INSPIRING
CONVERSATION
Using Informational Texts to
Address the Rigors of the
Common Core State Standards
FEA/NJPSA Fall Conference
October 17, 2013
Elaine Bakke and Jenny Wnuk
Inspiring Conversation
Afternoon Objectives:
Gain tangible examples of student
engagement
Interpret the Speaking and Listening
Standards
Understand how/why inspired
student conversation is embedded in
the progressions of the ELA CCSS
Set expectations to support the S&L
CCSS.
CCSS
Keeping the Balance
“A reader is a
navigator of
texts/information.”
Frank Serafini
NAVIGATE MATERIALS
&
COMMUNICATE IDEAS
Keeping a Balance
CCSS SHIFTS
Balance of literature and nonfiction
Analysis based on text evidence
Immersion in more complex texts
Phrases repeated throughout
the CCSS:
demonstrate understanding of text
referring explicitly to the text
refer to details & examples in the text
quote accurately from the text
summarize, hypothesize, determine,
describe, explain, compare and
contrast, analyze
Independently comprehend and evaluate.
Navigate diverse perspectives.
Support with text evidence.
Precisely understand and critique.
Integrate technology and digital media.
Respond to varying demands.
Establish strong content knowledge.
LEVELS OF RIGOR:
LEVELS OF RIGOR:
RECALL
CONCEPT
STRATEGIC THINKING
EXTENDED THINKING
RIGOR:
Rigor is not an attribute of a text
but rather a characteristic of
our behavior with a text.
Rigor resides in the energy
and attention given to a text.
The CCSS promotes a
“thinking curriculum”.
The national standards place a
strong emphasis on students
reading more complex texts with
higher levels of comprehension and
greater independence. They are
NOT about taking a personal stance.
CCSS: Speaking & Listening
To build a foundation for college and career
readiness, students must have ample
opportunities to take part in a variety of
rich, structured conversations—as part of a
whole class, in small groups, and with a
partner. Being productive members of
these conversations requires that students
contribute accurate, relevant information;
respond to and develop what others have
said; make comparisons and contrasts; and
analyze and synthesize a multitude of ideas
in various domains.
COMPREHENSION AND
COLLABORATION
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.
SL.2 Integrate and evaluate information
presented in diverse media and formats,
including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
SL.3 Evaluate a speaker’s point of view,
reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.
PRESENTATION OF
KNOWLEDGE AND IDEAS
SL.4 Present information, findings, and
supporting evidence such that listeners can
follow the line of reasoning and the organization,
development, and style are appropriate to task,
purpose, and audience.
SL.5 Make strategic use of digital media and
visual displays of data to express information and
enhance understanding of presentations.
SL.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and
communicative tasks, demonstrating command
of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
TURN AND
TALK
WHAT ARE THE
IMPLICATIONS OF THE
S & L STANDARDS
The Power of Talk
Oral Rehearsal Builds the Foundation for:
 Oral Proficiency
 Reading Proficiency
 Writing Proficiency
INSPIRE:
CONVERSATION:
confidence
CRITICAL
THINKING
SKILLS
CONSTRUCT
MEANING
LITERACY
SKILLS
COMMUNICATION
SKILLS
PERSPECTIVES
AND EMPATHY
ACADEMIC
LANGUAGE
VOCABULARY
VOICE
Academic Conversations
By Zwiers & Crawford
ANCHOR CHARTS TO
PROMOTE CONVERSATION
WHAT’S THE GOAL?
WHAT’S THE LANGUAGE?
WHAT ARE THE RULES?
What does this mean for administrators
and leadership teams?
 Professional Development Opportunities
 Observations
 Walkthroughs
 Evaluations
MARZANO
DANIELSON
CONTENT SPECIFIC
SEGMENTS:
 Interacting with New
Knowledge
 Practicing and Deepening
Knowledge
 Generating and Testing
Hypotheses
SEGMENTS ENACTED ON THE
SPOT
 Student Engagement
 High Expectations
 DOMAIN 1: PLANNING
 DOMAIN 2: ENVIRONMENT
 DOMAIN 3: INSTRUCTION
 DOMAIN 4: PROFESSIONAL
RESPONSIBILITIES
TURN AND
TEACH
Share how you see
yourself bringing this to
your school culture.
USING TALK TO MAKE SENSE
OF NONFICTION TEXTS
MOVING BEYOND TEXT
FEATURES
Gradual Release of
Responsibility
Zone of Proximal
Development
FOUR CORNERS OF THE TEXT
WHAT DOES
THE TEXT
SAY?
HOW DOES THE TEXT
SAY IT?
WHAT DOES
THE TEXT
MEAN?
WHAT DOES
THE TEXT MEAN
TO ME?
1. LITERAL ~ Restatement
WHAT DOES
THE TEXT SAY?
RECALL
 Knowing:
Identifying and
recalling
information.
1. LITERAL ~ Restatement
LEARNER
ACTION









Arrange
Define
Identify
List
Label
Recall
Recite
State
Tell
RECALL
QUESTION STEMS
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Can you recall______?
When did ____ happen?
Who was ____?
How can you recognize____?
What is____?
What is the meaning of____?
Can you recall____?
Can you select____?
How would you write___?
What might you include on a list about__?
Who discovered___?
What is the formula for___?
Can you identify___?
How would you describe___?
2. LITERAL ~ Description
HOW DOES
THE TEXT SAY
IT?
CONCEPT
 Organizing:
Arranging
information to be
used effectively.
2. LITERAL ~ Description
LEARNER
ACTION









