Ride the Common Core Wave in
ELA and Social Studies
Presenters:
Cindy Lewis
Lori P. Locklear
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Learning Targets for Today…..
 I can understand the CCR Anchor Standards for
Reading and Literacy using a text (Close Reading).
 I can understand how the shifts and standards are
connected.
 I can apply understanding of the three shifts to
classroom instruction by creating a VOKI.
 I can safely learn where to access complex texts for
ELA and Social Studies (NCWISEOWL,
www.commoncore.org, ELA Appendices B).
 I can create a live binder(desk top) with artifact tabs
which include ELA and Social Studies lesson plans and
resources for choosing texts.
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CCSS Snapshot: (Informational Text
in 6–12)
 Reading Standards for English language arts (ELA),
grades 6–12, are divided into two categories:
Literature and Informational Text. Ten standards
focus on Literature and ten on Informational Text.
 Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social
Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects include ten
standards for Informational Text that parallel the ten
Informational Text standards for ELA. Central to
curricular coherence in the CCSS, this parallel design
builds students‘ reading skills
across all subject areas.
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Fact: (Informational Text in 6–12)
 Students benefit when teachers work together to
strengthen adolescent literacy. By the Year 2019, it is
predicted that 63% of all jobs will require a college
degree, yet the number of college graduates in the
U.S. has steadily declined (Johnson & Sengupta,
2009). Reading and writing are critical skills for
success in college and career. To that end, literacy
skills in the CCSS cut across all core curricula with
expectations for strategy instruction in vocabulary,
comprehension, and writing specific to the subject
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areas.
College and Career Readiness Anchor
Standards
Reading
Language
Writing
Reading for Information
Reading Literature
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Speaking
Listening
Key Ideas and Details Cluster
This cluster helps students to deepen their
knowledge alongside another text ( Examples:
Use a movie clip, another novel that coincides with
text).
So, what questions should students be asking for themselves as
they read the text?
 How does action happen across the story?
 How is the author using and moving details across the
story?
 At what point does the conflict begin?
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 How do you know?
Craft and Structure Cluster
 What point of view does the author use?
 What is the craft the author brings to the story?
 Which words contribute to the tone and mood of the
text?
 What did the author do to build a character sketch?
 How does the ability to question and seek answers
help readers understand and analyze text?
 What strategies can be used to help children
recognize that types of text, such as stories and
poems, are structured differently?
 How does understanding the author and the author’s
use of text features support comprehension?
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Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Cluster
 Students at early grade levels are beginning to
develop the ability to integrate and evaluate content
presented in diverse formats and media, including
visual, quantitative, and written. At a simple level,
they can recognize an argument and evaluate specific
claims, including the validity of the reasoning and the
relevance and sufficiency of the evidence. By using
multiple texts that address similar themes or topics,
they develop foundational skills needed to analyze
texts so as to build knowledge and compare the
approaches and views of different authors.
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What is a Close Reading?
 Close Reading is keeping your eyes on the
text to read the content very carefully, paying
attention to details.
 Requires active thinking and analyzing of the content
to make decisions.
 A skill that will remain one of the students’ most
practical literacy skills throughout their college and
careers.
 Teachers will provide a “First read” for students,
then, ask for a “second read” of the text.
 While students are closely reading the text, students
will annotate the text by highlighting difficult words,
writing questions that they may have in the margin,
or making connections to other big ideas or texts.
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Pathways to the Common Core
(Engage)
Activity #1: 30 minutes
Learning TargetUnderstanding of the CCR Anchor Standards for Reading
using a text.
CLICK On:
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Pathways to the Common Core
 Activity #1- 5 minutes
Standards Reflection:
Using linoit copy and paste the incomplete statement
below on a sticky note. Then, fill in the blanks to
complete the statement about a particular standard or
cluster that makes new sense to you.
I used to think _ and now I know _.
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Disciplinary Reading Instruction
 Not the popular new name for content area reading
 Each discipline possesses its own language, purposes, and
ways of using text that students should be inducted into
 There are special skills and strategies needed for students
to make complete sense of texts from the disciplines
 As students begin to confront these kinds of texts
(especially in middle school and high school), instruction
must facilitate their understanding of what it means to
read disciplinary texts
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Jigsaw Reading
 In content groups, read your section:
Social Studies/History pgs. 6-9
English Language Arts pgs. 9-12
 Create a T-chart and post. Be prepared to share out!
Reading skill
Reading Strategy
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Historians’ Reading





