New Teacher Induction Training
Literacy Across the Curriculum and
the Common Core Standards
Ebony N. Thomas, PhD
Coordinator of K-12 Language Arts and Media Services
Thursday, August 1, 2013
I’M A ________ TEACHER…
I don’t teach literacy!
Purpose:


To provide an overview of our district’s literacy
initiative and the focused practices that support
literacy across all disciplines.
To address the key shifts in the College and Career
Georgia Performance Standards in Mathematics
and English Language Arts.
Clayton County Public School
Vision Statement
The vision of Clayton County Public
Schools is to be a district of excellence
preparing ALL students to live and
compete successfully in a
global economy.
Confidential, (c) Clayton County Public Schools, All Rights Reserved, 2012
Clayton County Public Schools
Mission Statement
The mission of Clayton County Public Schools
is to be accountable to all stakeholders for
providing a globally competitive education
that empowers students to achieve
academic and personal goals and to
become college and career ready,
productive, responsible citizens.
Confidential, (c) Clayton County Public Schools, All Rights Reserved, 2012
CCPS Academic Pathway
Developing Critical Thinking Skills
Integration of Technology
Literacy Across the Curriculum
What is Literacy?
Confidential, (c) Clayton County Public Schools, All Rights Reserved, 2012
The Big Idea
Literacy is about understanding
the structure of language. It is
the ability to access meaning
from multiple sources and apply
it in various contexts.
Confidential, (c) Clayton County Public Schools, All Rights Reserved, 2012
Our Working Definition
The Georgia Literacy Task Force’s definition of
literacy is the ability to speak, listen, read, and
write, as well as to view and interpret print and
non-print text in order to achieve the following:
– to communicate effectively with others,
– to think and respond critically in a variety of settings
to a myriad of print and non-print text, and
– to access, use, and produce multiple forms of media,
information, and knowledge in all content areas.
(Georgia PreK-12 Literacy Task Force, 2009)
Confidential, (c) Clayton County Public Schools, All Rights Reserved, 2012
Literacy Across the Curriculum
Language Arts
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies
CTAE, Fine Arts,
PE & ESOL
Fiction &
Nonfiction
Informational Text
Informational Text
Informational
Text
Informational
Text
Various Text
Structures
Mathematical
Relationships
Organizational
Relationships
Primary Sources
Visual / Written
Text
Write
Essays,
Research Papers
Narratives
Expository
Reponses for Tasks
Laboratory
Report
Document
Based
Questions
Case Studies/
Reports
Speak
Describe!
Explain!
Defend!
Debate!
Market!
Listen
Fluent Reading
Accountable Talk
Discourse Circles
Historical
Speeches
Advertisements
Interpret
Media Literacy
Graphs /
Tables
Data Graphs /
Trends
Maps /
Diagrams
Blueprints
Graphic
Organizers
Pictorial
Representations
Visual
Representations of
Data
Political
Cartoons
Project-Based
Inquiry
Online Research
Databases
Online Tools
Skills
Read
Comprehend
View
Navigate
Research
Scientific
Performance Tasks
Databases
Investigations
Confidential, (c) Clayton County Public Schools, All Rights
Reserved, 2012
“Reading level in first grade …is an astonishing
good predictor of reading achievement into
high school. Reading failure begins early, takes
root quickly, and affects students for life.”
Louisa Moats
When Older Students Can’t Read
Confidential, (c) Clayton County Public Schools, All Rights Reserved, 2012
What challenges are we facing?
Gaps in fluency
Limited ability to
elaborate
Limited ability
to think
critically
Lack of academic
vocabulary/language
Lack of
background
knowledge
Confidential, (c) Clayton County Public Schools, All Rights Reserved, 2012
A Marsden Giberter
Glis was very fraper. She had dernarpen Farfle’s
marsden. She did not talp a giberter for him. So,
she conlanted to plimp a marsden binky for him.
She had just sparved the binky when he jibbed in the
gorger.
“Clorsty marsden!” she boffed.
“That’s a crouistish marsden binky,” boffed Farfle,
“but my marsden is on Stansan. Agsan is Kelsan.”
“In that ruspen,” boffed Glis, “I won’t wank you your
giberter until Stansan.”
Confidential, (c) Clayton County Public Schools, All Rights Reserved, 2012
A Marsden Giberter
Glis was very fraper. She had dernarpen Farfle’s marsden. She
did not talp a giberter for him. So, she conlanted to plimp a
marsden binky for him. She had just sparved the binky when he
jibbed in the gorger.
“Clorsty marsden!” she boffed.
“That’s a crouistish marsden binky,” boffed Farfle, “but my
marsden is on Stansan. Agsan is Kelsan.”
