kipp nyc reading working group

8/2/2019 KIPP NYC Reading Working Group

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KIPP NYC Reading Working GroupMarch 16, 2012

Some reading about what we've learned so far ...


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Middle School VocabularyWhat We BelieveVocabulary knowledge is strongly related to reading proficiency and academic achievement.The unfortunate reality is that many children from lower socioeconomic households are exposedto a significantly fewer number of words than children from higher socioeconomic backgrounds- a difference of 1,500 words per hour, which amounts to 8 million words over the course of asingle year, and 32 million words by the age of 4 (Hart & Risley). To address this word gap,vocabulary must be taught systematically, robustly, and with a profound sense of urgency.Therefore, they must be taught both explicitlv as well as implicitly. The first step to doing this isdetermining which words need to be taught.Word TiersIt has been estimated that the English language is made up of approximately one million words.All words can be divided into three tiers:

Tier 1words are the most basic words that rarely require instruction in schools becausemost students will learn these in context from everyday speech. Sight words areconsidered to be Tier 1 words. Examples: baby, clock, happy, yellowTier 2 words are high-frequency words for mature language users. These are the wordsthat often appear in adult and scholarly literature; when learned, they have a profoundimpact on students' ability to comprehend sophisticated texts and to write and speakeloquently. Examples: compulsory, benevolent; industrious, plethora, assertTier 3words are words whose frequency of use is quite low, often limited to specificdomains/content areas, and are best learned when a specific need arises. Examples:igneous, the Treaty of Paris, supplementary angles, isotope "'--

Because Tier 2 words add productively to an individual's language ability, we are stronglycommitted to teaching them explicitly in our reading classes.Divide and ConquerTo address this challenge and to meet the needs of our students, KIPP NYC is committed to thefollowing breakdown for explicit vocabulary instruction in all content areas:

Class Recommendation for Number ofWords to Be Taught Each WeekReading 8-10 Tier 2 words per weekWriting 8 affixes and root words per week. To do this you can either teach 8 differentaffixes and roots in a week or teach a few affixes or root words in the week, 2-1 4 , and then include specific words that use them (ex: so a week's list mightI include: re-, -spect-, reform, spectator, reconstruct, spectacle, and specter.)


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Social Studies 4 Tier 2 or Tier 3 words per week. In addition, students should be taught tonote and memorize key terms that are already defined in the textbook.Science 4 Tier 2 or Tier 3 words per week. In addition, students should be taught tonote and memorize key terms that are already defined in the textbook.Math 4 Tier 2 or Tier 3 words per week.Explicit Vocabulary InstructionThere are three phases of successful explicit vocabulary instruction:Phase 1 The Introduction (Day 1)Step 1: Teacher pronounces the word and students repeat it.

Step 2: Teacher states a sentence that uses the word correctly. Studentspronounce the word again.Step 3: Teacher provides a student-friendly definition for the word. Werecommend using

www.learnersdictionary.comhttp.owww.ldoceonline.comhttp://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/englishStep 4: Provide an additional example of the word being used in a

different situation or context, but still having the same meaning, orshow an illustration and relate it to the word.Step 5: Do 1 or 2 quick activities that require students to immediatelypractice with and think about the meaning of the word (orally or inwriting)

One of the most important elements of this - teaching vocabularyexplicitly and well- is giving students a student-friendly definition forI words instead of having them derive their own.definitions from contextclues. '--Please see "Implicit Vocabulary Instruction" below for when to havestudents rely on context clues.

This format should be done for each word as you introduce it. For example, if you are teachingthe word "benevolent" you should introduce the word, and do 1 or 2 review activities beforegoing on to teach the next word.Phase 2 The Week's Activities (Days 2, 3, and 4)

- Throughout the week, do activities that help students practice andreview words that were previously introduced in that week or fromprevious weeks.

See Beck et al. for activity suggestions.Phase 3 The Assessment (Day 5)- Write one question per word, but have at least 10 questions total.
http://www.learnersdictionary.com/http://http.owww.ldoceonline.com/http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/englishhttp://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/englishhttp://http.owww.ldoceonline.com/http://www.learnersdictionary.com/


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See Beck et al. for examples of rigorous assessment questions,Include 2-4 spiraled words for review.

Implicit Vocabularv InstructionImplicit vocabulary instruction happens when students are directed to use context clues todetermine a word or phrase's meaning, or given the definition without much or any in-depthwork with the word. This should be done when teaching the skill of using context clues, whenasking students to read independently, or when speaking to students and intentionally elevatingthe level of vocabulary you are using. In order to help our students begin to close the word gap,we need to teach words explicitly as well as implicitly. As we have defined a precise number ofwords to be taught explicitly per week in all content areas, the ELA Working Group is currentlyfiguring out an ideal number of words to be taught implicitly.

How to Teach Words Implicitly:Teach vocabulary implicitly by using Tier 2 and Tier 3 words in your speech ("Frances, Ilove the way you embellished your notebook." or "You are all working so diligentlyduring independent practice.") Teaching implicitly also means providing definitions forwords that students encounter in the text or in the lesson "on the spot". Providing aword's meaning at the moment the word is met in the text is an effective strategy, and itshould take no longer than 5 seconds to do so.For implicitly taught vocabulary, you do not need to do review activities or anintroduction roll-out as you would do for explicitly taught words. In addition, implicitlytaught words do not have to be part of your end of the week vocabulary assessment, butwe do encourage teachers to offer them as extra credit. Implicit words may even be partof your classroom's word wall. The key point here is that words taught implicitly are justas important as those that are taught explicitly; they're as much a part of the classroomlearning environment as their explicit counterparts.

