The
Common Core
State Standards
On Literacy
 “The Standards are designed to build upon the most
advanced current thinking about preparing all students
for success in college and their careers.”
 “The Standards recognize that both content and skills
are important.”
 “Evidence shows that the complexity of texts students
are reading today does not match what is demanded in
college and the workplace, creating a gap between
what high school students can do and what they need
to be able to do. The Common Core State Standards
create a staircase of increasing text complexity, so that
students are expected to both develop their skills and
apply them to more and more complex texts.”
 “…because college and career readiness
overwhelmingly focuses on complex texts outside of
literature, these standards also ensure students are
being prepared to read, write, and research across the
curriculum.”
Common Core State Standards Initiative
All teachers are responsible for LITERACY (a.k.a. Writing Across the Curriculum)
 All teachers are responsible for teaching Academic Vocabulary
 All teachers must be familiar with and use the CCSS rubrics for literacy
 All teachers will use and enrich their curriculum with Informational Texts
 All teachers will document their literacy support in their lesson plans
 All teacher evaluations will be based on student performance
New Teacher Evaluation Criteria
Directions
 Using only 6 words
 Describe your alltime favorite book
or magazine…
Literacy
Reading
Writing
Listening
Speaking
Observing
“LITERACY IS…the ability to identify, understand,
interpret, create, communicate, compute, and use
printed and written materials associated with
varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of
learning to enable an individual to achieve his or
her goals, to develop his or her knowledge and
potential, and to participate fully in society
as a whole.”
 The ability to interpret graphics and visuals
 The ability to speak properly in multiple
situations and communicate ideas effectively
 The ability to comprehend what is heard
 The ability to navigate through
a technological world
 The ability to write effectively
in multiple genres
Literacy in the
st
21
Century
“Literacy in the 21st Century will mean the
ability to find information, decode it,
critically evaluate it, organize it into personal
digital libraries, and find meaningful ways to
share it with others. Information is raw
material — students will need to learn to
build with it.”
From: The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman
According to UNICEF, "Nearly a billion people will
enter the 21st century unable to read a book or sign
their names and two thirds of them are women."
Reading Statistics
Total percent of U.S. population that has specific reading disorders
15%
Total percentage of American adults who can’t understand the labels on their prescriptions
46%
Total percent of young people who claim they read more than 10 books a year
56%
Total percentage of U.S. adults who are unable to read an 8th grade level book
50%
Total amount of words read annually by a person who reads 15 minutes a day
1 million
Total percent of U.S. high school graduates who will never read a book after high school
33%
Total percentage of college students who will never read another book after they graduate
42%
Total percentage of adults that have not been in a book store in the past 5 years
70%
Total percentage of books started that aren’t read to completion
57%
Total percent of U.S. students that are dyslexic
Total percentage of NASA employees that are dyslexic
15%
They are deliberately sought after because they have superb problem solving skills and excellent 3D
and spatial awareness.
http://www.readfaster.com/education_stats.asp#readingstatistics
50%
Research Date: 4.28.2013
Literacy Statistics and Juvenile Court
 85 percent of all juveniles who interface with the juvenile court system are
functionally illiterate.
 Penal institution records show that inmates have a 16% chance of returning to
prison if they receive literacy help, as opposed to 70% who receive no help. This
equates to taxpayer costs of $25,000 per year per inmate and nearly double that
amount for juvenile offenders.
 Illiteracy and crime are closely related. The Department of Justice states, "The link
between academic failure and delinquency, violence, and crime is welded to
reading failure." Over 70% of inmates in America's prisons cannot read above a
fourth grade level.
http://www.begintoread.com/research/literacystatistics.html
http://www.begintoread.com/research/literacystatistics.html
According to a study conducted in late April by the U.S. Department of Education
and the National Institute of Literacy, 32 million adults in the U.S. can't read. That's
14 percent of the population. 21 percent of adults in the U.S. read below a 5th grade
level, and 19 percent of high school graduates can't read.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/06/illiteracy-rate_n_3880355.html
Many of the USA ills are directly related to illiteracy.
 Literacy is learned. Illiteracy is passed along by parents who cannot read or write.
 One child in four grows up not knowing how to read.
 53% of 4th graders admitted to reading recreationally “almost every day,” while only 20% of
8th graders could say the same.
 3 out of 4 food stamp recipients perform in the lowest 2 literacy levels
 75% of Americans who receive food stamps perform at the lowest 2 levels of literacy, and 90%
of high school dropouts are on welfare.
 16 to 19 year old girls at the poverty level and below, with below average skills, are 6 times
more likely to have out-of-wedlock children than their reading counterparts.
 Low literary costs $73 million per year in terms of direct health care costs.
http://www.begintoread.com/research/literacystatistics.html
Attendite me et audite filii
Media autem nocte Paulus, de
odio, de colis,
In decimo mensis Aprilis
septuaginta quinque;
Quod vix aliquis hodie vivunt
Annus dies, et qui illam.
Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in SeventyMove to Reveal Answer
five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and
year.
What are Academic Literacy Demands?
Across all content areas students should be able to…
–
–
–
–
–
–
Read
Write
Listen/view
Discuss/present
Think critically and creatively
Use language and vocabulary to read and comprehend text to
support the learning of content
30 Million Word Gap
• A recent study included 42 families and when
completed included 2 ½ years or more of sequential
monthly hour-long observations.
• Socioeconomic Breakdown of the families:
• 13 Upper SES
• 10 Middle SES
• 13 Lower SES
• 6 Welfare SES
(Betty Hart & Todd Risely, American Educator, Spring
2003)
30 Million Word Gap
Findings:
86-98% of the words recorded in each child’s
vocabulary consisted of words also recorded in
their parents’ vocabularies.
(American Educator, Spring 2003)
30 Million Word Gap
Findings:
3 year old children from the families on welfare
not only had smaller vocabularies than did
children of the same age in professional families,
but they were also adding words more slowly.
(American Educator, Spring 2003)
30 Million Word Gap
Findings:
In four years, an average child in a professional
family would accumulate experience with
almost 45 million words, an average child in a
working-class family 26 million words, and an
average child in a welfare family 13 million
words.
(American Educator, Spring 2003)
Dr. Kimberly Tyson
www.learningunlimitedllc.com
Effective vocabulary instruction across grade
levels and content areas is key. With the
increased emphasis on nonfiction and
informational text as part of the Common Core
ELA & Literacy Standards, vocabulary instruction
will be key to supporting student success with
these texts.
Types of Formative Assessment
Article of the Week
A common core literacy gold mine!
Why Use Article Of Week ?
• As a direct result of living
impoverished lives (poverty means
so much more than just not having
enough money. Poverty means
LACK and WANT throughout) our
students can’t make connections
between literature and real world
events.
•
We want to open as many doors
as possible for them, allowing
them to peer in and realize there
are lots of interesting things
happening every day, and,
whether they directly impact us or
not, they do matter.
Vocabulary Encounters
Since most of our students
live in severe poverty they
have extreme lack in
vocabulary development.
Annotate for vocabulary issues:
 Level 1 – Words the student
has never heard before &
never knew existed
 Level 2 – the student has
heard the word, but likely
could not use it correctly.
 Level 3 – The student has
heard the word and COULD
probably use it, but needs
some support
 Level 4 – The student knows
and uses the word with no
problem.
Where to get good articles?
• www.newsela.com
• Requires registration (free) but there is also a
paid version. Allows the teacher to adjust the
lexile level of the article being read, so that
the article can be leveled for the needs of the
students. A great resource for SPL.
https://newsela.com/
Another source
• www.theweek.com
• A news site with fairly short articles –
summarized from reputable sources.
• One of my favorite pieces of this web site is 10
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY which
features up to the minute current events
Vocabulary Coding
Patient
Cloak
Roamed
Flimsy
Vast
Occasion
Observed
Strict
Gleam
Revolution
Fascinated
Envied
Curious
Formal
Vocabulary Coding
Each student
does their
own
assessment of
the words in
the story /
article.
Vocabulary Coding
Use Post It notes
to create a visual
representation.
Key Takeaways
1.Students need multiple exposures to
words to learn them well.
2.Direct vocabulary instruction must
be part of a balanced literacy
program.
3.Self-reflected independent reading
is important grades K-12.
4.Your key takeaway?
WORD WALL
• OEPA wants to see this in EVERY
classroom in Logan County, regardless of
course content.
• There is so much research backing that a
word wall, when used properly, is one of
the very best tools for increasing
vocabulary.
5 Steps to Rockin’ Word Walls
STEP 1
Create the Word Wall
with your students.
Dr. Kimberly Tyson www.learningunlimitedllc.com
5 Steps to Rockin’ Word Walls
STEP 2
Display the Word
Wall YOUR way.
Dr. Kimberly Tyson www.learningunlimitedllc.com
5 Steps to Rockin’ Word Walls
STEP 2
5 Steps to Rockin’ Word Walls
STEP 2
5 Steps to Rockin’ Word Walls
STEP 2
5 Steps to Rockin’ Word Walls
Step 3
CHANGE your
Word Wall
.
Dr. Kimberly Tyson www.learningunlimitedllc.com
5 Steps to Rockin’ Word Walls
Step 4
Add images to
accompany the
words.
Dr. Kimberly Tyson www.learningunlimitedllc.com
5 Steps to Rockin’ Word Walls
Step 5
Review & Play
Games to
reinforce.
Dr. Kimberly Tyson www.learningunlimitedllc.com
Bio Poem
First name
Four traits that describe the person
Relative of
Lover of
Who feels
Who needs
Who fears
Who would like to see
Resident of
Last name.