“In that ruspen,” boffed Glis, “I won’t wank you your giberter
until Stansan.”
1.
2.
3.
4.
What is the title?
Why was Glis fraper?
What did Glis plimp?
Who jibbed in the gorger when Glis sparved the
binky?
5. Why didn’t Glis wank Farfle his giberter?
A Marsden Giberter
Glis was very fraper. She had dernarpen Farfle’s marsden. She did
not talp a giberter for him. So, she conlanted to plimp a marsden
binky for him. She had just sparved the binky when he jibbed in
the gorger.
“Clorsty marsden!” she boffed.
“That’s a crouistish marsden binky,” boffed Farfle, “but my
marsden is on Stansan. Agsan is Kelsan.”
“In that ruspen,” boffed Glis, “I won’t wank you your giberter until
Stansan.”
Constructed Response  Use evidence from the text to
evaluate if Glis chose the BEST method for solving the
problem or was there an alternative solution she could have
applied.
Confidential, (c) Clayton County Public Schools, All Rights Reserved, 2012
A Marsden Giberter
Glis was very fraper. She had dernarpen Farfle’s marsden. She
did not talp a giberter for him. So, she conlanted to plimp a
marsden binky for him. She had just sparved the binky when he
jibbed in the gorger.
“Clorsty marsden!” she boffed.
“That’s a crouistish marsden binky,” boffed Farfle, “but my
marsden is on Stansan. Agsan is Kelsan.”
“In that ruspen,” boffed Glis, “I won’t wank you your giberter
until Stansan.”
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What is the title? A Marsden Giberter
Why was Glis fraper? She had dernarpen Farfle’s marsden.
What did Glis plimp? A marsden binky
Who jibbed in the gorger when Glis sparved the binky? Farfle
Why didn’t Glis wank Farfle his giberter? Farfle’s marsden is on Stansan.
Confidential, (c) Clayton County Public Schools, All Rights Reserved, 2012
Priority Vocabulary
marsden = birthday
giberter = present
binky
= card
Confidential, (c) Clayton County Public Schools, All Rights
Reserved, 2012
A Marsden Giberter
Glis was very fraper. She had dernarpen Farfle’s birthday.
She did not talp a present for him. So, she conlanted to
plimp a birthday card for him. She had just sparved the
card when he jibbed in the gorger.
“Clorsty birthday!” she boffed.
“That’s a crouistish birthday card,” boffed Farfle, “but
my birthday is on Stansan. Agsan is Kelsan.”
“In that ruspen,” boffed Glis, “I won’t wank you your
present until Stansan.”
Confidential, (c) Clayton County Public Schools, All Rights Reserved, 2012
A Marsden Giberter
Glis was very fraper (sad). She had dernarpen (forgotten)
Farfle’s marsden (birthday). She did not talp (buy) a giberter
(present) for him. So, she conlanted (decided) to plimp
(make) a marsden binky (birthday card) for him. She had just
sparved (finished) the binky (card) when he jibbed (came) in
the gorger (house).
“Clorsty marsden! (Happy Birthday)” she boffed (said).
“That’s a crouistish (beautiful) marsden binky,( birthday
card)” boffed Farfle, “but my marsden (birthday) is on
Stansan (Saturday). Agsan is Kelsan (today is …).”
“In that ruspen (case),” boffed (said) Glis, “I won’t wank (give)
you your giberter (present) until Stansan (Saturday).
Confidential, (c) Clayton County Public Schools, All Rights
Reserved, 2012
Stop, think, and talk!
What insight did this simulation provide
regarding the importance of vocabulary
development for student learning?
Confidential, (c) Clayton County Public Schools, All Rights Reserved, 2012
Define compound
Confidential, (c) Clayton County Public Schools, All Rights Reserved, 2012
A Word Study
COMPOUND
MATH
SCIENCE
SOCIAL
STUDIES
A compound
inequality is
generally
two different
equations
that are
separated by
a word or
words. Those
words are
usually "and"
or "or" and
show the
correlation
between the
two
inequalities.
A compound is
a pure
substance
composed of
two or more
elements in
definite
proportions,
held together
by chemical
bonds.
A compound is
an enclosure
containing
living quarters
or other
facilities to
monitor
prisoners of
war
Discipline
Definition
LANG. ARTS
A compound
refers to two
words or two
independent
clauses joined
together to
convey one
meaning.
FINE ARTS
CTAE
HEALTH/PE
Compound
meter, or
compound
time, is a time
signature or
meter with a
triple pulse
within each
beat.
Compound
meters are
written with a
time signature
showing the
number of
divisions of
the beat in
each measure.
Culinary Arts:
Compound
butter is butter
with some sort
of flavoring or
seasoning
ingredient
added to it.
A compound
movement is
movement that
requires the use
of more than one
muscle, as
opposed to
isolated
movement, which
targets only one
muscle.
Confidential, (c) Clayton County Public Schools, All Rights
Reserved, 2012
Construction:
