Literacy Design Collaborative
Session One, Two Day Training
LITERACY DESIGN
COLLABORATIVE
A Framework to Move from
Common Core State Standards
to Classrooms
Essential Questions
• How does LDC help students develop content knowledge
through reading and demonstrate understanding of the
content through writing?
• How does LDC help assure that students acquire the
reading and writing skills required in the Common Core?
How much do you know about LDC?
• Raise your hand if you’ve “never heard of” LDC
• Raise your hand if you “know a little bit” about LDC
• Raise your hand if you “know a lot” about LDC
Review Agenda
• What are you looking forward to the most as you learn
about LDC?
• What questions do you have?
• What do you hope to gain from this training?
Norms
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Start and end on time
Chimes signal the need for attention
Raise hands to signal engagement
Laptops down for input/discussion
Laptops up for Module Creator
Take care of needs without disruption
Collaborate across teams and districts
Be present physically and mentally
Use the “parking lot” to post questions
Presume positive intention
Teaching to the Common Core By Design,
Not Accident
•
Divide your table of 6 participants into pairs. Number your groups 1 thru 3.
•
Group 1 – Read pages 1 – 3 , stopping before you reach “Literacy Collaborative”.
•
Group 2 - Read pages 3-5, beginning with “Literacy Collaborative” and ending
before “Math Collaborative”.
•
Group 3 – Read pages 6-8, beginning with “Math Collaborative” and completing the
article.
•
After reading, begin work on guided questions. Use the white paper on the table to
report out. Choose a representative from your group to report out to your table.
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Last but not least !!! Everyone will individually react to lessons learned on pages 3-4.
Guiding Questions for Group Report Out
• Why is this information important ? Why do we need to
become familiar with CCSS (and in Colorado CAS)?
• What impact will LDC/MDC have on education in
Colorado, your district, and your school?
• What information provided in this article will make the
most difference in the ways you approach your lessons,
approach student learning, and address student
assessment?
Vision for the Future
Students will have the literacy skills that create
a solid foundation for succeeding in college and
the workplace.
The reading and writing skills embedded in LDC are key
elements of Post-Secondary and Workforce Readiness
skills.
LDC Supports Vision for the Future
• Supports teachers implementing the CCSS
• Addresses adolescent literacy in our country
• Bounded by few “rules of the road” – teachers are in
control
• Preserves and supports teacher innovation and creativity
• Encourages the participation of practitioners
• Provides possibilities for scale across schools, districts,
states
The Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC)
An expanding set of classroom, district, state and service
providers with the will to meet the challenge of expecting
high levels of secondary literacy head-on.
LDC is Purposeful
• Literacy skills are critical in the lives of students; therefore,
they must be intentionally and frequently taught in all grades
K-12
• The LDC system is intended to assist secondary teachers in
all disciplines deliver quality literacy instruction in all
classrooms
• LDC considers teachers as partners and co-designers in
transforming LDC templates into quality teaching tasks and
modules
CCSS Challenges
• Unlike mathematics, secondary literacy is not a discipline.
It is “homeless” in that it belongs to everyone and no one.
• Literacy is used in secondary classrooms, but is not taught
in a systematic way.
LDC Represents a Shift in Thinking
In pairs, discuss what you believe are the key changes that
need to take place in classrooms and schools to increase
literacy levels for secondary students.
LDC Modules
• Hard-wired to the Common Core State Standards
• Minimalist as an approach – a lean model with powerful
software
• Interested in local choice and teacher decision making
• Support teachers in developing instruction to use over 2-4
weeks
• Help teachers design instruction – their choice – focused on
guiding students to complete a single literacy task linked to
content
LDC Module System
LDC Guidebook
Read pages 8-11 and discuss as a table group.
• Why does the LDC system begin with a template task?
• How is the LDC system preserving local choice and
honoring teacher expertise?
• How will LDC support teachers in planning instruction that
is responsive to student learning needs?