Consider the author and the source
What is the story being told?
Interpretation of events, not truth
Document Analysis
Vocabulary: not as technical; words not specific to
history but highly complex; some words not current
or metaphorical; nominalization of events
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So, what’s the Connection?
Building knowledge through content-rich
nonfiction and informational texts

****Building knowledge through content rich
non- fiction plays an essential role in literacy and in the
Standards. In 6-12, ELA classes place much greater
attention to a specific category of informational text—
literary nonfiction—than has been traditional. In grades
6-12, the Standards for literacy in history/social studies,
science and technical subjects ensure that students can
independently build knowledge in these disciplines
through reading and writing.
 To be clear, the Standards do require substantial
attention to literature throughout K-12, as half of the
required work in K-5 and the core of the work of 6-12
ELA teachers.
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Reading and writing grounded in
evidence from text
 The Standards place a premium on students writing
to sources, i.e., using evidence from texts to present
careful analyses, well-defended claims, and clear
information. Rather than asking students questions
they can answer solely from their prior knowledge or
experience, the Standards expect students to answer
questions that depend on their having read the text
or texts with care. The Standards also require the
cultivation of narrative writing throughout the
grades, and in later grades a command of sequence
and detail will be essential for effective
argumentative and informational writing.
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Regular practice with complex text
and its academic vocabulary

Rather than focusing solely on the skills of reading and
writing, the Standards highlight the growing complexity of
the texts students must read to be ready for the demands
of college and careers. The Standards build a staircase of
text complexity so that all students are ready for the
demands of college- and career-level reading no later than
the end of high school.
 Closely related to text complexity—and inextricably
connected to reading comprehension—is a focus on
academic vocabulary: words that appear in a variety of
content areas (such as ignite and commit).
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Standards Leads to Shifts
(Explore)
Activity #2 - 15 minutes
Learning Target- Teachers will understand how the shifts and
standards are connected.
 Work in small groups using the CCR Anchor Handout.
 Find two standards that support each of the shifts and
write the shift next to the standard on your handout.
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3 Shifts Brochure
(Explain)
 Activity #3- Explanation of the 3
shifts
CLICK On:
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3 Shifts Brochure
(Explain)
Activity #3- 30 minutes
Learning Target- Teachers will review the three shifts and
apply their understanding to classroom instruction.

Close reading of the shifts (on front of brochure),
Annotate
 Review classroom examples for each shift (on back of
brochure)
 Write and Respond: What changes might this shift
bring to my classroom/school/district? (on back of
brochure)
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Why a VOKI?
 What is Voki?
Voki enables users to express themselves on the web in their own
voice using a talking character. You can customize your Voki to look like
you or take on the identity of lots of other types of characters… animals,
monsters, anime etc. Your Voki can speak with your own voice which is
added via microphone, upload, or phone.
 Teachers can use “VOKI” to help students reflect on their work.
Research shows that at the end of 40 minutes to 1 hour, students need
time to stop and reflect on what they have learned.
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Creating a VOKI
Activity #4- 30 minutes
Create a VOKI and go for a Gallery
Walk!
 Teachers will summarize their understanding using Voki.
In small groups, create a way to articulate one of the
shifts to a colleague.
CLICK On: VOKI
In VOKI, go to the lesson plan tab and choose two
lesson plans for your grade level that you can use in
your ELA and Social Studies 22classroom.
Rich and Worthy Texts
Where do I go?
(Elaboration)
 Activity # 5- 20 minutes
 Learning Target- Teachers will safely learn
where to access complex texts.
NCWISEOWL
www.corestandards.org
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/
http://pinterest.com/jjohnson0104/common-coreresources/
http://elaccss.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Resources
http://www.commoncore.org/maps/resources/digital_res
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ources
Resources for Livebinders
(Evaluation)
 Activity #6- 30 minutes
www.livebinders.com
Create a live binder(desk top) with artifact tabs which
include ELA and Social Studies lesson plans and
resources for choosing texts.
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Got Questions?
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