Why we believe itWe stand on the shoulders of three impressive bodies of work:

Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction, by Isabel L. Beck, Margaret G.McKeown, and Linda KucanThe Uncommon Schools Middle School Reading Taxonomy 2011, by Colleen Driggs,Doug Lemov, Erica Woolway, and their team of outstanding educatorsBuilding Academic Vocabulary and Vocabulary Games/or the Classroom, by Robert J.Marzano


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What we think it looks like in actionSample Calendar for ClassWhen mtroducmg all of the week's words on Day 1

I Day 1 I Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5minutesDuration: 15 Duration: 10 Duration: 10

minutesExplicitly introduce8-10 words.Choose from anyVariation 1 activityfrom Beck et al.'s"Creating RobustVocabulary" for the8-10 words.

minutesPractice reciting thenew words.

Use at least 2 reviewactivities fromBeck's text for the8-10 words.

Duration: 1 0minutesUse at least 2 reviewactivities fromBeck's text for the8-10 words.Select fromVariation 3 or 4.Spiral in two ormore words fromprevious weeks.

Duration: 10minutesGive weeklywritten

Use at least 2 review: activities fromI Beck's text for the

8-10 words. Selectfrom Variation 1 or2.

Select fromVariation 2 or 3.Spiral in two ormore words fromprevious weeks.

When mtroducmg a few words each day over the course of the week

assessment. SeeBeck's text for

I samplei assessmentquestions.Have at least 10questions.Include 2-4spiraled words inthe assessment. i

. Day 1 I Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5Duration: 5-10 Duration: 5-10 Duration: 5-10 Duration: 10minutes minutesExplicitly introduce2 or 3 words.Choose from anyVariation 1 activityfrom Beck et aL'8"Creating RobustVocabulary" fo r the2-3 words.

Explicitly introduce2 or 3 words.Choose from anyVariation 1 activityfrom Beck et al. 's"Creating RobustVocabulary" for the2-3 words.

minutesExplicitly introduce2 or 3 words.Choose from anyVariation 1 activityfrom Beck et aL's"Creating RobustVocabulary" for the2-3 words.

minutesReview al l wordsfrom the week usingactivities fromBeck's text. Selectfrom Variation 2, 3,or 4.Spiral in four ormore words fromprevious weeks.

Duration: 10minutesGive weeklywrittenassessment. SeeBeck's text forsampleassessmentquestions.Have at least 10questions.Include 2~4spiraled words inthe assessment.

Review previousday's words usingI activities from

I Beck's text. Select

II from Variation 2 or3.

Review words fromDay I and Day 2using activities from

I Beck's text. Selectfrom Variation 2, 3,or 4.

I


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Sample Vocabulary Classwork when frontloading all vocabulary words on Day 1FEIGN: (Malcolm X p . 36) Part of Speech: verb Rewrite Word: _Other Forms: _-'-- _Definition: to-----Sentence: He feigned being sick in order to get out of physics class.Charge: o + Feigning aSentence: The soccer player feigned an injury in order to

Introduction Phase when teaching two words a day


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Sample Assessment Questions1. W h ich of the follow in g pictu res best illu strates the w ord nonchalant?

Why did y ou c ho ose that picture?

2. Jose w as voted "M ost L ikely to Su cceed" by his classm ates, bu t be received the aw ard verynonchalantlv, How did Jose respo nd to the aw ard?

13. W hich scen ario is more likely to irk you?Scenario 1 You r teacher tells y ou that you have a -l-page essay due, bu t you w in have one whole

w eek to comp lete it .Scenario 2 Y ou r teacher tells you that you 're not going to have homework tomorrow, bu t you 're

going to have a lot of homework to do du ring the April vacation .Explain y o ur c ho ic e:'

14. Describe a recen t situ ation that really ~ you .


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Close Reading 101A DefinitionAs we began our work, we were buffaloed by a basic question: what is close reading? It is, we all vaguelythought, the primary undertaking of a whole host of English Departments in universities across thecountry. Even the Literature majors among us were hard pressed to define the task. Initial definitionssounded something like, "It's what English professors do", and "it's the critical thinking part of reading".After much labor and debate, we have settled on a simple statement:

Close reading is the careful, sustained scrutiny and interpretation of a short passage of text

In less definitional terms, close reading is the process of meaning-making. It is the highest level ofthinking that teachers and students achieve in the literacy classroom. Whereas other literacy practices(metacognitive training for instance) revolve around the relationship of the reader to the text (thereader makes connections to self, visualizes the imagery used by the author, etc.) close reading involvesdistilling the meanings, both those intended and unintended by the author, in a text.Effective "close reading" practice requires ...

...an emphasis on the particular over the general. During a close reading, the individual paysclose attention to the nuances of the text, to individual words, sentences, and the order inwhich ideas unfold as they are read. Throughout this document, we refer to this process ofcareful scrutiny as "unpacking" the text. This requires that teachers either select short texts orexcerpt short texts from longer texts when conducting close reading in class.

... a redistribution oftime in classto emphasize depth over breadth. Whereas a conventionalliteracy classroom emphasizes the big picture (e.g. questions about theme in a novel,characterization, or the fairness of a society's decisions, etc.), close reading requires students tozoom in, to dwell in the particulars of text.

'" a facility with literary and rhetorical techniques used by the author. To close read effectively,a reader must have a command of literary structures and devices (metaphor, symbolism, etc.) inorder to analyze their impact.

... focus on text driven interpretations rather than context driven interpretations. Backgroundknowledge about the author's life and historical context are treated as close readingopportunities in and of themselves.

Our BeliefsAs we have researched and experimented, we have come to some understandings that we believeanchor all good close reading practices. We believe ....


