Conducting Walkthrough
Observations in K – 12
English Language Arts
Classrooms
Angelle Lailhengue
Instructional Coach
St. Bernard Parish
Lauren E. Trahan
ELA Dept. Director &
Instructor Iberia Parish
Objectives
• Develop a deeper understanding of the key shifts
required by the Common Core State Standards.
• Recognize and understand the core actions, how
they relate to the key shifts for ELA/Literacy, and
what they look like in practice.
• Become familiar with and apply the CCSS
Instructional Practice Guides (IPG) for ELA/Literacy.
• Ascertain how to use the IPG as a coaching tool
during walk-through observations.
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The ELA Shifts
1. Regular
with complex
text andrich
its
1.
Buildingpractice
knowledge
through content
academic
nonfiction.language.
2. Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in
evidence from text, both literary and
informational.
3. Building knowledge through content rich
3. Regular practice with complex text and its
nonfiction.
academic language
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Why the Shifts?
The instructional shifts for ELA can anchor all
decisions around implementing the CCSS.
• Instructional Materials
• Formative and Summative Assessments
• Instructional Practices
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CCSS Instructional Practice Guides (IPG) - Design &
Structure
• Each CCSS Instructional Practice Guide includes a tool
for a single lesson and a tool for over the course of
the year.
• Each CCSS Evidence Guide for a single lesson has 3
Core Actions and each Core Action has 3-6 indicators.
• Log on to http://achievethecore.org/coaching-tool/
All guides are available at achievethecore.org/instructional-practice.
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The IPG
• Create an account on achievethecore.org.
• Begin an observation using the IPG as a
coaching tool.
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CCSS Instructional Practice Guides - Design
Daily Lessons or
Over the Course of
the Year
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CCSS Instructional Practice Guides - Design
• Core Actions
Key Practices
(numbered sections)
• Indicators
Observable
(lettered details
under each
Core Action)
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How do the Core Actions support the ELA Shifts?
• Look for evidence of each shift in the
indicators for each Core Action.
• Identify which Core Actions support
which ELA Shifts.
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How Will I Know if the Lesson Reflects the Shifts?
• The full intent of the standard is being
addressed.
• The rigor required by the standard is being
addressed.
• The lesson connects to and build on students’
prior skills and knowledge.
• Over the Course of the Year Guides.
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Core Action #1: High Quality Texts
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High Quality Texts – How Will I Know?
• What text will be used in the lesson?
• Is this text part of a sequence of texts designed
to build knowledge?
• What are the quantitative measure(s) and
qualitative features of the text?
• What considerations were made for reader and
task?
• Refer to Over the Course of the Year Guides
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Core Action #2: Text Dependent, Text Specific
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Text Dependent and Text Specific –
How Will I Know?
• Are the majority of questions and tasks text dependent and
text specific?
• Can the student answer the questions without prior or
outside knowledge?
• Does answering the questions require that students read
the text?
• Are the questions tied to a text (not stand-alone)?
• Do the questions require students to cite or use evidence
from the text to determine the correct answer?
• Do the questions require students to follow the details of,
make inferences from, and/or evaluate what is read?
• Refer to the Over the Course of the Year Guides
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Text Dependent and Text Specific –
How Will I Know?
Questions and Tasks address:
• The CCSS for Reading and Writing
• A coherent sequence of questions designed to
deepen understanding as students continue reading
• Central ideas of the texts
• Vocabulary and syntax
• Challenging portions of text
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Core Action #3: Productive Engagement
Note: K-2 and 3-5 have additional indicators
for addressing foundational reading skills
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Productive Engagement – How Will I Know?
• Were students able to successfully respond to the
text dependent questions and tasks with precision?
• What strategies did the teacher utilize to encourage
collaboration among students?
• Are there clear protocols for discussion?
• Are the students doing the work of reading, writing,
speaking or listening?
• Is the teacher allowing adequate wait time for
students to persists through challenges?
• Refer to Over the Course of the Year Guides.
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PRACTICE: 360° Observation
1. Read the lesson plan materials.
2. Watch the video.
3. Use the IPG you created on acievethecore.org
to examine and discuss the lesson.
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Lesson Plan
•5th grade ELA class, large ELL population (16 speak language
other than English at home)
•Lewis and Clark by R. Conrad Stein (Lexile 980)
•Prior lessons: Students read in small groups, using guiding
questions to scaffold instruction in smaller setting
•Today’s lesson: Whole group discussion of the text
• CCSS SL.5.1(come to discussions prepared, follow rules for discussion,
pose and respond to specific questions, review key ideas and draw
conclusions) and RI.5.1 (quote accurately from text when explaining
what it says and when drawing inferences)
•Tomorrow’s lesson: Compose literary analysis of author’s
viewpoint that uses textual support. (small group instruction for
weakest ELL students with independent writing time for on-level
students)
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5th Grade ELA
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Focus in High School
The mile-wide inch-deep problem looks different in high school.
In earlier grades it’s a matter of having too many topics. In high
school it’s a matter of having too many separately memorized
techniques, with no overall understanding of the structure to tie
them altogether. So narrowing and deepening the curriculum is
not so much a matter of eliminating topics, as seeing the
structure that ties them together.
Prof. William McCallum
2/18/12
http://commoncoretools.me/2012/02/16/the-structure-is-the-standards/#comments
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Lesson Plan
•AP English Class
•Prior lessons: Finding evidence in the text, Determining the
theme of text
•Today’s lesson: Connect Themes Between Texts
• CCSS SL.11-12.1a (Come to discussions prepared, having read and
researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation
by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or
issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.) and
SL.11-12.1c (Propel conversations by posing and responding to
questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a
full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge
ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative
perspectives.)
•Tomorrow’s lesson: Continue with discussion!
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12th Grade ELA
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How do you see your schools using the IPGs?
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Other Content Areas
• How can the IPGs assist non-ELA/Math
teachers in understanding the role of CCSS
in their content?
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“Silent 5”
Take 5 minutes and silently write on a post-it…
• An insight I gained from today...
• I’m still wondering about…
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Q&A and Next Steps
•Silent 5 Share Out – Insights and Wonderings
•Q & A
•Evaluation
•Survey: http://tinyurl.com/IPGfeedback
(You will need a Google docs account for this survey)
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Our Contact Information
Angelle Lailhengue
K – 5 Instructional Coach
St. Bernard Parish Public Schools
infoonthecore@gmail.com
Lauren E. Trahan
9-12 ELA Department
Director & Instructor
Iberia Parish
lktrahan@iberia.k12.la.us
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