Transitioning to theCommon Core

Elementary January 18, 2013

What do onions, ogres, and the Common Core State Standards have in common?

What is the Common Core?These standards define the knowledge and skills students should have within their K-12 education careers so that they will graduate high school fully prepared for college and careers.

The standards are…• Aligned with college and work expectations• Clear, understandable and consistent• Include rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skills• Build upon strengths and lessons of current state standards• Informed by other top performing countries, so that all students are prepared to

succeed in our global economy and society• Evidence and research-based

Why is the Common Core important?

1. Currently, every state has its own set of academic standards, meaning public education students in each state are learning to different levels

2. All students must be prepared to compete with not only their American peers in the next state but with students from around the world

Anchor Standards for Reading: LiteratureKey Ideas and Details1 Read closely to determine what the text says

explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

2 Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

3 Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

Anchor Standards for Reading: LiteratureCraft and Structure4 Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a

text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

5 Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

6 Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

Anchor Standards for Reading: LiteratureIntegration of Knowledge and Ideas7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse

media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

8. NOT APPLICABLE IN THE LITERATURE CATEGORY.9. Analyze how two or more texts address similar

themes or topics to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity10. Read and comprehend complex literary and

informational texts independently and proficiently.

Anchor Standard 9

Anchor Standard 8

Anchor Standard 7

Anchor Standard 6

Anchor Standard 5

Anchor Standard 4

Anchor Standard 3

Anchor Standard 2

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Some have compared the reading standards to a ladder, with standards 1 and 10 as the crucial struts that form the two sides of the ladder, and the other reading standards as the rungs of the ladder.

Calkins, 2012

Shifts in ELA / Literacyengage NY• Balancing Informational & Literacy Texts• Staircase of Complexity• Text-based Answers• Writing from Sources• Academic Vocabulary

Reading the Common Core State Standards as if They Are Gold

Three Levels of Text Protocol

A Treasure Hunt through the Pennsylvania Common Core State Standards

English Language Arts

Poppletonby Cynthia RylantKey Idea and Details• Determine central ideas or themes of a text

and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

• Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

Poppletonby Cynthia RylantCraft and Structure• Interpret words and phrases as they are

used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choice shapes meaning or tone.

• Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences , paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

• Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

The foundation of any subject may be taught to anybody at any age in some form.

Bruner 1963, 76