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Effective close reading is the chief aim of the literacy classroom. Close reading is the mostfundamental act of critical thinking that occurs in the literacy classroom. The cognitive skillsrequired in close reading transfer across disciplines. Close reading, when made habit, allowsstudents to make meaning of all types of text, be it a Biology textbook, a State of the Unionaddress, or a Shakespearean sonnet.

We pursue other forms of literacy instruction in order to enable effective close reading. Allwork to develop our kids' vocabularies, inference making abilities, visualization skills, etc. serveas foundational skills that enable a reader to make meaning of a text through close reading.Without these skills the analysis of close reading is impossible.

Paraphrasing is paramount! Students make meaning not from the literal words written on apage, but from their invisibly paraphrased version of the words on the page. Asking our kids towrite and/or state their paraphrased versions of the text makes kids' thinking visible and allowsteachers to check and tweak their understanding.

Close reading requires taking on the text without contextualizing it for students. Too muchtime on context and activation of prior knowledge hamstrings kids' thinking by leading them tocling to the context rather than unpack the words before them on the page.

Effective close reading instruction involves the crafting of thought-provoking questions. Afterestablishing her students' basic understanding, the close reading teacher uses interpretivequestions, typically constructed as "how" and "why" questions, to steer her students towardthe meanings of a text and the intentions of its author.

Reasons We Believe.Over the course of our research into close reading, we encountered a host of big ideas, sound theories,and good practices as to how best to teach close reading. Of the lot, two in particular resonated withus: the work of David Coleman, one of the chief architects of the Common Core, and the work from TheFoundation for Critical Thinki.ng. Eachof these two sources has provided a host of insightThe Common CoreThe developers of The Common Core Standards cite close reading as a chief remedy to the decline ofliterary complexity and the skills necessary to tackle complex texts essential to college and careerreadiness:

B ein g a ble to read c om plex text independently and profic iently is essential for high ac hievem ent in c ollegeand the workplac e and im portant in num erous life tasks. M oreover, current trends suggest that if students cannot


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read chaflenging texts with understanding-if they have not developed the skill, concentration, and stamina to readsuch texts-they wiff read less in general. In particular, if students cannot read complex expository text to gaininformation, they wifllikely turn to text-free or text-light sources/ such as video, podcosts, and tweets. Thesesources, while not without value, cannot capture the nuance, subtlety, depth, or breadth of ideas developedthrough complex text.

David Coleman advocates that teachers employ a strict process for their close reading practices, firstreading a short text aloud with students in its entirety, then guiding them to paraphrase that text inmanageable chunks (paragraphs, stanzas, etc.), and then guiding them to make meaning from the textwith targeted questions in sustained discussion during which students scrutinize the text. (Here's avideo of David doing a close reading demo from Letter from a Birmingham Jail, and here's an exampleset of lesson plans for close reading of Lincoln's Getty'sburg Address.)The Foundation for Critical ThinkingThe Foundation for Critical Thinking detailed the most prescriptive, if occasionally, esoteric approach toclose reading, noting five core steps to close reading: Paraphrasing, Explicating, Analysis, Evaluation,and Role-playing.

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For our purposes, we deemed the last two steps (evaluation and role-playing) less useful, but found thefirst three tiers instructive in shaping our sense of close reading. like the Foundation's model, we defineclose reading asan act of zooming in on text, attacking literal meanings through paraphrasing, and theninterpreting the logic and meaning-of what we've read.

Uncommon Schools Middle School Reading TaxonomyUncommon Schools approach to tackle Close Reading uses stair-stepped question types to movestudents from literal understanding, to figurative analysis, and eventually to inferring an author'spurpose. The process begins with a teacher crafting particular questions that ask kids to engage with"Finite Evidence", requiring students to "cite and/or explain all ofthe evidence presented in a text".After determining the finite evidence, the teacher then crafts a question that asks kids to "Paraphrase aComplex Quotation", during which time a student gives a "careful gloss for each part of the passage",matches "the point of view, tense, format, and perspective" of the original piece, and captures iIaspectsof tone, style, and irony". Finally, teachers ask students to wrestle with "Author's Why" questions,wherein students "not only paraphrase or map a body of evidence, but [infer] the author's purpose andmeaning in doing so". We benefited greatly from the good work of the folks at Uncommon Schools.Below we detail our process of close reading process of moving from literal comprehension toinferential analysis of text and purpose.

Close Reading in Practice

Throughout our work, we define three progressive phases that students must master in order to closeread well. We think of each of the phases as lenses that increase in intensity. With each new appliedlens, the reader zooms in more closely on the subtleties of text and gains a more in depth understandingof its design and impact. The reader unpacks (scrutinizes) the text with a particular aim in mind beforemoving onto the next more nuanced.phase.Notably, as with any magnifying glass or microscope, none of the lenses work without a light source,that is without a series of constant practices that work throughout the close reading process and make itpossible.The Light Source - Foundational Reading StrategiesBefore our kids tackle close reading, they first draw on the foundational strategies that allow a reader toengage with the text. These take the form of the strategies that our KIPPteachers commonly refer to as"rnetacognltion". While reading a text, the close reader always ...


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visualizes the text. An effective close reader builds fluid, detailed vivid movies of the text andcaptures its subtleties.

makes personal (text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world) connections. Reading forcomprehension necessitates that the reader draw connections between the events, mood, andcharacters of a text and her own experiences, readings, and interactions in the broader world.In making connections, a reader also empathizes with characters or persons in the text. Theability to wrestle with intention comes only after a reader imagines herself in the skin of thecharacters or persons in the described world of the text.

summarizes/retells regularly. An effective reader constantly summarizes her reading, siftingout main ideas, and checking herself for a grasp of key details.

determines importance. A close reader sifts through the details, establishing which are centralto the meaning of the text - be the primary, secondary, or tertiary - and determines which arecore to the purpose or action of text.

makes "basic why inferences", In order to make meaning of the text, the close reader j nfers the"basic whys" of action in the text. The habit of inferring helps students to be able to zoom in asthey unpack the nuances of a text.

asks wondering and clarification questions. The close reader wonders about the text, aboutcharacter's decisions, about word choices in an argument, about metaphors, etc. She alsorecognizes when they're stuck or missing information, and asks questions as a "fix it" strategy tofill in what she does not yet know.