Bio Poem
Abraham
First name
Honest, tall, determined, brave
Four traits that describe the person
Relative of
Relative of Mary, William, Tad, Robert and Edward
Lover of
Lover of the Union
Who feels
Who feels great burden
Who needs
Who needs the support of the people
Who fears
Who fears a nation divided
Who would like to see
Who would like to see peace and equality
Resident of
Resident of Illinois
Last name.
Lincoln
Paraphrase
Retell a sentence or idea
in your own words
 Often makes the message clearer
 Does not change the meaning
 Be careful not to plagiarize!
http://www.brainpop.com/english/writing/paraphrasing/preview.weml
Summarize
According to the WVDE website:
Summarization is the restating of the main ideas of the text in as
few words as possible. It can be done in writing, orally, through
drama, through art and music, in groups and individually. There
is extensive research that shows that summarization is among the
top nine most effective teaching strategies in the history of
education (Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock, 2001). Teachers
who start a lesson by summarizing the big points in the day's
lesson and end by having students summarize their learning see
gains in the retention of the material.
Somebody
Wanted
But
So
Then
Insert play-doh video
http://www.wingclips.com/movieclips/how-do-you-know/play-dohstory
The History of Play-Doh
SOMEBODY:
A man named Joe McFicker
WANTED:
to make money from his gooey invention
BUT:
his product was no longer needed for removing
soot because heating systems improved
SO:
his sister-in-law, a nursery school teacher,
suggested he market the product to children
THEN:
he added color to his creation and named the
product Play-Doh
GIST Strategy
Insert fun slide on Child migration Clip
Jigsaw
• 1. Divide the reading material into five segments (could be
more or less).
• 2. If needed, make five copies of each segment to be read.
• 3. Divide students into groups of five. Give group one a segment to read, give group two
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
a different segment, and so forth.
4. Give each group a specific location in which to congregate.
5. Distribute the piece of material you want each group to read.
6. Instruct them to read the material carefully, taking notes.
7. When all members of a group have finished, they should go around the group, and each
member contributes what he/she thinks the most important points are. Then group
members discuss the material until all members are confident of their mastery for the
piece.
8. Re-form groups so that one person from each of the original groups is in each new
group. (Make sure that all segments of the reading are represented in each group.)
•
9. Each member of the new group “teaches”
reading segment.
the material from his/her
Other quick summarization strategies:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
$2 summary-each word is worth 10 cents
One sentence summary (one key point)
One paragraph summary (three key points)
Don’t Look Back
Refine & Reduce
Storyboard
3-2-1 Exit slip (Closing and Reflection)
Summative Assessment
Research Writing
There are numerous formats to use when
demonstrating learning
Mathematics:
• Argumentation
• Sample Structured Writing Guide
• Write Your Own Problem
Social Studies:
• Process Writing
• Essay Writing
• Persuasive Civic Writing
• Research Reports
• Using Narrative to Demonstrate Knowledge
Science:
• Argumentation
• Informational Writing
• Investigation Report
• I-Search Paper
• Journalistic Reporting
• Narrative Writing
• Research Report
English Language Arts:
• Informational Text
• I-Search Paper
• Journalistic Writing
• Multi-Genre Paper
• Narrative Writing
• Poetry
• Research Report
• Argumentation (Toulmin’s Model)
Informational
Informational writing may be used:
• To inform
• To provide ideas, facts, and principles related to
the physical, biological, or social world
• To provide an account related to an historical
event or the life of an individual
• To persuade
• To report
• To offer learning opportunities in note taking,
public speaking, and data collection
Examples of informational writing
• Research Reports (MLA-English and Humanities;
APA-Education, Social Sciences, Natural & Health
Sciences)
• Procedurally or sequentially ordered texts
• Persuasive texts
• Reference materials
• Journalistic texts
• Autobiographical/biographical narratives
• Various newspaper and magazine pieces
Argumentation
An argument involves the process of establishing
a claim and then proving it with the use of
logical reasoning, examples, and research. The
argument guides an audience through the
writer’s reasoning process, offers a clear
explanation of each point argued, and
demonstrates credibility of the writer. This
model also coincides with expectations for
college writing.
Examples of argumentative writing
• The United States should close its borders.
• Marijuana should be legalized for medical and
recreational use in the United States.
• Students in public schools should wear school
uniforms.
• Animal testing for cosmetics should be
stopped.
• Euthanasia should be the right of every
citizen.
Summative Writing Rubrics
http://wvde.state.wv.us/teach21/writi
ngrubrics/
WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM
According to the Michigan Board of Education:
 Writing promotes learning.
 Integration of writing and the writing process promotes student
participation, a diversity of student voices, and engages student
as critical thinkers while promoting their texts as important
resources and thinking tools.
