Shifting Your View of
Instruction Through the
Lens
of the Common Core
Laura A. Gonzalez
Learning Outcomes
• Understand the instructional shifts in ELA for the
Common Core State Standards.
• Participate in CCSS ELA Lesson Modules
Norms
3
• Work collaboratively and draw on
one another's strengths.
• Foster a positive learning
environment for all.
• Use technology effectively.
Quiz, Quiz, Trade
• What do we know about the Common Core
State Standards for ELA?
5
Supporting
st
21 Century Skills
Critical Thinking:
Reflection, analysis,
synthesis about a concept
or idea for the purpose of
gaining new knowledge.
Creativity: Generating new
ideas to solve problems
Communication:
Exchanging information
Collaboration: Working
together to accomplish a
goal
Tulare County Office of Education
What’s In and What’s Out?
IN
OUT
1. Frequent encounters w/complex texts
1. Leveled texts (only)
2. Texts worthy of close attention
2. Reading any ‘ol text
3. Balance of literary and Info texts
3. Solely literature
4. Coherent sequences of texts
4. Collection of unrelated texts
5. Mostly text-dependent questions
5. Mostly text-to-self questions
6. Mainly evidence-based analyses
6. Mainly writing without sources
7. Accent on academic vocabulary
7. Accent on literary terminology
8. Emphasis on reading & re-reading
8. Emphasis on pre-reading
9. Reading strategies (as means)
9. Reading strategies (as end goal)
10. Reading foundations (central and
integrated)
10. Reading foundations (peripheral and
detached)
Susan Pimentel, 2012
Instructional Examples
Instead of
Write a persuasive letter to your parents on why you
should have a pet.
Describe the events that led to the American Revolution.
Ask students to
Explain why a particular animal makes the best pet.
Justify why the American Revolution was necessary.
Susan Pimentel, 2012
7
www.achievethecore.org
The Shifts Build Toward College and
Career Readiness for All Students
Literacy Across Disciplines
CCSS does not just pertain to ELA but literacy across the disciplines
of science, social studies, and technical subjects too.
Red Flag/Green Flags
Green Flags
• Teach reading &
writing in all content
areas (SS, science,
etc.)
• Students write
frequently about what
they are reading and
learning
• Multiple texts
• Primary sources
Red Flags
• Teacher presents what
is in text, rather than
students reading it
• Text used as a reference
rather than source of
information
• No connection between
reading & writing
assignments
• A single text used
Literature and Informational Texts
Standards require certain percentages of literature and
informational texts (modeled on NAEP)
Grade
Literary
Informational
4
50%
50%
8
45%
55%
12
30%
70%
Research
Standards call for regular short research projects
“Among the highest
priorities of the Common
Core Standards is that
students can read closely
and gain knowledge from
texts.”
Example from the Classroom
How are students building
strong content knowledge?
What 21st Century Skills are
the students using?
What habits of mind are the
students developing?
http://vimeo.com/30418561
Process
• Literacy Across
Disciplines
• Informational Text
• Research
Processing the
ELA Shifts
15
Discuss
• What implication does this shift have on
classroom instruction?
Citing Evidence
Focus on students rigorously citing evidence from
texts to support claims/inferences
(Reading 1)
Red Flag/Green Flags
Green Flags
• Rich/Rigorous
conversations based
on text
• Students utilize
information from text in
their answers
• Questions ask students
to make inferences
from evidence in text
Red Flags
• Questions can be
answered without
reading text
• Questions are
centered on students’
own experience
• Students do not have
to make connections
to answer questions
Observe this
picture quietly.
What has
changed
and what
has stayed
the same?
Academic Talk
Require purposeful academic talk
(Speaking & Listening 1)
“Among the highest priorities
of the Common Core
Standards is that students can
read closely and gain
knowledge from texts.”
CCSS Emphasis in Writing
Writing to Sources
• Describe the connection
between a series of historical
events, scientific ideas or
concepts, or steps in technical
(RI.3)
• Compare and contrast the
most important points
presented by two texts on the
same topic.(RI.9)
• Write informative/ explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use
facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding
statement or section (W.2)
Writing to Sources
Require writing to sources rather than writing to
de-contextualized expository prompts (Writing 9)
Write a newspaper article defending why we should protect the owls in our
environment.