The Literary Design Collaborative
Approach
Common Core
Standards
Tasks
Formative &
Summative
Assessments
Aligned,
Distributed
Instruction
Capture Your Thoughts
• What are your greatest hopes about using LDC in
your classroom?
• What are the most pressing challenges that you will
face implementing LDC?
• Questions and/or concerns?
Teacher Candy
by Kathy Thiebes
We’re Running !
We’re running FULL speed to PRODUCE, REVIEW,
EDIT, REWRITE, RE-EDIT and TRAIN…this entire
effort is in fast forward and being built AS WE
RUN…..and we NEED YOU to run with us!!
LDC Framework
Continued:
Written
by
Teachers
Piloted by
Teachers
Evaluated
by
Teachers
...in Real-Time, with On-Going
Feedback
“Rethinking Literacy” Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSyC1KcrkM0
The video makes several points about changes that need to happen to
implement LDC. How will these changes impact your instructional
practice?
LDC Vocabulary
TEMPLATE TASKS
& TEACHING
TASKS
Selecting One &
Designing the Other
What Task?
From Template Task
To Teaching Task
Template Tasks
Template tasks are the beginning point for the LDC strategy.
An LDC template task is a fill-in-the blank assignment or
assessment:
• With the CCSS for literacy “built in”
• That will “drive” the development of the LDC module
Template Tasks
All LDC template tasks require students to:
• Read, analyze, and comprehend texts as specified by
the Common Core
• Write products as specified by the Common Core
focusing on argumentation, informational/explanatory,
and narrative
• Apply Common Core literacy standards to academic
content (ELA, Social Studies, Science, and others)
Thinking about Template Tasks
• Go to pages 17-21 in your Guidebook
• Read the information on Template Tasks
• Identify two things you noticed about template tasks that
you want to remember when you start writing your
Teaching Task.
• Share with a partner
NOTE: A Teaching Task is a filled-in Template Task
Task Design
The tasks are designed to ensure that students receive
literacy and content instruction in rigorous academic reading
and writing tasks that prepare them for success in college
and the work place by the end of their high school career.
The Basic Format
After researching _____(informational texts) on
___________(content), write __________(essay or
substitute) that argues your position on __________
(content). Support your position with evidence from your
research. L2 Be sure to acknowledge competing views.
L3 Give examples from past or current events or issues
to illustrate and clarify your position.
The Basic Format with Essential Question
[Insert Question] After reading __________(literature or
informational texts), write_________ (essay or substitute)
that addresses the question and support your position with
evidence from the text(s). L2 Be sure to acknowledge
competing views. L3 Give examples from past or current
events or issues to illustrate and clarify your position.
Informational Teaching Task Example:
Science
After researching the following articles on various
organisms, write a report that defines “organisms” and
explains what Domain and Kingdom you would classify
each organism. Support your discussion with evidence
from your research.
• Template Task 11 – After Researching
Informational Teaching Task Example:
Social Studies
After researching secondary sources on ancient India or
China, write a report that explains the geography,
culture/customs, and government of these civilizations. What
conclusions or implications can you draw? Cite at least three
sources, pointing out key elements from each source. A
bibliography is or is not required.
• Template Task 18 – Informational or Explanatory/Synthesis
Argumentation Teaching Task Example:
Science
After researching technical and academic articles on the use
of pesticides in agriculture, write a speech that argues your
position on its use in managing crop production. Support
your position with evidence from your research. L2 Be sure
to acknowledge competing views. L3 Give examples from
past or current events or issues to illustrate and clarify your
position.
• Template Task 1 – “after researching”
Argumentation Teaching Task Example:
Social Studies
L1: Was the Treaty of Versailles a fair one for Germany?
After reading various primary and secondary sources on the
Treaty of Versailles write an essay that addresses the
question and support your position with evidence from the
text(s). L2: Be sure to acknowledge competing views.
