression

Lack of rigorous, standards-based goals on an Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)

An IEP that includes annual goals aligned with and chosen to facilitate their attainment of grade-level academic standards

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Importance of Informational Text

“Nonfiction, a carefully crafted genre, providesideas, facts, and principles organized around mainideas, using both verbal and visual texts. Thepurposes of using informational texts are to inform,instruct, and enlighten. Therefore, nonfiction textsmust be accurate and current and include essentialinformation.”

Source: Pike, Kathy, and G. Jean Mumper. Making Nonfiction and Other Informational Texts Come Alive: A Practical

Approach to Reading, Writing, and Using Nonfiction and Other Informational Texts Across the Curriculum. Boston,

MA: Allyn & Bacon, 2003

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Importance of Informational Text (Cont.)

“Nonfiction texts include all books about the sciences(natural, social, and physical), history, sports, crafts,the arts, how-tos, newspapers, articles, the WorldWide Web, and so on, that discuss factual informationAbout a topic, as well as biographies,autobiographies, and memoirs. Informational textsInclude nonfiction materials and informationalstorybooks, which present both an engaging story, aswell as pertinent facts.”Source: Pike, Kathy, and G. Jean Mumper. Making Nonfiction and Other Informational Texts Come Alive: APractical Approach to Reading, Writing, and Using Nonfiction and Other Informational Texts Across theCurriculum. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 2003

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Interdisciplinary Approach

to LiteracyResearch shows that currently students: Are not reading enough informational text Are not understanding challenging and complex

informational text

Educators must meet the challenges of preparing students for college and career by: Implementing effective reading comprehension

strategies that support students in reading and understanding complex informational text

Supplementing classroom texts with rigorous and complex informational text

Source: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and

Technical Subjects p.4.

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Balancing Informational Text & Literature in the Classroom

These videos feature discussions between New York State

Commissioner of Education John B. King Jr., David Coleman,

and Kate Gerson about balancing informationaltext and literature in the classroom.

Grades PK through 5:http://myboe.org/cognoti/content/file/content/repository/306592/dc/dcd74d98/dcd74d983b097b63518d4f1ffecb6c7c5a226e58//popups//p5video.html

Grades 6-12:http://myboe.org/cognoti/content/file/content/repository/306592/dc/dcd74d98/dcd74d983b097b63518d4f1ffecb6c7c5a226e58//popups//612video.html

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Text Type ExamplesLiterary Texts

Text Types Grades 3-5 Grades 6-12

Stories Includes children's adventure stories, folktales, legends, fables, fantasy, realistic fiction, and myth.

Includes the subgenres of adventure stories, historical fiction, mysteries, myths, science fiction, realistic fiction, allegories, parodies, satire, and graphic novels.

Drama Includes staged dialogue and brief familiar scenes.

Includes one-act and multi-act plays, both in written form and on film.

Poetry Includes nursery rhymes and the subgenres of the narrative poem, limerick, and free-verse poem.

Includes the subgenres of narrative poems, lyrical poems, free-verse poems, sonnets, odes, ballads, and epics.

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Text Type Examples (Cont.)Literary Texts

Text Types Grades 3-5 Grades 6-12Literary Nonfiction and Historical, Scientific, and Technical Texts

Includes biographies and autobiographies; books about history, social studies, science, and the arts; technical texts including directions, forms, and information displayed in graphs, charts, or maps; and digital sources on a range of topics

Includes the subgenres of exposition, argument, and functional text in the form of personal essays, speeches, opinion pieces, essays about art or literature, biographies, memoirs, journalism, and historical, scientific, technical, or economic accounts (including digital sources) written for a broad audience

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Conclusion of Unit 1In this module we examined the

followingobjectives:the relationship among the standards

for readingthe importance of informational textsthe different types of informational

textthe importance of balancing literature

and informational texts