Process
• Citing Evidence
• Academic Talk
• Writing to Sources
Processing
the ELA Shifts
24
Discuss
• What implication does this shift have on
classroom instruction?
Engage with
Complex Text
Text Complexity
Toward
CCR
Text at High End of Grade Band
What students can read, in terms
of complexity, is the greatest
predictor of success in
college.
Text Between Middle and High
End of
Grade Band
End of Year
Text Near Middle of Grade Band
Text Between Low End and
Middle of
Grade Band
Text at Low End of Grade Band
Beginning of Year
www.achievethecore.org
25
Susan Pimentel, 2012
Red Flag/Green Flags
Green Flags
Red Flags
• All students engage in
same text
• Appropriate
scaffolding
• Students are required
to think critically about
the text
• Multiple text structures
• Students always use
leveled text
• Students are given a
summary of text prior
to reading
• No support offered for
below grade level
readers
• Single text structure
Engage with
Complex Text
Close Reading
of Text
• Standards reward careful,
close reading rather than
racing through texts
• Highly focused pre-reading
activities (no more than 10%
of time spent reading)
Susan Pimentel, 2012
www.achievethecore.org
27
Example from the Classroom
Mr. Michaud mentions
show and tell themes. How
does this structure provide
for more equitable
discussions?
How do the worksheet and
Mr. Michaud's questioning
provide scaffolding for
student presentations?
What other learning goals
are addressed during this
sharing time?
How are students using
academic vocabulary?
Tulare County Office of Education
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/show-and-tell-themes
Example from the
Classroom
Teaching
Channel –
• How do the "guiding reflection
questions" support students' thinking?
Poetry
Workstations • What skills are students practicing as
they create their podcast?
• How did the class blog contribute to
collaboration among students?
Common Core Standards ELA.RL.6.4, ELA.RL.6.7, ELA.SL.6.5
Close Reading
Let’s practice!
1st read- Listen to the passage read aloud
2nd read- Take notes from the text read aloud
3rd step- Compare your notes with the notes that
your partner took
4th step- Re-create the text with your partner
Compare
Take a Closer Look
R.7
W.6, W.8
SL.2, SL.4, SL.5
Text Dependent Questions
“A text dependent question specifically asks a
question that can only be answered by
referring explicitly back to the text being read”
- http://ok.gov/sde/sites/ok.gov.sde/files/C3%20Guide-AnalyticReading.pdf
3 Types of TextDependent Questions
•
Questions that assess themes and central
ideas
•
Questions that assess knowledge of
vocabulary
•
Questions that assess syntax and structure
33
Non-Examples and
Examples
Not Text-Dependent
Text-Dependent
In “Casey at the Bat,” Casey strikes
out. Describe a time when you failed
at something.
What makes Casey’s experiences at
bat humorous?
In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” Dr.
King discusses nonviolent protest.
Discuss, in writing, a time when you
wanted to fight against something
that you felt was unfair.
What can you infer from King’s letter
about the letter that he received?
In “The Gettysburg Address” Lincoln
says the nation is dedicated to the
proposition that all men are created
equal. Why is equality an important
value to promote?
“The Gettysburg Address” mentions
the year 1776. According to Lincoln’s
speech, why is this year significant to
the events described in the speech?
34
“Close Reading” of a
Stand-Alone Text
© 2012 The Aspen Institute
© 2012 The Aspen Institute
Tools for Creating Text-Dependent
Questions:
Text-Dependent Question Worksheet
A systematic
approach to
creating textdependent
questions for
complex texts
while aligning
them with the
demands of
the CCSS.
© 2012 The Aspen Institute
Activity
• Read the opening of Brian Lies’ Bats at the Beach
• With a partner, write one Text-Dependent
Question for each stanza aligned to a CCSS
anchor standard
• Share your question with others at your table
Evaluate your TDQ based on the samples provided
Process
• Text Complexity
• Close Reading
• Academic Language
Academic Language
Standards focus on the words that matter most—not
obscure vocabulary but the academic language that
pervades complex texts.
Vocabulary
Which words should be taught?
• Essential to understanding text
• Likely to appear in future reading
Which words should get more time and attention?