Template Task 2 – “Essential Question”
A Colorado Example
Taken from the History Standard
8th Grade Evidence Outcome
Analyze ideas that are critical to the understanding of
American history and give examples of the ideas
involved in major events and movements. Topics
include…representative democracy…..
Colorado Example Continued
• Uses an Inquiry Question from the same Grade Level
Expectation
• How have the basic values and principles of American
democracy changed over time and in what ways have
they been preserved?
Colorado Example Teaching Task
How did the principle of Federalism change from the end of
the Revolution to the end of Reconstruction? After reading
the identified informational texts write an essay that
addresses the question and support your position with
evidence from the texts. L2 Be sure to acknowledge
competing view. L3 Give examples from past or current
events or issues to illustrate and clarify your position.
• Template Task 2 – Argumentation/Analysis
A Great LDC Teaching Task
 Establishes a teaching task that is both challenging and
feasible for students, with a balance of reading demands
and writing demands that works well for the intended
grade and content.
 Addresses content essential to the discipline, inviting
students to engage deeply in thinking and literacy
practices around a connected intellectual issue.
A Great LDC Teaching Task
• Selects reading texts that are sufficiently complex, that
use and develop academic understanding and
vocabulary
• Makes effective use of the template task’s writing mode
(argumentation, information/explanation, or narrative)
• Designs a writing prompt that requires sustained writing
and effective use of ideas and evidence from the reading
texts
How to Select a Task
• Refer to your curriculum map and/or other documents
outlining your plan of study for the next three months
• Refer to the CAS for content, focusing on the appropriate
Grade Level Expectations and Inquiry Questions
• You may also find the Concept Maps for your content and
grade level very useful (Available on the web)
• Identify a topic or essential question that is important
enough to involve two to four weeks of study
• See Page 1 of the Template Task Collection in the
Guidebook for more assistance
Teachers make decisions within the template
to adjust:
 Task level: Select level 1, 2, or 3 task
 Reading requirements: Vary text complexity, genre,
length, familiarity, etc.
 Writing demands: Vary type of product, length, etc.
 Pacing requirements: Vary workload and time allowed to
complete
Your Turn – Design a Task
• Alone or in pairs
• Look at the template task collection. Pick a favorite
argumentation or information template. (Recommend
limiting yourself to Templates 1, 2, 11, and 12.)
• Look at your state content standards. Grade Level
Evidence Outcomes, concepts/skills maps, and Inquiry
questions can be used in templates to create strong,
aligned tasks.
• Design a teaching task you think is worthy of 2-4 weeks of
quality instruction.
Task Sharing and Review
• Get into job-alike groups of 3 or 4 and share your teaching
tasks
• Job-alike = middle level science, high school ELA, AP
history, IB Science, etc.
• Select one task to revise as a group
• Using the section on the Teaching Task in the Module
Review Sheet, discuss and revise the selected task
• Write the revised task on butcher paper
• Post the revised task on the wall
Return to Own Teaching Task
• Think back on the discussion (questions and comments)
from your group teaching task revision activity
• Using those insights, review and revise your own
teaching task
• Once finished, use the ½ sheet form provided to write
down your teaching task information (just the information
you designed for the “blanks”)
• Turn in your teaching task form for review before you
leave
Please Don’t Forget to Turn in
Your Teaching Task Form!
So Where Are We?
Using a “thumbs up, thumbs down, or thumbs sideways”
signal, tell us where you are relative to each of the
outcomes as they are reviewed.
• Thumbs up – I’m moving toward this outcome
• Thumbs down – I still have no idea or I’m even more
confused
• Thumbs sideways – I’m not sure yet
Feedback for Day 1
• The most valuable learning today was__________.
• The least valuable activity today was____________.
• I wish I had been able to learn more about __________.
Preview of Day 2
• Response to feedback/questions
• Information on Colorado Context
• Revision of Teaching Tasks
• Introduction of Module Creator
• Work time for module development
Good Morning
• Review Outcomes
• Reflections & Feedback
• Parking Lot
Pair and Share
Find someone new from another school
and share the one “aha!” from this
yesterday
THE COLORADO
CONTEXT
How does LDC fit into other reform
initiatives?
