Designing Literacy

Embedding Literacy Tasks Into a PBL Unit

Step 1: Click on the Courses tabStep 2: Click on the All Courses tab Step 3: Select ‘New Tech National’ from the School drop down menuStep 4: Click ‘Sign up’ to enroll in the course “Literacy Support Center”

Self-enrolling in the Literacy Support Center

Step 1

Step 2

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Step 4

Participants will be able to:￭ Explain why literacy instruction

matters across all subject areas￭ Describe the Literacy Design

Collaborative framework￭ Help students think deeply about

content by creating a literacy task that is integrated into a project

￭ Get started with the Literacy Support Center for ongoing professional learning about content-area literacy

Comparing Lexiles

Content Area New York Regents Estimated Lexile

TAKS (Texas) Estimated Lexile

English 740L 910L

Social Studies 1160L 1010L

Science 1010L 1080L

Math 1240L 1090L

MetaMetrics’ High School Text Demand Survey

ELA Math Science Social Studies

1400

1300

1200

1100

1000 900

800

1500

*from "Lexile Text Measures for State or District Adoption Programs"

Small Group Activity

1) Please break into small groups and discuss some ways you are already supporting literacy

2) On the sticky notes provided write down your group’s 2-3 current literacy best practices

3) Place on “Literacy Graffiti Wall”

Why incorporate literacy tasks?

Integration of Authentic Literacy

Tasks Across Content Areas

Need for More Rigorous Thinking

Need for Stronger

Literacy Skills

Need for Individual

Accountability Within Projects

Dive Deeper

￭ Push our practice further by beginning with a literacy end

in mind

￭ Increase our level of scaffolding for rigorous reading and writing

￭ Include a literacy task in every project or unit

Literacy Design Collaborative Framework￭ Has fill-in-the-blank templates for literacy

tasks that get students thinking deeply about content (the “end”)

￭ Uses scaffolding to help students with the challenging reading and writing they will do

Literacy Design CollaborativeFramework Categories

Argumentative

Explanatory/ Informational

Narrative

LDC Subdivisions

Modes or Organizational Patterns

￭ Description ￭ Cause and effect￭ Comparison / Contrast￭ Procedural-sequential ￭ Problem-solution￭ Evaluation￭ Synthesis￭ Analysis

These are types of

writing but also the kinds

of rigorous thinking we

want our students to do

Sample LDC Template Taks

Template Task 15 (Explanatory/ Informational Procedural-Sequential)

[Insert essential question] After reading/ viewing (informational texts, graphs, etc.), write a/an (essay, report, or substitute) that relates how (content). Support your discussion with evidence from (texts, data, calculations, etc).

Sample LDC Template Tasks

After reviewing the scatter plot and the map, write a set of instructions that relate the steps for determining the clean-up costs of any size oil spill on any given continent. Support your instructions with a specific example from the scatter plot, including equations and steps in the process.

Sample LDC Template Tasks

After reading directions for and creating a CrossFit plyo box (including figuring out the amount of paint and wood you’ll need), write an easy to understand technical manual that relates the process for other students in Health and PE classes.

Where could YOU integrate a literacy task?

1) Look back at a Project Calendar from the previous year.

2) Is there a place where a literacy task in the format we showed you might have been helpful?

Task Creation

Step 1- Use a Template to Create a Literacy Task

Start with the end in mind: use a template to create a literacy task that will require students to show their content knowledge.

Assessment

Step 2- Design a Rubric

Create a rubric for your literacy task. Use language from your school's written communication rubric or from one of the rubrics linked below.

You may want to choose one or two writing traits/ elements/ skills to address in your rubric, depending on the main focus of the project.

Argumentative Informational Narrative

ScaffoldingStep 3- Plan the Scaffolding

Even advanced students can benefit from good scaffolding ... especially when reading or writing something challenging.  You should have at least three scaffolding activities, for three stages: reading, pre-writing, and writing. For now, pick one.

Scaffolding Literacy: Starter Set Scaffolding Literacy: Deep Dive

If you'd like scaffolding suggestions to address particular needs, see link below.

Literacy Scaffolding by Rubric Criteria

This is just the beginning…

Ongoing support from:

• Literacy Task Quick Guide• Online Literacy Support Center• Literacy Facilitator

“Literacy Support Center”￭ Online Literacy Support Center with

resources for:▢ Assessing reading and writing▢ Designing rigorous literacy tasks▢ Scaffolding literacy tasks▢ Differentiating literacy instruction▢ Echo Discussions – “Water Coolers”

“Literacy is not a luxury, it is a right and a responsibility. If our world is to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century we must harness the energy and creativity of all our citizens.” 

- President Clinton on International Literacy Day, September 8th 1994

Let’s Get Started!

Literacy Support Center