Laura Schiller, Ph.D.
Literacy Consultant, Oakland Schools
Director, Oakland Writing Project
Laura.schiller@oakland.k12.mi.us
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The history of the units
The units in relation to the common core state
standards
Unit alignment within and across grades
Ways to assess the units
What administrators can look for in classrooms
Ways to facilitate staff learning in relation to the
units
Ways to improve writing instruction and
student learning
http://www.corestandards.org/
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The development of the Common
Core State Standards for
Mathematics and English
Language Arts was lead by
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National Governor Association
Council of Chief State School Officers
The Standards focus on learning
expectations for students, not on
how students get there
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Oakland ISD Superintendent Mandate
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MAISA Collaboration
www.mielanetwork.weebly.com
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We are moving nationally from check lists of
skills to an approach that integrates reading,
writing, listening, speaking, and technology for
the purpose of reasoning and learning at high
levels of sophistication.
ACT: skills needed for trades are the same as
those needed for college
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Common Core State Standards…
These standards are not intended to be new
names for old ways of doing business. They
are a call to take the next step.”
Page 5 CCSS Introduction
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2011 NAEP Writing Framework
Grade
Narrative
Explanatory
Argumentative
4
35%
35%
30%
8
30%
35%
35%
12
20%
40%
40%
2011 NAEP Reading Framework
Grade
Literary
Informational
4
50%
50%
8
45%
55%
12
30%
70%
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12
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Writing standard 5 describes the writing process,
and standard 10 describes the need to write
routinely as part of that process. Without these
two standards, the other standards will be difficult
to achieve.
Careful reading and analysis precedes writing.
Reading is linked to writing and writing is linked
to reading.
Implications for schools where different teachers
instruct reading and writing.
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6: Independence Introduction p.7
5: Balance of Narrative, Persuasive,
& Informational Units of Study
W3.1, W3.2, W3.3; W4.1, W4.2, W4.3; W5.1, W5.2, W5.3
4: Writing Process W3.5 , W4.5, W5.5
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3: Literary & Informational Textual
Analysis,
Reflection, & Research W4.9a,b; W5.9a, b
2: Write routinely over time and on
demand
W3.10, W4.10, W5.10
1: Language Progressive Skills L.3.1f, L.3.3a;
L.4.1f, L.4.3g, L.4.3a, L.4.3b; L.5.1d, L.5.2a
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CCSS
Text types:
Argument
Informative/Explanatory
Narrative
ELA MAISA Units
Started with argument
Least understood
Claim
Evidence/Support
Warrant
Logic of reasoning
Units Embody
Opportunities to
Learn
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•
•
•
•
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•
•
Clear Teaching
Points
Models
Demonstration
Regular Practice
Repetition
Conferring
Individual, small
group, and whole
group instruction
Community
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Collecting
Entries
Finding a
Seed
Nurturing
the Seed
Picking a
Genre
Picking a
Mentor Text
Drafting
Revising
Editing
Publishing
Main Goal:
Build a
writerly life
and establish a
writer's
notebook that
students value.
Main Goal:
Identify an
important
topic to
explore
and
discover
through
writing.
Main Goal:
Create a riskfree
environment
that
encourages
revisiting and
experimentati
on to imagine,
explore a
voice, or
discover
important
ideas.
Main Goal:
Study a
genre or
author
within a
genre to
create a
product
within the
"rules"
of the genre.
Main Goal:
Develop
curiosity
about and
appreciation
of an author to
identify
decisions for
personal
experiments
and growth in
skill.
Main
Goal:
Conscious
ly design a
product.
Main Goal:
Approach
revision as
study and play,
developing
rethinking and
experimenting
behaviors.
Main Goal:
Develop a
standard of
excellence
for
publication
and
strategies
for
achievement
.
Main Goal:
Produce a
product for
an audience.
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Across K-college, the writing workshop
has been the accepted forum for teaching
the skills and strategies of effective
writing.
Experts: Donald Murray, Pulitzer Prize Winner, & Roy Peter
Clark, Journalist
Writers: Annie Dillard, Mary Oliver, Anne Lamott, E.B. White
Great Writing Teachers: Peter Elbow, Georgia Heard, Ralph
Fletcher, & TCRWP
Pathways to the Common Core, 2012, Calkins, Ehrenworth, Lehman, p. 111
This quality of writing can be achieved by
mandating the explicit instruction, opportunities
for practice, centrality of feedback, assessmentbased instruction, and spiral curriculum that have
all been hallmarks of rigorous writing workshop
instruction.