LDC is part of the
Colorado Integration Project
The Colorado Integration Project aims to ensure the highest
possible performance for both educators and students by
aligning academic content, educator performance, student
achievement and professional growth so that all students
are college and career ready.
Why Is Integration Important?
• Think about all the “wheels” that get your district down the
road (budget, schedules and calendars, personnel
practices, curriculum and assessments, etc.)
• Why is it important that these “wheels” all are moving
together and in the same direction?
• Share your thinking with a partner.
Strategies for Aligning Initiatives
How are you answering questions about:
• What will local assessments be?
• What do you value in PD?
• What do you look for in teacher observations?
• How are you spending money?
• How are you spending time?
• How are you spending energy?
CAP4K Standards
Bill 212
Educator Effectiveness
Bill 191
System of Accountability &
Support Bill 163
What do we want them to
know and be able to do?
Colorado Academic
Standards & English
language proficiency
standards
Professional practice
standards
Performance indicators
How will we know if
expectations are met?
Assessments: Summative
and Formative
Performance evaluations
School and district
performance frameworks
How will we create
responsive systems to
support their learning?
• Multi-tiered systems of
supports: RTI &PBIS
• Standards Based
Curriculum
• Individual Student Plans
(IEP, ILP, ALP, SRP)
• Induction & Mentoring
Unified Improvement
• Instructional Leadership & Planning (UIP)
Feedback
• Targeted goal creation
• Professional development
plans
The Common Core State Standards for
English The Common Core State
Standards for Language Arts & Literacy in
History/Social Studies, Science and
Technical Subjects include a separate
standard for Language. In this document,
those Language expectations are
integrated into the CAS for Reading,
Writing, and Communicating as well as the
CAS for Science and Social Studies.
Why are ELA and Other Content Area
Teachers Trained on LDC?
• It will be difficult for students to meet the new CAS
standards in science and social studies, as well as ELA
without implementing instructional practices such as LDC.
LDC will enhance the content learning of students in other
academic areas as well.
• The Common Core literacy standards also apply to
technology.
LDC for All Content Areas
LDC provides direct instructional support for students to:
•Develop knowledge in the content through reading
•Demonstrate understanding of the content through
writing
•Acquire the reading and writing skills required at their
grade level by the CCSS
So Where Does LDC Fit?
• LDC is a system of instruction for supporting students in
meeting the CCSS, the CAS, and the 21st Century
Graduate Proficiencies with emphasis on ELA, Science,
and History/Social Studies
• It is congruent with the anticipated student assessments
that will be used to determine achievement of standards
• It is consistent with the expectations outlined for teachers
in the Colorado Teacher Quality Standards and defined
in more detail in the Teacher Evaluation Rubric
PARCC
Let’s look at released items from PARCC and explore the
implications for instructional rigor.
HOW DOES LDC
RELATE TO
EDUCATOR
EFFECTIVENESS?
Educator Effectiveness: Colorado Teacher
Quality Standard 1 (CTQS)
• Teachers demonstrate mastery of and pedagogical
expertise in the content they teach
• The elementary teacher is an expert in literacy and
mathematics and is knowledgeable in all other content
that he or she teaches
• The secondary teacher has knowledge of literacy and
mathematics and is an expert in his or her content
endorsement area(s)
The Proficient Teacher
• Teacher provides literacy instruction that enhances:
•
•
•
•
•
Critical thinking and reasoning
Information literacy
Collaboration
Self-direction
Innovation
• Teacher focuses lessons on the reading of complex
texts
The Accomplished and Exemplary
Teacher
• Accomplished Teacher: Students communicate orally and
in writing at levels that meet or exceed expectations for
their age, grade, and ability level
• Exemplary Teacher: Students apply literacy skills across
academic content areas and to understand complex
materials
Crosswalk of LDC with CTQS
• Review the handout that shows the alignment of LDC
with the CTQS
• Ask yourself, “In what areas of the CTQS can LDC best
help me be a better teacher?”