Thankfully, our KIPPteachers have done brilliant work building these "light source" skills in our kids,equipping them to begin adopt the lenses that will deepen their understanding of the text.The Lenses- Close Reading in PracticeThe Literal Lens (3X magnification)Unpacking the literal meaning of any text is the first essential step in close reading. Unpacking the literalentails defining the "who", "what", "when", and "where" of any given text. As a reader unpacks theliteral, he clarifies the parameters in which persons (character) act and events occur within a text. Inthis stage of close reading, readers are dealing with the knowable, observable world of the text. Notably,the "why"s of a given reading are largely absent here. Save for the most literal of inferences (" The factthat Charlie slams his hand on the table shows that he's angry"), most "why" thinking takes a readerbeyond the literal.In order for a student to unpack the literal meaning of a text, he must first be comfortable directlyparaphrasing the words in a text at the sentence level. He first translates a sentence word by word intohis own terms. Once he is able to do this, he paraphrases larger chunks of text. After reading aselection of text repeatedly, he accurately boils down a selection of text into 2-3 sentences, holding ontothe key ideas of the text, and expressing them in his own words without merely echoing the language ofthe source text.


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The Implied lens. (lOX magnification) .

When unpacking the implied, a reader unpacks the figurative language of text. She addresses impact ofthe words on the page, and distills the author's purpose in choosing those decisions. Unpacking thefigurative is an action of interpretation involving several core moves:

Determining significance. When determining the significance of a text, a reader tells you what aparticular feature or moment in the text implies or represents.

Analyzing craft decisions (literary and rhetorical). When close reading, readers note and explainthe effect of literary devices (e.g, imagery, symbols, metaphors, etc.) and rhetorical moves (e.g.hyperbole, analogy, etc.),

Threading understandings. After extracting particular insights from the text, an effective closereading notes and explain the similarities, differerices, and juxtaposition of ideas within the text,tying them together in a statement that describes their collective impact.

Inferring author's purpose. Once a reader has "collected" a number of interpretations aboutthe author's textual decisions and described how they work as a whole, she draws conclusionsabout why the author made those decisions, about his purpose in writing.

To guide a student through the process of unpacking the figurative, the close reading teacher constructsinferpretive questions- typically "how" and "why" questions- that direct students towards the meaningsand intentions of a text.

The Thematic Lens (100X Magnification).When looking at a text through the third lens, students unpack thematic connections not merelybetween themselves and the text, asthey would when using self-relevant strategies, but between theirideas about the text and the broader world of ideas. This is the most sophisticated and abstract level ofreasoning.When looking through the thematic lens, close readers assesstheir successwhen they can answer aseries of litmus questions in the affirmative:

Can I articulate the author's whispered message as relayed through the story? Canmy kids grasp and articulate the primary purpose or overarching idea discussed in the

text?


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. T . _ ,_ ._ . '0...._- \- ......../

E xamples In F iction - OJMice & Men, by John Steinbeck(The death of Curley's Wife - This would be an appropriate allocation of text for a single 9th gradeEnglish class.)

"Well, I ain't told this to nobody before. Maybe I oughten to. I don' like Curley. He ain't a nicefella." And because she had confided in him, she moved closer to Lennie and sat beside him.

"Coulda been in the movies, an' had nice clothes- all them nice clothes like they wear. An' Icoulda sat in them big hotels, an' had pitchers took of me. When they had them previews I coulda wentto them, an' spoke in the radio, an' it wouldn'ta cost me a cent because I was in the pitcher. An' all themnice clothes like they wear. Because this guy says I was a natural." She looked up at Lennie, and shemade a small grand gesture with her arm and hand to show that she could act. The fingers trailed afterher leading wrist, and her little finger stuck out grandly from the rest.

Lennie sighed deeply. From outside came the clang of a horseshoe on metal, and then a chorusof cheers. "Somebody made a ringer," said Curley's wife.

Now the light was lifting as the sun went down, and the sunstreaks climbed up the wall and fellover the feeding racks and over the heads of the horses.

Lennie said, "Maybe if I took this pup out and throwed him away George wouldn't never know.An' then I could tend the rabbits without no trouble."Curley's wife said angrily, "Don't you think of nothing but rabbits?""We gonna have a little place," Lennie explained patiently. "We gonna have a house an' a garden and aplace for alfalfa, an' that alfalfa is for the rabbits, an' I take a sack and get it all fulla alfalfa and then Ita ke it to the rabbits."

She asked, "What makes you so nuts about rabbits?"Lennie had to think carefully before he could come to a conclusion. He moved cautiously close

to her, until he was right against her. "I like to pet nice things. Once at a fair I seen some of them long-hair rabbits. An' they was nice, you bet. Sometimes I've even pet mice, but not when I couldn't getnothing better."

Curley's wife moved away from him a little. "I think you're nuts," she said."No I ain't/Lennie explained earnestly. "George says lain't. I like to pet nice things with my

fingers, sof' things."She was a little bit reassured. "Well, who don't?" she said. "Ever'body likes that. I like to feel silk

an' velvet. Do you like to feel velvet?"Lennie chuckled with pleasure. "You bet, by God," he cried happily. "An' I had some, too. A lady

give me some, an' that lady was my own Aunt Clara. She give it right to me- 'bout this big a piece.I wisht I had that velvet right now." A frown came over-his face. "I lost it," he said. "I ain't seen it for along time."

