ela look fors combined

English Language Arts Look-fors

St. Clair County RESA, Jennifer Evans 2013

ELA Task What Student Is Doing What Teacher Is Doing

Routines and Procedures

are established.

Task

Is interesting.

Requires cognitive effort.

Has real world relevance.

Creates discussion.

Relates to grade level CCSS.

Builds student

understanding.

Leads student to look back

and reflect on answer.

Engages students.

Balances Informational and

Literary texts.

Drawing information and

analyzing answers to questions

based on a text structure and

story elements.

Determining a theme of a text

and including supportive

analysis, evidence, inference,

etc.

Determining the meaning of

words and phrases used in a

text and how the information

or literature impacts them.

Analyzing how the author’s

choices impact the purpose,

reasoning, evidence, structure,

meaning and implications of

the text.

Describing how the structure

impacts the text and draw

meaning from different

formats.

Analyzing and evaluating the

various points of view from

meaning, narrator, author,

illustrator, reader, audience

and/or characters’

perspectives, also

interpretation of source

material.

Comparing and contrasting

works from different authors

related to similar stories,

events, themes, topics, plots,

or genres.

Problem solving using

material from a variety of

formats and sources.

Evaluating the author’s

reasoning and evidence in a

text.

Accountability is evident.

(Each bullet may not be identified in

every lesson)

Building a supportive literacy

community using multiple

sources; digital, journals, etc.

Providing feedback and

helping make connections

between representations,

various points of view,

student thinking.

Providing explicit and precise

modeling.

Helping students develop

goals.

Providing students with time

to discuss with others.

Providing students with

opportunities to use various

graphic organizers/thinking

maps, pictures, promoting

visible thinking while

referring to displays of

anchor charts and other

content specific visual aids.

Providing students the

opportunity to construct their

own ideas and use evidence

from the text.

Differentiating questioning

strategies such as QAR,

Bloom’s, Socratic circles, etc.


opportunities to engage in

word study.

Providing flexible,

instructional groupings to

differentiate instruction and

meet students’ needs.

ELA Task What Student Is Doing What Teacher Is Doing Reading



ELA Task


are established.

Task

Is interesting.



Creates discussion.


Builds student

understanding.



Engages students.


Literary texts.

What Student Is Doing

Writing opinions or

arguments based on point of

view with sufficient

evidence and valid

reasoning.

Writing clear and well

structured

informative/explanatory text

based on facts.

Writing detailed and clear

sequenced narratives to

develop real or imagined

experiences or events.

Producing clear and coherent

text in which the

development and

organization are appropriate

to task, purpose and

audience.

Applying the writing process

individually or with peers to

plan, revise, edit, rewrite, or

try a new approach.

Using technology to

individually or

collaboratively support the

writing process.

Gathering, evaluating, and

citing evidence to support

analysis, reflection and

research.

Demonstrating command of

the conventions of Standard

English grammar and usage

when writing or speaking.


(Each bullet may not be

identified in every lesson)

What Teacher Is Doing

Providing feedback

encouraging students to

connect task to prior

concepts taught, making

connections and scaffold

instruction with prior

knowledge, structures used,

tool, student thinking,

evidence, discoveries and

content standard.

Providing explicit and

precise modeling.

Providing students with the

time to research, discuss,

revise, edit, share, and

construct learning.

Differentiating by providing

multiple and flexible options

for student engagement and

acquisition of knowledge.

Displaying Anchor charts

and other content specific

aids.


necessary tools to represent

explore and deepen student

understanding.

Setting goals and identifying

strategies used to achieve

goals, using rubrics when

necessary.

Encouraging students to

keep trying.

Writing



ELA Task


are established.

Task

Is interesting.



Creates discussion.


Builds student understanding.



Engages students.


Literary texts.

What Student Is Doing

Participating in collaborative

conversations with diverse

partners and adults in small

and large groups.

Integrating multiple sources of

information from various

media formats extracting

meaning in order to solve

problems, evaluate motives,

and be informed.

Demonstrating an

understanding of the content

presented in multiple formats.

Evaluating a speaker’s point of

view and presenting

information, possibly asking

questions for clarification.

Presenting relevant

information so the audience

can follow along and

understand.

Adding digital or analogue

media to the presentation to

provide clarity about the topic.

Presenting using formal or

casual language when

appropriate.


(Each bullet may not be identified

in every lesson)

What Teacher Is Doing

Providing explicit and precise

modeling and

communications,

emphasizing its importance.


opportunity to listen and

discuss with others.

Providing a literacy rich

environment.

Providing feedback helping to

make connections between

various formats, relationships

between representation,

answer, vocabulary, student

thinking, content standards,

and what is noticed.

Differentiating, clarifying,

and providing opportunities

for students to recall

information presented.

Expecting students to justify

their reasoning using

examples from the text or

presentation.

Building a supportive literacy

community using multiple

sources.

Giving students the

opportunity to evaluate the

appropriateness of their

model and that of others.

Speaking and Listening



ELA Task What Student Is Doing What Teacher Is Doing


are established.

Task

Is interesting.



Creates discussion.


Builds student

understanding.



Engages students.


Literary texts.

Understanding how language

functions in different

contexts when writing,

speaking, reading, or

listening.

Determining the meaning of

unknown words and phrases.

Determining understanding

of figurative language, word

relationships, and nuances in

word meanings.

Using grade-appropriate

words and phrases.


Providing explicit and

precise modeling.


feedback that is timely and

effective.


time to discuss and determine

what they notice.

Providing a literacy rich

environment.

Demonstrating enthusiasm

for the content subject area.

Using graphic organizers,

visual aids, short video

clips/pictures, to support

teaching term(s).

Using explicit instruction or

Marzano’s 6-step vocabulary

model.

Incorporating kinesthetic

movements with vocabulary

words when possible.

Providing opportunities for

students to identify words in

reading.

Differentiating, clarifying,

and providing opportunities

for students to recall

information.

Language

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