• Find someone you haven’t talked to before and share
your answers
• Return to your seat
How Can I Use LDC?
• LDC is a system for organizing instruction to support
students in achieving the CAS and CCSS
• An LDC module can be used as a major component of a
unit or as the organizing structure for a unit
• An LDC teaching task can be used as student
assessment
The Future
• Students who have the literacy skills promoted by LDC will
have a much more solid foundation for succeeding in
college and the work-place
• The reading and writing skills imbedded in LDC are the
heart of the Post-Secondary and Workforce Readiness
skills
RECONNECTING
WITH YOUR
TEACHING TASK
Your teaching task is the critical foundation for the module,
and the quality of the work that you inspire from students will
be the result of a well crafted teaching task.
A Great LDC Teaching Task:
• Establishes a task that is both challenging and feasible for
students, with a balance of reading demands and writing
demands that work well for the intended grade and
content
• Addresses content essential to the discipline, inviting
students to engage deeply in thinking and literacy
practices around a connected intellectual issue
A Great LDC Teaching Task:
 Selects reading texts that are sufficiently complex and
that use and develop academic understanding and
vocabulary
 Makes effective use of the template task’s writing mode
(argumentation, information/explanation, or narrative)
• Designs a writing prompt that requires sustained writing
and effective use of ideas and evidence from the reading
texts
Reviewing the Teaching Tasks
• Everyone has feedback on their teaching task. Please
take five minutes to review the feedback and discuss your
task with others at your table.
• Capture any new insights or questions and be prepared to
share.
Moving from Teaching Task to LDC Module
Examining an Exemplary Module
Comparing Economic Systems
Answer these questions on your own or in a pair
• Read the module overview on p. 67 (for teachers)
• Read “Background to Share with Students” on p. 68
• What skills do students need to understand the task and acquire
the necessary information? (pp. 72-77)
• What was the pacing/duration of the instruction?
• What is an example of an instructional strategy used for task
engagement?
• What is an example of the “extra support” provided for “organizing
notes”?
• What resources are provided for students in the Appendix?
(p. 78)
Table Talk
• Read Kathy’s reflections on the Teacher Work Section on p. 81
• If Kathy was sitting at the table with you, what questions would
you have for her?
3 Academic Modes of Writing
• Review the module, 3 Academic Modes of Writing, using
the Module Review Sheet
• What do you notice about:
• The Module Description/Overview for Students
• The text selections
• The Skills section in relationship to the CCSS
Standards and Grade Level Expectations
• The mini-tasks
Moving from Skills to Instruction:
What Instruction?
• Selecting the skills that your students will need to
accomplish the task is the next step in the process, which
is followed by developing an instructional plan to teach the
skills
• These instructional plans are called mini-tasks
Objectives for the Skills to Instruction
• Examine the literacy skills in the LDC system and how
they are defined and clustered
• Deconstruct the template task rubrics and consider which
skills your students will need to accomplish your teaching
task
• Discuss how to collaborate on instructional plans
• Design an instructional plan to teach one skill, which is
called a mini-task
PLC Big Four Process
• What content and skills do our students need to know?
• How will we teach them?
• How will we know if they are proficient?
• What strategies will we use if they are not successful or if
they are advanced on the skills?
LDC Module Template
Beginning with the End in Mind
• LDC has developed rubrics for scoring the student writing
products
• These rubrics can be helpful in determining the specific
skills that you want to focus on during the module
LDC Rubrics
One scoring guide works for all argumentation tasks, another
for all informational and explanatory tasks, and a third for the
narrative tasks.
Shared rubrics support teacher collaboration across
grades and subjects, including:
• Shared scoring to develop common expectations and
language
• Joint analysis of student work
• Collaborative planning around instructional strategies and
improvements
Deconstructing the Rubrics
In triads take a look at the argumentation rubric on page 36
and the information/explanatory rubric on page 37 and
discuss:
• What are the key commonalities and differences in the
rubrics?