Curley's wife laughed at him. "You're nuts," she- said. "But you're a kinda nice fella. Jus' like a bigbaby. But a person can see kinda what you mean. When I'm doin' my hair sometimes I jus' set an' strokeit 'cause it's so soft." To show how she did it, she ran her fingers over the top of her head. "Some peoplegot kinda coarse hair," she said complacently. "Take Curley. His hair is jus' like wire. But mine is soft andfine. 'Course I brush it a lot. That makes it fine. Here- feel right here." She took Lennie's hand and put iton her head. "Feel right aroun' there an' see how soft it is."

Lennie's big fingers fell to stroking her hair."Don't you muss it up," she said.Lennie said, "Oh! That's nice," and he stroked harder. "Oh, that's nice.""Look out, now, you'll muss it." And then she cried angrily, "You stop it now, you'll mess it all

up," She jerked her head sideways, and Lennie's fingers dosed on her hair and hung on. "Let go," she


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\..IU::.t:: r\t::dUIIIJ:) .LV.L tUdlLI

C lo se Reading in F ic tio nT he Lite ra l Lens :

A reader who unpacks the literal can tell you, for example, who the characters are involved in Of Miceand Men, and particular to this scene. She can give a quick summary of who Lennie is, recounting thestories of Curley's wife's previous interactions with Lennie and George, and so on. She can tell you whenthe events transpire- in the afternoon- and where - in the barn, removed from the others on the ranch-the events transpire. Likewise, she can relay to you what occurs in the novel asthe scene develops. Shewould note the important exchanges between Curley's Wife and Lennie about their individual dreamsand disappointments, about the accidental death of puppy, and about the particulars Lennie's accidentalmurder of Curley's wife.Beyond this, the close reading student will repeatedly paraphrase essential pieces of the text. In readingthe following text:

C urley's w ife laughed at him , " Y ou're nuts," she said, " But you're a kinda nic efella. J us' like a big baby. But a person c an see kinda w hat you m ean, W hen I'm doin' myh air so metim es Iju s' se t a n' strok e it 'c au se it's s o s oft. n To show how she did it she ranher fingers over the top of her head. " Som e people got kinda c oarse hair, /I s he s aidc om plac en tly. " Ta ke C urley, H is h air is ju s' like w ire, B ut m ine is soft a nd fin e. 'C ourse Jbrush it a lot. T hat m akes it f ine. H ere- f eel right here. 1/ She took Lennie's hand and put iton her head. "F eel r ight aroun' there an' see how soft it is."

The close reader might paraphrase it as:Curley's wife chats with Lenn~nd takes a liking to him, noting how he's big but sweet andchildlike. After hearing how Lennie likes soft things, she shows off her hair and invites him tofeel it for himself.

The critical task here is that the close reader balance capturing the crux of the action while interpretingthe language in accessible form.The Im plied LensA reader who unpacks the implied first reads between the explicit lines of the text using her skills ofinference to determine significance, unpacking figurative language and authorial intention along the, way. She will tell you, for instance, that when Lennie says, "Lennie said, "Maybe if I took this pup outand throwed him away George wouldn't never know. An' then I could tend the rabbits without notrouble", Steinbeck isshowing George's paternal relationship with Lennie. In making this assertion, shewould point to Lennie's naivete, as shown in particular childlike fear of being caught "doing a bad thing"as proof of this relationship.


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Beyond this, a close reading student unpacks the figurative, explaining not only why Lennie is afraid ofGeorge's castigation at having killed the puppy (determining significance), also explain how thatsymbolic misstep foreshadows (literary craft) his accidental murder of Curley's Wife shortlythereafter(thread ing understandi ngs}.Moreover, an adept close reader may tells you why Steinbeck chooses to name Curley's Wife only interms of her relationship to her husband (inferring author's purpose), namely to show that she hassacrificed her identity and her dreams in her marriage to Curley. As brought to light in this scene,Curley's wife express her own disillusionment at not having "been in the movies", at not having carvedout an identity for herself. As a result she has become a possessed object, not able to hold an identityoutside of him or a name of her own.

The Thematic LensThe critical piece in unpacking thematic connections revolves around the ability to synthesize a series ofseemingly disparate ideas and weave them into a theme. After reading this key scene in O J M ice andMen , a close reader adequately would, for instance, piece together the impact of loneliness uponCurley's Wife and Lennie. She might note that Steinbeck uses his characters to show how humanspossess a couple of common needs that give life meaning: the pursuit of their own dreams a craving andauthentic contact. She sees and describes isolation of Curley's Wife, who, once robbed of her owndreams, is left to flirt with a naive. overgrown child as her only human connection. She explains Curley'swife's predicament as a function of loneliness, and then draws existential conclusions about the impactof loneliness, applying the insights here not only to other characters in the text, but to students inschool, people in the community, and beyond .

."--.


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Llu::.e [\t!dUIlD .lV.l \LIdll

Examples In Nonfiction - The Gettysburg Address

President Abraham lincoln's SpeechThe Gettysburg Address, 1863Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived inLiberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.Now we are engaged in a great civil war I testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and sodedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate aportion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation mightlive. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate-we can not consecrate -we can not hallow-this ground.The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power toadd or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forgetwhat they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which theywho fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the greattask remaining before us-that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause forwhich they gave the last full measure of devotion-that we here highly resolve that these dead shall nothave died in vain -that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom-and that governmentof the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.