Plastic is
actually a
compound, not
an element.
Cosmetology:
Propylparaben
belongs to the
paraben
family of
preservatives
and is a
synthetic
compound.
Examples of
compound
movements
include squats,
lunges, bench
press, cleans, etc.
Also called
compound
exercises.
Let’s Tier it Up!
The notion of tiers of words is not an exact one. Thinking in terms of tiers is just
a starting point – a way of framing the task of choosing words for instruction.
Consider the context in which the word is used. An “everyday” word may move
from Tier 1 or Tier 2 to Tier 3 if it’s used in a domain-specific manner..
Tiered Vocabulary
Steps to Consider When Choosing
The Common Core State Standards categorize vocabulary using a three-tiered
Vocabulary Words
system:
Tier
1 common
wordsthat
used
everyday
speech to students.
1.Identify
all the words
areinlikely
to be unfamiliar
Tier 2 general academic words used across a broad range of disciplines
2.Analyze
word list:academic words that apply to specific topics and
Tier
3 lessthecommon
– Which words can be categorized as Tier 2 or 3 words?
content areas
– Which of the words are most necessary for comprehension
of the standards, learning task, or passage?
 Which words will students most likely hear in another subject area?
3.On the basis of your analysis, which words will you teach?
– Which words will need only brief attention?
– Which words will you give more elaborate attention?
Confidential, (c) Clayton County Public Schools, All Rights
Reserved, 2012
Narrative of the Life of Frederick
Douglass, an American Slave
In the same book, I met with one of Sheridan’s
mighty speeches on and in behalf of Catholic emancipation.
These were choice documents to me. I read them over and
over again with unabated interest. They gave tongue to
interesting thoughts of my own soul, which had frequently
flashed through my mind, and died away for want of
utterance. The moral which I gained from the dialogue was
the power of truth over the conscience of even a
slaveholder. What I got from Sheridan was a bold
denunciation of slavery, and a powerful vindication of
human rights. The reading of these documents enabled me
to utter my thoughts, and to meet the arguments brought
forward to sustain slavery…
Confidential, (c) Clayton County Public Schools, All Rights Reserved, 2012
Narrative of the Life of Frederick
Douglass, an American Slave
In the same book, I met with one of
Sheridan’s mighty speeches on and in behalf of Catholic
emancipation. These were choice documents to me. I
read them over and over again with unabated interest.
They gave tongue to interesting thoughts of my own
soul, which had frequently flashed through my mind,
and died away for want of utterance. The moral which
I gained from the dialogue was the power of truth over
the conscience of even a slaveholder. What I got from
Sheridan was a bold denunciation of slavery, and a
powerful vindication of human rights. The reading of
these documents enabled me to utter my thoughts, and
to meet the arguments brought forward to sustain
slavery…
Confidential, (c) Clayton County Public Schools, All Rights
Reserved, 2012
Let’s Examine Some Practices
Key Vocabulary
Word
credible
adjective
-- a credible bystander
-- a credible source
-- not very credible
say: cred’ ible
credibility: noun
my credibility
say: cred’ i bil it y
Information / Definition
Memory
Cue/Picture
capable of being
believed; believable;
worthy of belief or
confidence; trustworthy;
valid or reliable
Complete this part
afterwards. Then add the
second sentence below.
Use oral language w KIM.
Mr. Robert Elmore, the Chief of Fire Services for Riverdale, is a credible source
for determining the number of fires that occur annually due to citizens falling
asleep while cooking. He has credibility in our town.
Using Memory Cues and Pictures
Key Vocabulary
Word
Information /
Definition
Memory Cue / Picture
budget,
budgetary
29
Concept
claim
Multiple
Meanings
File for compensation
(insurance claim)
demand something as
entitlement (claim
`payment)
maintain something
is true
Contextual
Meaning
Claim Students who
have twenty minutes of
free time outside have
higher academic
achievement. Studies
show that the brain is refueled from natural
settings; therefore, being
exposed to fresh air can
promote the production of
healthy brain cells. Once
students return to class,
they are better equipped
to learn and perform.
to end someone’s life
Confidential, (c) Clayton County Public Schools, All Rights Reserved, 2012
Reflection
Who’s a literacy
teacher?
Confidential, (c) Clayton County Public Schools, All Rights Reserved, 2012
Recapitulation
Everyone’s a literacy teacher.
 Literacy 