Categorize
Cause & effect
Distinguish
Graph
Identify patterns
Interpret
Modify
Summarize
Use context clues
CONCEPT
QUESTION STEMS
•
•
•
•
•
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Can you explain how __affected ____?
How would you compare/contrast ___?
How would you classify____?
How are___alike? Different?
What can you say about____?
How would you summarize____?
How would you estimate___?
How could you organize___?
3. INFERENTIAL ~ Application
WHAT DOES
THE TEXT
MEAN?
STRATEGIC
THINKING
 Applying: Using
information for
practical purposes.
 Analyzing:
Clarifying
information by
examining parts
and relationships.
3. INFERENTIAL ~ Application
LEARNER ACTION










Asses
Cite evidence
Critique
Develop logical
arguments
Differentiate
Draw Conclusions
Formulate
Hypothesize
Revise
Solve
STRATEGIC
THINKING
QUESTION STEMS
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
How is ____ related to ____?
What conclusions can you draw ?
How would you adapt __to create a different_?
How would you test____?
Can you predict the outcome if____?
What is the best answer? Why?
What conclusion can be drawn from these
texts?
Support your interpretation of this text?
How would you describe the sequence?
What facts would you select to support?
Can you elaborate on the reason____?
What would happen if___?
Can you formulate a theory for___?
How would you test___?
Can you elaborate on the reason___?
 Generating: Producing
new information,
meaning, or ideas.
WHAT DOES
THE TEXT
MEAN TO ME?
EXTENDED
THINKING
 Integrating:
Connecting and
combining
information.
 Evaluating: Assessing
the reasonableness
and quality of ideas.
4. INFERENTIAL ~ Interpretation
LEARNER
ACTION







Analyze
Apply concepts
Connect
Create
Design
Prove
Synthesize
EXTENDED
THINKING
QUESTION STEMS
• State a thesis, drawing conclusions
from multiple sources.
• Gather information to develop
alternative explanations for a
conclusion.
• Apply information from one text to
another text to develop a persuasive
argument.
• Compare and contrast two point of
views on the same subject.
• Analyze the author’s craft. (e.g., style,
bias, literary techniques, point of view)
ANCHOR CHARTS TO
SUPPORT NON-FICTION
WHAT’S THE GOAL?
WHAT’S THE LANGUAGE?
NON – FICTION
Beyond The Features
What does the text say?
What is the author’s point of
view?
What evidence supports that?
Word Ladders to Support
Academic Vocabulary
Teaching NF in Text Sets
 Meeting Demands of the STANDARDS
 TESTS (compare/contrast)
 LIFE SKILL
 NF most popular reading
 Nf we are reading has a point of view – asking us to
take what it is giving us, we need to think critically to
be empowered to interpret what we are reading
 WHAT IS TRUTH/WHAT IS NOT
 What are the biases that are inside NF texts

 Makes it possible to teach higher level thinking skills
 It invites NF bookclubs in a doable way, they can read text
sets and switch
Primary Read Aloud
Cross genre text sets
READ ALOUD
TURN AND TALK
SMALL GROUPS
BOOK CLUBS
READ ALOUD
 Read alouds match the genre the class is
studying
 Clubs sit together during the read aloud
 Encourage students to rely on
conversational prompts to support
standards
 Assess conversational prompts and
change them in light of new information
 Encourage students to compare their book
club books to the read alouds
Book Club
Logistics of reading in clubs
Work on reading skills-not only talk and
management
Time to linger with texts and look across
them
Support ideas with text evidence from
across a text and multiple sources
Children share and reflect on what they
learned when the unit is over
Whole Class Conversation
What does it look like?
What does it sound like?
How can you collect data about
it?
What does this look like?
Example
WHAT IS IT?
WHY SHOULD
WE DO IT?
HOW DO WE
DO IT?
CLOSE READING ~
THE NEW BUZZ
WORD
Digital Media
Wolves by Seymour Simon:
 http://browseinside.harpercollinschildrens.com/index.as
px?isbn13=9780061626586
 http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/specials/natgeo-live-specials/dutcher-wolves-lecture-nglive/
 http://events.nationalgeographic.com/events/speakers/2
013/10/16/hidden-life-wolves-az/
TURN AND
TEACH
Teach your partner what
you have learned.
POWER OF
ARGUMENT
Debate techniques
to organize ideas and evidence
before writing.
TAKE A STAND
 WHAT IS YOUR OPINION?
 WHAT IS YOUR EVIDENCE?
 HOW CAN YOU ORGANIZE YOUR EVIDENCE
TO PRESENT YOUR ARGUMENT? (THINK
BOXES AND BULLETS) MAKE A PLAN
 PRACTICE WITH COMMON STANCE
 PRACTICE WITH OPPOSING VIEWPOINT –
LISTEN FOR KEY POINTS TO COUNTER WITH
 RESTATE YOUR ARGUMENT TO THEOPPOSING
VIEWPOINT
WRITING ABOUT
READING
How does TALKING
Influence WRITING?
From Jots to Journals to Essays
ORAL PRACTICE  ESSAY
 DO THEY SPEAK IN COMPLETE
SENTENCES?
 DO THEY ASK EACH OTHER QUESTIONS?
 DO THEIR COMMENTS EXPRESS IDEAS?
 DO THEIR CONVERSATIONS INCLUDE THE
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE OF ESSAYS?
 DO THEIR CONVERSATIONS INCLUDE
SPECIFIC EVIDENCE?
 DO THEIR CONVERSATIONS INCLUDE
TRANSITIONS/LINKING WORDS?
TURN AND
TEACH
What’s your plan?
Q&A
 ELAINE BAKKE
K-12 ELA SUPERVISOR
LIVINGSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
ebakke@livingston.org
973 535 8000 x 8043
 JENNY WNUK
K-6 ELA SUPERVISOR ROXBURY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
jwnuk@roxbury.org