Pathways to the Common Core, 2012, Calkins, Ehrenworth, Lehman, p. 112
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Conferring
Building community to promote risk-taking
Opportunities for independent, small group
and whole group instruction
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Small group work (K-5)
Partner work
Promoting independence
• Alignment with writing units
• Balance with CCSS Literary &
Informational Text
• Assessment with an eye toward text
complexity
• Close reading of text
• Historical core documents
• Depth of Knowledge (Norman Webb)
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Google: Atlas Rubicon Oakland
Another resource—go to Oakland Schools
webpage. Under EDUCATORS click Common
Core Initiatives
Under Links to Other Resources you’ll find the
Public Atlas SCoPE Curriculum.
Only select those units that have a cc (for Common
Core) next to them. Those are the new units.
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“To help young people learn the more complex and
analytical skills they need for the 21st century, teachers
must learn to teach in ways that develop higher-order
thinking and performance.
To develop the sophisticated teaching required for this
mission, education systems must offer more effective
professional development.”
Darling-Hammond & Richardson, 2009
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Select one grade level to explore
Find the common core units on
Atlas Rubicon
Then do the following:
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Notice the alignment of units within a grade level
Is there evidence of argument/opinion,
information/explanation, and narrative/personal
experience writing in the curriculum?
 What do you wonder? What surprised you?
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Look at the grade below.
Compare the unit titles.
 What do you notice about alignment?
 What do you notice about narrative/opinion/argument
units?
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Repeat by looking at the grade level titles
above the grade you selected first.
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Compare the unit titles.
What do you notice about alignment?
What do you notice about
narrative/opinion/argument units?
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Notice the suggested pacing of the units
Follow the template—note the graphic
organizer laying out the lesson sequence across
the writing process
Notice the list of lessons and the link to access
the daily lessons.
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Start with kindergarten
Read those grade level standards
Imagine a very simple story that meets those descriptors.
Reread just the first part of the kindergarten description.
Note what added work first graders are expected to do.
Continue to read horizontally noting the added work at
each grade level.
These learning progressions make the writing standards
attainable if students grow up in a strong writing curriculum.
Pathways to the Common Core, 2012, Calkins, Ehrenworth, Lehman, p. 116
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Extended student writing should be evident in the classroom i.e.,
portfolios, writers notebooks, published pieces, drafts…
Teachers model/demonstrate HOW to write using mentor texts,
teacher or student writing, and whole class writing
Students write both on-demand and process pieces for a range of
purposes and audiences
Students use writing to help them learn information and uncover
their thinking
Writing and reading are given equal time and instruction.
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There is extended independent writing time on
a regular basis in class.
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Students make decisions about their writing.
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Clear teaching point
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Evidence of student uptake
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Proportion of Writing Types: Narrative,
Information/Explanation,
Argument/Opinion/Persuasion
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Emphasis on claims, evidence, reasoning
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Teaching Writing versus Assigning Writing
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Time students spend writing independently
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Both on-demand and extended writes
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Writing throughout the school day
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In order to coach and provide
feedback, students must write
during class. They can also write at
home, but time for writing during
class is absolutely non-negotiable.
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Teach the units of study
Three times a year have teachers bring class
sets of papers to a staff meeting to score and
analyze
Narrative, essay/argument, information
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www.readingandwritingproject.co
m
One distinction is to think of formative assessment as
“practice.” We do not hold students accountable in
“grade book fashion” for skills and concepts they have
just been introduced to or are learning. We must allow
for practice. Formative assessment helps teachers
determine next steps during the learning process as
the instruction approaches the summative assessment
of student learning.
~Garrison and Ehringhaus
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Teachers bring an example of student work to analyze.
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Where does the assignment fall on the DOK?
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Where does the student writing fall on the DOK?
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Show of hands: how many had an example of a 1? 2? 3? 4?
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What does this random selection of student assignments/student
work suggest?
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Time to talk
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Time to share student work
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Time to plan
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Administrative encouragement
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What do writing classrooms look like in
elementary and secondary classrooms?
How do we look at student work to build
teacher knowledge and alignment?
How do administrators support this work?
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Students read lots of books, documents, media resources…(ELA
25 books/equivalent per school year—New Standards)
Students have numerous opportunities to talk about their reading
and argue for and against perspectives in books
Small group and partnered conversations deepen thinking
Writing is as important as reading in all core content areas
By high school, across all subjects, 70% of time spent in reading
and writing informational texts
Both on-demand and process writing for a range of audiences and
purposes
Assessments that inform instruction
Evidence of student growth
Evidence of deep reasoning
1.
Take an honest look at your current literacy
initiatives and set goals for how to improve
them. Build on strengths. Pat yourselves on the
back for successes. Then recognize that most
likely, you’re on your way toward a standard.
Your, “Yes!” we do that is a starting point for
reform.
2.
Look for gaps in your curriculum and
instructional practice. Pick one area to work on.
Too many initiatives sink reform.