 Effective writing instruction integrates disciplines.
 The opportunity to write in every class develops good writers.
 Using writing as part of instruction can be used in every
classroom.
 Only by practicing the thinking and writing conventions of an
academic discipline will students begin to communicate
effectively within that discipline.
WRITING TO LEARN
Gere (1985) distinguishes between the terms “writing across
the curriculum” and “writing to learn” by the primary purpose
of each. She says that the main goal of writing across the
curriculum is to improve the quality of writing while the main
goal of writing to learn is to use writing as a tool for thinking
and learning. Scarborough (2001) explains that writing to
learn is “subsumed under the larger umbrella of writing across
the curriculum” (p. 3). She notes that it is of interest to
secondary teachers with whom she has worked because it
doesn’t have to be graded, doesn’t have to result in a finished
product, can be used as a stepping-stone to more formal
writing, and gives students a chance to interact with content
material in order to gain understanding.
WRITING TO DEMONSTRATE LEARNING
A writing to demonstrate knowledge assignment is one that
teachers employ when they assign reports, essays, and
persuasive writing, and creative or expressive writing, as well as
research papers.
When writing to demonstrate knowledge, students show what they
have learned by synthesizing information and explaining their
understanding of concepts and ideas. Students write for an
audience with a specific purpose. Products may apply knowledge
in new ways or use academic structures for research and/or
formal writing.
RESEARCH WRITING
There are numerous formats to use when
demonstrating learning
Mathematics:
 Argumentation
 Sample Structured Writing Guide
 Write Your Own Problem
Social Studies:
 Process Writing
Essay Writing
 Persuasive Civic Writing
 Research Reports
 Using Narrative to Demonstrate Knowledge
Science:
 Argumentation
 Informational Writing
 Investigation Report
 I-Search Paper
 Journalistic Reporting

Narrative Writing
 Research Report
English Language Arts:
 Informational Text
 I-Search Paper
 Journalistic Writing
 Multi-Genre Paper
 Narrative Writing
 Research Report
 Argumentation

INFORMATIONAL
Informational writing may be used:
 To inform
 To provide ideas, facts, and principles related to
the physical, biological, or social world
 To provide an account related to an historical
event or the life of an individual
 To persuade
 To report
 To offer learning opportunities in note taking,
public speaking, and data collection
EXAMPLES OF INFORMATIONAL WRITING
Research Reports (MLA-English and Humanities;
APA-Education, Social Sciences, Natural & Health
Sciences)
 Procedurally or sequentially ordered texts
 Persuasive texts
 Reference materials
 Journalistic texts
 Autobiographical/biographical narratives
 Various newspaper and magazine pieces

ARGUMENTATION-TOULMIN MODEL
An argument involves the process of establishing
a claim and then proving it with the use of logical
reasoning, examples, and research. The
argument guides an audience through the
writer’s reasoning process, offers a clear
explanation of each point argued, and
demonstrates credibility of the writer. This model
also coincides with expectations for college
writing.
EXAMPLES OF ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING
The United States should close its borders.
 Marijuana should be legalized for medical and
recreational use in the United States.
 Students in public schools should wear school
uniforms.
 Animal testing for cosmetics should be
stopped.
 Euthanasia should be the right of every citizen.

PLAGIARISM
It is important to help students understand what is meant by “plagiarism,”
how they can avoid it, and why it matters. In brief, “plagiarism” refers to
presenting someone else’s work as one’s own. It may involve failure to cite
sources, intentional misrepresentation of work, or careless paraphrasing.
Dornan, Rosen, and Wilson (2003) indicate that “Students often resort to
plagiarism when they are forced to read and write about material they
cannot fully understand, when they are short of time, and when they feel
that most of the paper’s points are awarded for following instructions than
for content” (pp. 145-146). They suggest that teachers can help discourage
plagiarism by doing the following:
• helping students understand the concept of intellectual property rights
• making sure that students are given resources to help them dig deep
into understanding their topics
• requiring students occasionally to talk about or submit drafts of the
works in progress
• giving students practice paraphrasing and summarizing
• requiring students to photocopy all sources.
PLAGIARISM
Several internet resources can assist teachers as
they deal with issues of plagiarism. Helpful
information about plagiarizing and paraphrasing
can be found at the Purdue Online Writing Lab at
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/researc
h/r_plagiar.html. Also, resources such as
Turnitin.com
allow teachers to submit excerpts from papers to
check for evidence of plagiarism by running the
excerpt against information available on the web.
PLAGIARISM
In general, teachers are most likely to be able
to spot plagiarism when they are very familiar
with their students’ writing. Some of the
following may indicate the possibility of
plagiarism: syntax that is too sophisticated for
the writer, individual reference citations which
use different formats, vocabulary students
usually don’t use, and essays which are
missing some of the specific criteria given in
the assignment.