Thursday, February 16, 2012

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Have you met with your literacy leader? If so, when did you carve out time to meet?
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Has you staff been exposed to the 6-shifts and
Text Complexity? If so, in what structure was the information presented (GLTs, After-school PD, LLT, etc.)?
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Have you met with you literacy leader since their last meeting on February 2 nd ? If not, have you set up a time to meet?

• Collaboratively reflect on our understanding of effective instruction and how we support teachers.
• Deepen our understanding of the curriculum content in elementary grades as presented in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks 2011
(MCF 2011).
• Discuss the changing role of administrators.

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Preview the rubric for effective leadership, engage in self-assessment and begin to craft one SMART goal.
 Review the key shifts in the new MA Curriculum
Framework for ELA & Literacy.
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Deepen our understanding of determining text complexity and how it connects to text-based questions.
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Distinguish between text-based and non-text based questions and their role in constructing meaning.
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Understand that text-discussions require careful planning to create effective question sequences, which keep students focused on making meaning of a text.
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Identify ways to explore this work of cultivating student interest and engagement in reading complex text carefully.

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Welcome 8:00

Reflective Leadership 8:30

BREAK

Instructional Leadership

Lunch: Operational Leadership
9:30
9:45
12:00
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wordlebright1

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Teacher Evaluation: Ross Wilson

Focus Date of
Professional
Development
November 17
December 15
January 19
February 16
March 15
April 26
Text Complexity
Cancelled
Cancelled
Responding to Literature: textbased questions
Follow up on Responding to
Literature: text-based questions
Text Types and Purpose (Writing)
May 24 and June
21
Pulling it All Together

Literacy
 3 Shifts of the Common Core
Standards
 Text-based Questions and Text
Discussions
 Implication for Instruction

5.
6.
3.
4.
1.
2.
Balance of literary and informational text
Extension of literacy to the content areas
1.
Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and informational texts
Focus on text complexity
Focus on text-based questions
2.
Reading and writing grounded in evidence from text
Emphasis on argument and informative writing
Stress on academic and content-specific vocabulary
3.
Regular practice with complex text and its academic vocabulary

•
•
•
•
Much of our knowledge base comes from informational texts
Informational texts make up 80% of required reading in college and the workplace
Informational text is harder for students to comprehend than narrative text
Students are asked to read only 7% to 15% in elementary and middle school

Reading, Writing, and Speaking
Grounded in Evidence

Most college and workplace writing is evidencebased and expository in nature (not narrative)
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Reading standards require students to respond to text-dependent questions with evidencebased claims

Writing standards ask students to respond to evidence-based writing prompts
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Speaking and listening standards require students to cite evidence in discussions

Regular Practice with
Complex Texts

There is a gap between the complexity of texts students are required to read in high school and in college
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What students can read in terms of complexity is the greatest predictor of success in college
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The standards include a staircase of increasing text complexity from elementary school through high school
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The standards focus on building the academic vocabulary that is critical for comprehension

Qualitative Dimensions
Quantitative Dimensions
Reader and Task Considerations

Aspect of Text
Levels of Meaning or Purpose
Degree of Complexity
Structure
Language Conventionality &
Clarity
Knowledge Demands: Life
Experiences
Knowledge Demands:
Cultural/literary
Knowledge Demands:
Content/disciplinary

Read Gonzalo from
Paul Fleischman’s book
Seedfolks and highlight, mark or note the places in the text where it is complex.
Use the Text
Complexity Tool as a guide.

Aspect of Text Degree of Complexity
Levels of Meaning or Purpose
Structure
-Multiple levels of meaning
(Ex: The older you are, the younger you get when you move to the
United States.)
-Complex organization with use of flashback
-Flashback occurs in chronological order
Language Conventionality & Clarity -Figurative language
(Ex: He seemed to recognize them like old friends.)
-Alternating short and complex
Knowledge Demands: Life
Experiences sentences
-Complex theme
-Single perspective
Knowledge Demands:
Cultural/literary
Knowledge Demands:
Content/disciplinary
-Realistic fiction genre with familiar plot structure

5.
6.
II. Questions and Tasks
1.
High-Quality Text-Dependent Questions and Tasks:
2.
Among the highest priorities of the Common Core State
Standards is that students be able to read closely and gain knowledge from texts.
3.
1. Form into groups of 3 and jigsaw sections a, b and c.
4.
2. Read and give the “gist” in 15 words or less

a. What strategy did you use to figure out how Tio
Juan changed from a baby back into a man?
b. Explain how Tio Juan changed from a baby back into a man?
c. In the chapter Gonzalo, Tio Juan gets so wrapped up in his work that he doesn’t notice others. Describe something that you enjoy doing so much that you get wrapped up in it.

Making Meaning

What have we learned so far?

What have we learned about Gonzalo’s father?

What has the author shared with us now?
Superfluous

Why hasn’t Mr. Smoltz heard of the Garcia
Equation?

What is a bodega?

What does it mean when it says, “some gang driving by might use you for target practice”?

What did the author mean when he said, “I was watching TV getting smart on The Brady Bunch?

Criteria for Creating Text-dependent
Questions for Close Analytic Reading of Texts

Identify core understandings of the text
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Start with questions that orientate students to the text
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Target text structures and academic words

Craft questions that support students with difficult sections of the text
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Create a sequence of questions that build understanding
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Create a culminating assessment/open response


As Liz explains the process of planning a text discussion with Gonzalo jot down things that you notice, question or wonder.

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As you view Ruben engage in a text discussion with Caddie Woodlawn jot down things that you notice, question or wonder.

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However, the scaffolding should not preempt or replace the text by translating its contents for students or telling students what they are going to learn in advance of reading the text; that is, the scaffolding should not become an alternate, simpler source of information that diminishes the need for
students to read the text itself carefully. (Publisher’s
Criteria, 2011)
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Reading strategies must take their rightful place in service of reading comprehension, and building skills should not replace building knowledge and insight
from specific texts.. As much as possible, this training should be embedded in the activity of reading the text rather than being taught as a separate body of
material. (Publisher’s Criteria, 2011)

Role of the Teacher

Ask questions that help students make meaning of the text
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Stay neutral when hearing responses from students
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Allow sufficient wait time
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Direct students to the text for clarification or evidence
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Embrace struggle and realize the difference between frustration and challenge
Role of the Students

Make meaning of the text
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Listen and think about the responses of other students
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Go back to the text for clarification and evidence

Embrace struggle and realize the difference between frustration and challenge

•
Short texts
• Excerpts
• Picture Books
• Chapter Books
• Main Selection from Reading Street

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A question circling in your mind

Something that squares with your beliefs
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A point that you will take away


Identify ways to explore this work of cultivating student interest and engagement in reading complex text carefully
 Principal Perspective
 Teacher Perspective

Assignment
 Set up a time to meet with your
Literacy Leader (30-
45 minutes).
 Identify how and when you will share an overview of Textbased Questions with your staff
Tools for Support
 Publisher’s Criteria
 Examples of Text-based and Non Text-based
Questions
 Criteria for Creating Text-
Dependent Questions for
Close Analytic Reading of
Texts
 Transcriptions of Reading
Street Questions


LUNCH

Focus Date of
Professional
Development
November 17
February 16
Text Complexity
Text Dependent Questions
March 15
April 26
Follow up on Text Dependent
Questions
Text Types and Purpose (Writing)
May 24 and June
21
Pulling it All Together