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C lose R ead ing in Nonflction'T he Literal L ens:

When close reading nonfiction, the most essential skill of the reader when unpacking the literal isparaphrasing. This begins with a sentence by sentence paraphrasing of the text, particularly in text thisdense. As a first move, the close reader explores that Lincoln tell us about this new nation, andrecognizes that Lincoln tells us quite a bit, including something about who, what, when, where, and why.He notices how Lincoln outlines when the country was founded, where (on this continent), by whom(our fathers), and offers something about how it was founded (conceived in liberty), as well as a phrasethat describes both what the nation is about and why it was founded (dedicated to a proposition aboutliberty).The close reader examines what is at stake in the Gettysburg Address by further examining how Lincolnplaces his words in context. For now, he draws from the text itself to figure out the "what" of the textHe might paraphrase the second paragraph as:

The country isengaged in the midst of civil war, and that war will is testing whetherAmerica, or any nation devoted to freedom, can last. He is addressing a gathering on thebattlefield at Gettysburg to honor those who died to keep the principles upon which theUnited States was founded alive.

An effective reading certainly invites the reader to goes beyond the text to explore prior knowledge andassociations that contextualize his understanding of the text, but ultimately is grounded in the words ofthe text itself. The close reader may give mention of outside knowledge about 1776, but his next step isto discover what he can infer about 1776 from Lincoln's own w~s now in front of him.

The Im plied LensLike the close reading of OJMice and Men, a close reading of the implied in Lincoln's text begins withscrutiny of the figurative and rhetorical language of the text. The close reader will unpack the firstsentence first:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation,conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

He will focus on the significance of Lincoln's choice of the word "conceived". The sentence defines onekey meaning of conceive: to bring forth something new. In this way, the close reader will note, is oneway in which the nation is new; it did not exist before. More essentially, "conceived" carries with it the

1M~ny thanks to David Coleman and the team at the Common Core for much of the language and insight aroundthis text.


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'-IU;:'C I"\COUII15 .LV.L \LlI 01 ~I

connotation that the people who founded it did 50 freely, and did so to give life - again conceive - to anation founded on an idea: that all men are created equal. The reader will also note how a Lincoln useslanguage of new life - "conceive", "not perish" and renewal amidst a battle field of death, andMoreover, in moving to the second paragraph, the close reader will unpack the structure of theargument, as lincoln makes "pathos" appeal to those listening, (rhetorical device), using the "or anynation so conceived or dedicated". Without the phrase, Lincoln would only be talking about the survivalof a specific place, the nation founded in 1776 ("that nation"). With the phrase - "or any nation soconceived or dedicated" , the close reader notes that Lincoln is arguing that the question is not just thesurvival of that nation - but any nation built on the same principles. Lincoln saysthat what is at stake inthis war is not just the freedom and quality in this country, but the possibility that one could build acountry on these ideals. What is being tested is not just a specific place, but the viability of a set ofideals. Lincoln's purpose here is to rouse in the nation a fresh sense of hope, pride, and commitment tothe continued building of a young nation. He calls upon a message that inovkes language of life andhonor to inspire action and commitment in its hearers.

The Thematic LensAs in fiction, the critical piece in unpacking thematic connections in nonfiction is the weaving of distinctauthorial decisions and ideas into a theme. In the Gettysburg address, the close reader will note thatLincoln asks his listeners to commit themselves to at the end of his speech:

"increased devotion to that cause" , the cause being to win the war and to preserve the nation. "to resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain". Lincoln implies that the living need to

ensure that they win the fight, so that those who have already died did not die havingaccomplishing nothing. The unfinished work includes the fact tha.t!_hestruggle continues for anew birth offreedom.

"that this nation should have a new birth of freedom". In the first line of the address, Lincolndescribes the birth of freedom in this country in 1776.

e "That government... shall not perish from the earth". Lincoln ends his speech generalizing hisdefense of self-government to apply across the globe (lithe earth"). This returns to the theme ofday one, the speech is not only about the survival of a place, but an idea.

In finishing a thorough close reading of his speech, the close reader will study how Lincoln uses the ideaof "unfinished work" to assign responsibility to his listeners. Lincoln accomplishes this in part byrefocusing the audience from the work of honoring the dead to the "unfinished work" of fighting for thenation's survival. The word "unfinished" is important; it suggests that the people who died were workingon a project that remains undone. It further suggests that while they are finished, or dead, their work isnot. The final challenge to the listeners is that they can't consider their work done with a funeral-thelistener now has bigger work to do. lincoln traces the possibility of a new birth arising out of the funeral,but only if the listeners complete the unfinished work. The close reader walks away with a them thatremains foundational in American ideology: government of the people and by the people. Once


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_ ..........._. ~-- ....._..D ............. \_ .......... j

grasped, it becomes an idea that he can put in conversation with observations arguments made bypolitical candidates, of rhetoric made by those revolutionaries in Egypt, etc.The unpacking of theme reveals why our students need to emphasize non-fiction in general: interpretingthemes and implied meaning in non-fiction requires knowledge of other texts (e.g. the declaration ofindependence and constitution) C lS well as history (e.g. civil war) to inform their interpretations. Onecannot arrive at the "of the people, by the people" understanding without having this backgroundknowledge at the ready.


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:: "-,u;:,c !\caUII '5 .LV.L \UaIL)Close Reading

UnpackThematic

Connections

U npack theImplied

Unpack theLiteral


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AssessmentsA comprehensive assessment program includes multiple categories of assessments all of which help todiagnose student progress toward mastery, individualize instruction and drive student achievement.KIPPNYCwill continue to employ all categories of assessments across all grades and content areas. Thereare a few key changes starting in 2012-2013 that will be incorporated/reflected in KIPPNYC'sassessment strategy: Weekly In-ClassAssessments: As part of our curriculum development effort, weekly in-class

assessments will be provided with each KIPPNYCPlatform Unit. Common Unit Assessments: Each unit will be accompanied by a common unit assessment that will

be administered by all grade/content areas teaching that unit. These unit assessments will beCommon Core aligned and developed internally and vetted by an external content-area expert ordeveloped externally and vetted by our own internal content-area experts.

