Curriculum Shifts in
Reading and Writing
Whetstone Elementary School
Literacy Night
October 2013
Balancing Informational and Literary Text
• Students read a true balance of informational and literary text.
• Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts
• Strive for 50% informational and 50% literary texts
Knowledge in the Content Areas
• Students build knowledge about the world through reading text rather than
the teacher or activities
• Students gather information from many sources
• Students evaluate the credibility and accuracy of sources
• Use investigation of a topic to build knowledge
Staircase of Complexity
• Students read the central, grade appropriate text around which instruction is
centered. Teachers create more time and space and support in the
curriculum for close reading.
• Practice with complex text on a regular basis to build student capacity to comprehend
challenging text independently and proficiently
• Analyze the structure of the text
• Navigate the “tricky” parts of the text
Discuss Reading Using Evidence
Text Based Answers
• Students engage in rich and rigorous evidence based conversations about text
• Ask and answer questions that can only be accessed by reading the text
• Teach students to become experts in citing evidence from the text
• Include formal presentations and informal discussions
• Evaluate the authors’ use of evidence
Writing From Sources
• Writing emphasizes use of evidence from sources to inform or make an
argument
• Teach how to respond to ideas, events, facts and arguments presented in text
• Include opportunities to analyze two or more texts
• Provide opportunities for students to write routinely over time
Academic Vocabulary
• Students constantly build the transferable vocabulary they need to access
grade level complex texts.
• Teach meaning of words and how they are used in various contexts to increase
students’ ability to comprehend complex text
• Expose students to rich and varied vocabulary to increase their knowledge base
• Provide opportunities for students to use new vocabulary in small group discussions
Questions or Comments?