The
ability to access, use, and produce
text.
Prioritize Vocabulary by Using Tiers
 Use best practices for teaching
vocabulary in context text

What Does Common Core Mean
for our District and Students?
1. PREPARATION:
The standards are
college-and careerready.
2. COMPETITION:
The standards are
internationally
benchmarked, ensuring
our students are globally
competitive.
4. CLARITY:
The standards are
focused, coherent, and
clear.
3. EQUITY:
Expectations are
consistent for all –and
not dependent on a
student’s zip code.
5. INTEGRATION:
The standards create a
foundation to work
collaboratively across
states and districts.
What are the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards?
Common Core State
Standards
(CCSS)
Common College and
Career Readiness
Anchor Standards for
All Content Areas
Common Standards
for Literacy in ELA,
Science, Social
Studies, and Technical
Subjects (e.g., CTAE,
Music, Art)
Adopted by 47 States
and DC
(including Georgia)
+
Georgia Performance
Standards
GPS
Georgia specific
common core
descriptors and
clusters written by
teachers across the
state of Georgia that
connect the CCSS to
our current GPS
Allowable additions to
the standards no more
than 15% (e.g., cursive
writing)
Adopted by Georgia
=
Common Core Georgia
Performance Standards
(CCGPS)
Represents the combination
of Common Core State
Standards and the Georgia
Performance Descriptors
and the Clusters
Shifts for ELA/Literacy



Complexity: The standards require regular practice
with complex text and its academic language
Evidence: The standards emphasize reading and
writing grounded in evidence from text, both literary
and informational
Knowledge: The standards require building
knowledge through content rich non-fiction
What is Academic
Discourse?
1. A formal communication of thought or
ideas --written or spoken
2. Follows conventional rules for language:
using complete sentences, standard grammar
and syntax
3. Reflects vocabulary that pervades
academic disciplines (Tier 2 words)
4. Reflects the language of the standards and
technical/official terminology (Tier 3 words)
5. Includes the citing of evidence to support
thoughts and/or perspectives
CCGPS Speaking and Listening
Standard

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.1
Prepare for and participate effectively in
a range of conversations and
collaborations with diverse partners,
building on others’ ideas and expressing
their own clearly and persuasively.
Source: www.corestandards.org
Sentence Frames to Support
Academic Discourse
38
Statements:








I agree with ______ because…
I disagree with _______ because…
Based on evidence from ________, it appears that ______
According to __________, ___________________
Based on __________( name text), __________________
I have a question for _______ about…
Explain the (main point, claim, opinion, etc.)________
I hear your point of view; however, ______________________
Questions:

What evidence do you have to support ___________?

Could you further (clarify, elaborate, summarize) __________?

Could you give us a specific example?

Do you agree or disagree with _________ statement?
Shifts in Lexile Expectations
Readability Measurements
Shifts in Mathematics



Focus: The standards focus in on the key content, skills
and practices at each grade level
Coherence: Content in the standards builds across the
grades, and major topics are linked within grades
Rigor: In major topics, the standards highlight
conceptual understanding, procedural skill and
fluency, and application
How is Clayton County Public Schools Preparing
for the CCGPS?
Literacy Across
the Curriculum
Core Curriculum
Redesign for
Grades K-12
Rigorous,
Relevant, and
Ongoing
Professional
Development
The CCPS Focused Practices
Focus Practice
Academic Discourse
Tiered Vocabulary
Multiple Meanings of Words
Memory Cues
Morphological Awareness
Impact on Learning
Please visit the website below for
more information:
www.georgiastandards.org