ELA Common Core – What We
Know So Far….
English Language Arts
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Reading – Literature
Reading – Informational Text
Writing
Speaking and Listening
Major Shifts from SCS
• Text Complexity – lots of Informational
Text and more complex Literature
• Students must analyze, infer, and give
evidence
• Writing from sources – read text, analyze,
put thoughts into writing
• Mastery of writing and speaking
• Academic vocabulary – words that are
hard to put definitions with
Project Oriented
• Presenters made the comparison to Grad
School
• Students will be expected to present
research
• Text based answers
• Mastery of Writing and Speaking
• Writing – creativity in their arguments
rather than narrative based
• We want our students to read like a detective
and write like an investigative reporter.
New Blooms….really?!
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Verbs and questions stems on key rings
Write lesson plans
Post kid-friendly objectives
Takes focus off what teacher will do and
turns it into what the STUDENTS will do.
• Let students generate questions using the
stems in an activity station
Costa’s House
• Three Story Intellect:
• Basement –
remembering,
understanding
• Ground floor –
applying, analyzing
• Penthouse –
evaluating, creating
10 Anchor Standards
*Same for K-12
• Key Ideas and Details
-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
text.
-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.
10 Anchor Standards
*Same for K-12
• Craft 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 choices shape
meaning or tone.
-Analyze the structure of texts, including how
specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger
portions of the text (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.
10 Anchor Standards
*Same for K-12
• Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
-Integrate and evaluate content presented in
diverse media and formats, including visually
and quantitatively, as well as in words.
-Delineate and evaluate the argument and
specific claims in a text, including the validity of
the reasoning as well as the relevance and
sufficiency of the evidence.
-Analyze how two or more texts address similar
themes or topics in order to build knowledge or
to compare the approaches the authors take.
10 Anchor Standards
*Same for K-12
• Range of Reading and Level of Text
Complexity
-Read and comprehend complex literary
and informational texts independently and
proficiently.
Vertical Alignment Activity
• Each person at the
table take all of the
sheets of a color from
the baggie – you
should have 6
different small sheets.
• Place the sheets in
order from
kindergarten through
fifth grade
Key Ideas and Details - Literature
• Kindergarten:
With prompting and
support, identify
characters, settings,
and major events in a
story
Key Ideas and Details - Literature
• First Grade:
Describe characters,
settings, and major
events in a story,
using key details
Key Ideas and Details - Literature
• Second Grade:
Describe how
characters in a story
respond to major
events and
challenges
Key Ideas and Details - Literature
• Third Grade:
Describe characters in a
story (e.g. their traits,
motivations, or
feelings) and explain
how their actions
contribute to the
sequence of events
Key Ideas and Details - Literature
• Fourth Grade:
Describe in depth a
character, setting, or
event in a story or drama,
drawing on specific
details in the text
(e.g. a character’s thoughts,
words, or actions)
Key Ideas and Details - Literature
• Fifth Grade:
Compare and contrast
two or more
characters, settings,
or events in a story or
drama, drawing on
specific details in text
(e.g. how characters
interact)
Crosswalks
• This document shows the connection
between the current Standard Course of
Study and the Common Core
• You need to just get in there and check it
out
• http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/stand
ards/common-core-tools/
Unpacking Documents
• Breaks down the standard into essential
questions and provides task analysis
• This seems to be the most valuable
resource
• http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/stand
ards/common-core-tools/
What about THE TEST??
• Grade 3
Reading for Literature 32 – 37 %
Reading for Information 41 – 45 %
Language 20 – 24 %
What about THE TEST??
• Grade 4
Reading for Literature 30 – 34 %
Reading for Information 45 – 49 %
Language 19 – 21 %
What about THE TEST??
• Grade 5
Reading for Literature 36 – 40 %
Reading for Information 29 – 33 %
Language 29 – 31 %
Pacing Guides on the way
• According to Sandra Evans, we will have
pacing guides in hand before the start of
the new school year.
• Great unit example for 2nd grade on
• http://commoncore.org/maps/membership/
samples