Common Benchmark Assessmentso Mock Assessments: KIPPNYCwill administer two common A-Z mock assessments in ELAand

math. These mock assessments will continue to be modeled after the state test format. Theassessments will be aligned to Common Core Standards and the goal will be to have theseassessments developed externally.

o Mid-Terms and Finals: KIPPNYCwill administer common mid-terms and finals in 7th and s"grade science and social studies. The assessments will be aligned to Common CoreStandards and the goal will be to have these assessments developed externally.

Global Scholar and Pathfinder will continued to be used to assist with administration, scoring, reportingand data analysis of common assessments.This remainder of this document provides a summary of the following; Formal Assessment Rubric In-ClassAssessments Common Unit Assessments Common Mock Assessments Informal Formative Assessments State-Test Timeline


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Formal Assessment Rubr icFormal assessments are a key tool in determining students' progress toward mastery of grade-level skills and standards. To be most effective, assessments must be thoughtfully planned andexecuted. This {rubric' details best practices that will guide the development of KIPPNYCcommon assessments and should be followed when developing any assessment:

Rubric Component Details1. Isthe assessment I. The starting point - design assessments before

i teaching units Standards aligned Rigorous questions Building block questions that scaffold toproficie ncy Incorporate multiple question types Provide actionable results for you and yourstudentsI 2. Does the assessment ti::;r~)~HFi;,h\jC'} )C'r:;jil:~~,t,!m':?! : Clear and explicit in what is being assessedIdentify with clarity students' current abil it ies

3 . Do rubrics and 1 " 1 , : ; ; } 1 : ; r , ) r : ~ exist that establish a For open-ended questions, rubrics define thehigh bar? rigor Student exemplars4. Is the assessments i~r,i;j:[i';i.:r;iwith the bigger Align to lA'sipicture? Connected to the curriculum Questions match rigor, format, question typeof state tests, lA'S, and end of year

expectatio ns0 "What are the skills necessary for studentsto master each assessment question"(Saphier)

0 "Standards are meaningless until youdefine how you will assessthem" (Dnvenbv Data)

Easy to administer and grade AnalysiS of results informs instruction Tracking mastery

The above 'rubric' was created using inputfrom Drivenby Data, www.wida.u5J and Uncommon Schools'Reading Taxonomy.


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In-Class AssessmentsFormal weekly in-class assessments are a key tool in determining students' level of mastery atmore frequent intervals than Interim Assessments, mocks, or mid-terms. In 2012-2013, therewill be a renewed focus on both developing and administering rigorous, standards alignedweekly in-class assessment and analyzing data to inform instruction.Please see Sarah Gagle's amazing annotated ELAMastery Quiz for an example of a standards aligned,rigorous in-class assessment. Included at the bottom is a copy of the best practices rubric with notes onhow Sarah's assessment incorporates each component.Common Un it A ssessmen tsStarting in 2012-2013 there will be an increased focus on KIPPNYCcommon unit assessments. Commonunit assessments will measure student mastery of standards and skills contained within a unit ofinstruction. KIPPNYCcommon unit assessments will be designed using the same best practices as in-class assessments, but cover a larger breadth of instruction - 4-8 weeks of instruction.These unit assessments will be Common Core aligned and developed internally and vetted by anexternal content-area expert or developed externally and vetted by our own internal content-areaexperts.Common Benchmark Assessmen tsKIPPNYCwill continue to administer common benchmark assessments in ELA,Math, Social Studies andScience.Mock AssessmentsIn addition to the common unit assessments, there will be two benchmark mock assessmentsadministered in ELAand Math: The assessments will be A-Z (cover all standards for the year) The assessments will be administered approximately ever y 8 weeks

o Mock 1 in the beginning of Novembero Mock 2 in the beginning of February

The assessments will continue to be modeled after the state test formatMid- Terms and Finalsi and 8th grade social studies and science will administer common mid-terms in January. ih and 8thgrade social studies and ih grade science will administer a common final in May/June.


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AssessmentsA comprehensive assessment program includes multiple categories of assessments all of which help todiagnose student progress toward mastery, individualize instruction and drive student achievement.KIPPNYCwill continue to employ all categories of assessments across all grades and content areas. Thereare a few key changes starting in 2012"2013 that will be incorporated/reflected in KIPPNYC'sassessment strategy: Weekly In-ClassAssessments: As part of our curriculum development effort, weekly in-class

assessments will be provided with each KIPPNYCPlatform Unit. Common Unit Assessments: Each unit will be accompanied by a common unit assessment that will

be administered by all grade/content areas teaching that unit. These unit assessments will beCommon Core aligned and developed internally and vetted by an external content-area expert ordeveloped externally and vetted by our own internal content-area experts.

Common Benchmark Assessmentso Mock Assessments: KIPPNYCwill administer two common A-Z mock assessments in ELAand

math. These mock assessments will continue to be modeled after the state test format. Theassessments will be aligned to Common Core Standards and the goal will be to have theseassessments developed externaJly.

o Mid-Terms and Finals: KIPPNYCwill administer common mid-terms and finals in 7th and 8thgrade science and social studies. The assessments will be aligned to Common CoreStandards and the goal will be to have these assessments developed externally.