• More abstract words (as opposed to concrete words)
persist vs. checkpoint
noticed vs. accident
• Words which are part of semantic word family
secure, securely, security, secured
42
Source: Tulare County Office of Education
Three Tiers of
Vocabulary Instruction
Source: ELA CCSS Appendix A; www.corestandards.org
Tier One
• These words are the words of everyday
speech
• While important they are not the focus
• Usually not considered a challenge, but
dog
English Learners
will need to attend to them
school
house
food
45
Source: ELA CCSS Appendix A; www.corestandards.org
Tier Three
• Domain-specific words specific to a domain or field of
study
• Are key to understanding a new concept within text
• Are specific
• Have close ties to content knowledge
• Are far more common in in informational text than in
literary text
• Recognized as new and hard words
• Are explicitly defined by the author, repeatedly used,
and heavily scaffolded (e.g., made a part of a
glossary)
molecule
generation
stalactite
literary analysis
46
Source: ELA CCSS Appendix A; www.corestandards.org
Tier Two
• General Academic Words
• Are far more likely to appear in written form than
in speech
• They appear in all sorts of texts: informational,
technical, and literary
• Often represent subtle or precise to say relatively
simple things (saunter instead of walk)
• They are highly generalizable
inference
similar
analyze
summarize
compare
47
Source: ELA CCSS Appendix A; www.corestandards.org
Source: ELA CCSS Appendix A; www.corestandards.org
Identify & Classify Tiered
Vocabulary in Context
Source: ELA CCSS Appendix A; www.corestandards.org
from CCSS Appendix A pages 34-35
Processing the
ELA Shifts
52
Discuss
• What implication does this shift have on
classroom instruction?
53
Critical Thinking:
Reflection, analysis,
synthesis about a concept
or idea for the purpose of
gaining new knowledge.
Creativity: Generating new
ideas to solve problems
Communication:
Exchanging information
Collaboration: Working
together to accomplish a
goal
Tulare County Office of Education
Review
Sample Lesson Module
“Nail Soup”– Close Reading and Inquiry
Nail Soup
Pair Share
Focus Question
According to the story,
who is more dishonest,
the soldier
the
old woman?
Write or
your
answer.
Circle words or passages
that help answer the question.
Incorporate The Use Of
Language Frames
Partner A -
I believe ______ is more dishonest than ______
because ___________________.
Partner B(if you agree)
I likewise agree that ______ is more dishonest than
______ and I’ll add __________________.
(if you disagree)
I disagree. I believe ______ is more dishonest than
______ because ___________________.
Round Table-Round Robin
Discuss your
answer with your
partners. Come to
consensus. Be
ready to report out.
Your turn
Think of an upcoming
story or topic
• How can you incorporate
text dependent
questions?
Opinion/Argument Writing
Read Writing Standard one for your
grade level
ELA continuum p. 4
Writing CCR Standard #1
Write arguments to support claims in
an analysis of substantive topics or
texts, using valid reasoning and
relevant and sufficient evidence.
Examples from the Classroom
Opinion Writing – Grade 2
• How did Miss Patterson
engage her students in
authentic inquiry?
• In what ways did student
interest contribute to the
engagement of all
students.
• How did this activity
prepare students for
writing?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Icz4BrycFpo
Example from the Classroom
Brainstorming
• How does Ms. Brewer
tailor this lesson to the
needs of English
Language Learners?
• What kinds of questions
does Ms. Brewer ask to
guide her students'
discussions?
• How does this activity
prepare students for
writing?
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/analyzing-text-brainstorming
Example from the Classroom
Text Talk Time
• What routines does Ms.
Brewer have in place to
help discussion run
smoothly?
• Notice the questions
Ms. Brewer asks her
class. What makes
these questions rich?
• Why is it beneficial to
engage students in both
small and large group
discussions before
writing?
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/analyzing-text-as-a-group
Example from the Classroom
Text Analysis in Writing
• What structures does
Ms. Brewer have in
place to allow for
effective differentiation?
• The class spent a lot of
time talking before
writing. What effect did
this have?
• When Ms. Brewer
works with the small
group, how does she
support English
Language Learners?
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/analyzing-text-writing
Brewer Video Triad
• Process
• Application
• Planning
21st Century Skills
Where Did We Communicate?
21st Century Skills
Where Did We Collaborate?
21st Century Skills
Where Did We Critically Think?
21st Century Skills
Where Did We Create?