• Which skill elements (focus, development, organization,
conventions, etc.) do you anticipate including in your skills
list?
Determining What Skills
• The skills list will drive your instructional planning
• The LDC system has a list of skills that are named,
defined and clustered
• You have the ability to select the skills using the template
provided and delete or add skills based on your students’
needs, including providing more specificity based on
grade-level expectations
Remember: Each skill identified will require a minitask.
Skills Cluster Example
• Turn to page 5 in 3 Academic Modes of Writing
• Compare this skills list with the skills on page 46 of your
Guidebook
• Share the similarities and differences you notice with a
partner
• Share out with your table
Collaborating on Skills Selection
In pairs at your table, discuss:
• What are the essential skills that will be included in your
module? Consider the list on page 46 and your
deconstruction of the rubric. Capture a list to use this
afternoon when you work on your module.
• Also consider the grade-level expectations for the CCSS
for the grade where this module will be taught.
• How will you collaborate with colleagues in your school to
support students reaching proficiency on those skills?
Module Section 3: What Instruction?
How will students be taught to succeed on the teaching task?
 YOU establish the instructional plan – or the
mini-tasks– to teach students the skills
necessary to succeed on each task
 YOU create a plan that includes mini-tasks w/
scoring guide, instructional strategies, pacing
guide
Core Elements of a Mini-Task
Turn to p. 6 in 3 Academic Modes of Writing and notice:
• Prompt that addresses students and asks them to practice
and demonstrate an “in-process” skill
• Product that students will produce that can be evaluated for
success on the skill that has been taught
• Scoring guide with a stated criteria for what students will be
expected to show as evidence of learning
What Did You Notice?
Select ONE mini-task and jot down on a piece of paper
what you noticed about each of the following:
• Prompt
• Product
• Scoring guide
Mini-Tasks as Formative Assessments
As you develop or use the embedded LDC scoring guides
for each mini-task, there will be students who immediately
accomplish the mini-task and those who need more time and
differentiated instructional strategies.
As a table group, discuss:
How do you anticipate using the mini-task scoring guides as
formative assessments to accommodate individual student
learning needs?
Developing Your Instructional Plan
• The LDC system has a list of skills that are named,
defined and clustered. “Preparing for the task” will always
be a part of your planning.
• Preparing for the Task: Task engagement is the ability
to connect the task and content with existing knowledge,
skills, interests or concerns.
Your Plan for Task Engagement
• Take five minutes to share ideas at your table on
strategies that you have found successful for task
engagement when beginning a new unit of study.
• Write a mini-task (prompt and product, scoring) and
instructional plan for engaging students in your teaching
task (Task Engagement) and share out at the table.
Questions or Concerns?
• My biggest question at this point is________________.
• My best hope at this point is _____________________.
• My biggest concern at this point is ________________.
Module Creator
• How it Works
• Transferring work to Module Creator
• Guide
Guiding Questions
Preparing for the Task; Reading
• Will these skills and mini-tasks enable students to
understand the task and acquire the necessary
information?
Transition to Writing; Writing
• Will the skills and mini-tasks enable students to produce
the product?
• Is the writing product called for in the mini-tasks the one
that is described in the Teaching Task?
Student Results
• Check to make certain the narrative in “student
background” still makes sense.
Professional Learning Support
Are you interested in learning more about….
• Close Reading
• Vocabulary Development
• Creating Essential Questions
• Scaffolding Skills for Writing
• Differentiation for EL and Special Needs
• Text Complexity
Participate in…
• On-line modules
• PLC sessions in your district
Participant Expectations
Following this training, each participant is expected to:
• Complete the development of your module, including
tailoring of the mini-tasks
• Implement your module
• Collect and bring to Session II three clean (no grading
marks or identifying information) copies of 3 examples
of student work from your module