Global Scholar and Pathfinder will continued to be used to assist with administration, scoring, reportingand data analysis of common assessments.This remainder of this document provides a summary of the following: Forma! Assessment Rubric In"ClassAssessments Common Unit Assessments Common Mock Assessments Informal Formative Assessments State-Test Timeline


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Formal Assessment Rubr icFormal assessments are a key tool in determining students' progress toward mastery of grade-level skills and standards. To be most effective, assessments must be thoughtfully planned andexecuted. This 'rubric' details best practices that will guide the development of KIPPNYCcommon assessments and should be followed when developing any assessment:

2. Does the assessment

The starting point - design assessments beforeteaching units

Standards aligned Rigorous questions Building block questions that scaffold to

proficiency Incorporate multiple question types Provide actionable results for you and your

students

3. Do rubrics and ""1"".1 ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' exist that establish a For open-ended questions, rubrics define thehigh bar? rigor

Student exem lars4. Isthe assessments "":~,.:p".",,,,~","":Mwithhe bigger Align to lA's

picture? Connected to the curriculum Questions match rigor, format, question type

of state tests, lA's, and end of yearexpectationso "What are the skills necessary for students

to master each assessment question"(Saphier)

o "Standards are meaningless until youdefine how you will assessthem" (Driven

Easy to administer and grade Analysis of results informs instruction Trackin mastery

The above 'rubric' was created using input/rom Drivenby Data, www.wida.us. and Uncommon Schoofs'Reading Taxonomy.
http://www.wida.us./http://www.wida.us./


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ln-Class AssessmentsFormal weekly in-class assessments are a key tool in determining students' level of mastery atmore frequent intervals than Interim Assessments, mocks, or mid-terms. In 2012-2013, therewill be a renewed focus on both developfng and administering rigorous, standards alignedweekly in-class assessment and analyzing data to inform instruction,Please see Sarah Gagle's amazing annotated ELAMastery Quiz for an example of a standards aligned,rigorous in-class assessment. included at the bottom is a copy of the best practices rubric with notes onhow Sarah's assessment incorporates each component.Common Un it Assessmen tsStarting in 2012-2013 there will be an increased focus on KIPPNYCcommon unit assessments. Commonunit assessments will measure student mastery of standards and skills contained within a unit ofinstruction. KIPPNYCcommon unit assessments will be designed using the same best practices as in-class assessments, but cover a larger breadth of instruction -4-8 weeks of instruction.These unit assessments will be Common Core aligned and developed internally and vetted by anexternal content-area expert or developed externally and vetted by our own internal content-areaexperts.Common Benchmark Assessmen tsKIPPNYCwill continue to administer common benchmark assessments in ELA,Math, Social Studies andScience.Mock Assessmentsin addition to the common unit assessments, there will be two benchmark mock assessmentsadministered in ELAand Math: The assessments will be A-Z (cover all standards for the year) The assessments will be administered approximately ever y 8 weeks

o Mock 1 in the beginning of Novembero Mock 2 in the beginning of February

The assessments will continue to be modeled after the state test formatMid-Terms and Finals7th and s" grade social studies and science will administer common mid-terms in January. 7th and 8thgrade social studies and i grade science will administer a common final in May/June.


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In fo rma l F orma tiv e A ss es smentsWe talk a lot about collecting data and analyzing results forformal written assessments (lA's, state tests,in-class assessments, etc ...) to inform instruction. These formal assessments are valuable tools to gaugeour students' progress toward our year-long goals. In addition, we can leverage less formal assessments"in-the-moment" checks for understanding to ensure that we are meeting the goals of daily instruction.

In-the-moment assessments are described as "checking for student understanding in the very momentsomething is learned ... they give teachers immediate data on which students aren't learning and why."(Driven by Data p. 9)Some examples of in-the-moment assessments include: "Dipsticking": This strategy involves asking questions as you go along about the current lesson. If

students are able to answer the questions correctly, the teacher can feel safe moving along asplanned.

Do Now's Classwork Observations Exit tickets Quizzes White board: Use mini-whiteboards to have students record answers to questions. The whole class

reveals their answers at the same time and you can see immediately how many students answeredcorrectly.

Whole-class response: E.g. thumbs up/thumbs down, snap your fingers if you agree, stomp if youdon't.

A low success rate on an in-the-moment assessment is a signal that it is t ime to "call an audible" oradjust your plans based on what you see in the moment. It does not make sense to continue with a!esson as planned if the students' responses are telling you they don't get it yet.In-the-moment and more forma! assessments like lA's, mid-terms, unit tests, etc... can be used inconcert to ensure that students are meeting their daily and long-term goals.S ta te T es t T im e lin e 2012~2015 2012-2013: State Tests are aligned to the Common Core State Standards 2013-2014: State Tests are aligned to the Common Core State Standards 2014-2015: State Test transitions to PARCC(Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and

Careers) assessment (pending adoption by NYBoard of Regents), which will include:o Speaking and listening componento Performance-based assessment component (e.g. writing, application of concepts and skills)o End of Year Assessment (multiple choice)


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KIPPNYC e- March 161h

PED Perspective

i'KIPP tested, mother approved" resources Available to modify ahead of time Exposure to grade level text Clear instruction of strategies embedded inresources Curriculum includes texts and lesson thatincrease in level of challenge Backwards planned units allow SpEd teachersto modify (pare down curriculum) to allow kidsto master common core skills

1\1"1l _ .. . - .l I i. . ..

Inclusion Small Pull-Out Group using curriculum.:. Hybrid:o 1 pullout per grade 3+ levelsbehind using reading interventionprogramo 1 inclusion or pullout programusing this curriculum

Differentiate Homework:o Usesummaries to supporto Listen to it on audio recordinqo Focus on same scale with differenttext

doition ! Consioerctions Modifications are required for kids to access text

kipp nyc reading working group

Documents