Common Core State Standards For ELA And Literacy

Is Reading in Kindergarten the Means for Ensuring College and Career Readiness? » TextProject Posted by Freddy Hiebert on 3 August 2011 Elfrieda H. Hiebert TextProject & University of California, Santa Cruz “K–12 reading texts have actually trended downward in difficulty in the last half century” (Common Core State Standards (CCSS), Appendix, A, page 2). In the case of kindergarten texts, this statement is blatantly false. The inclusion of kindergarten in this blanket statement about text difficulty represents an implicit assumption about beginning reading that also requires consideration—that earlier is better. The dumbing-down of kindergarten texts The CCSS writers cite two sources for the dumbing down conclusion: Chall (1967/1983, 1977) and Hayes, Wolfe, and Wolfer (1996). Further, neither Chall’s nor Hayes et al.’s analyses included kindergarten texts. In 1990, two independent analyses verified the absence of kindergarten textbooks in core reading programs (Hiebert & Papierz, 1990; Morrow & Parse, 1990). The pushing down of formal reading instruction References Chall, J. Chall, J.

Nine Strategies for Reaching All Learners in English Language Arts In order to maximize the benefits of ELT for students, I looked for ways to fine tune my approach to teaching individualized learning in my English language arts classroom. One of the instructional models that informs my approach to teaching individualized learning is the Readers and Writers Workshop. This approach proved very helpful in optimizing ELT. Readers and Writers Workshop: An Instructional Model The workshop model for English instruction combined with an extended 60 minutes of ELT support for my struggling students provides an excellent springboard to plan and implement individualized instruction in my class. 1. This phase involves a teacher modeling a reading or writing strategy for the students to practice. 2. This is a student work time allocated for practicing the modeled strategy. 3. This phase allows the whole class to regroup and review the lesson objectives, share learning, and reflect on what worked or did not work. Reaching All Learners in the ELA Classroom 1. 2. 3. 4.

Roles In Groups The following article is based on material from the Family Community Leadership program of the Cooperative Extension Service. Later in this issue we have an interview with the Washington State Coordinator for FCL, Ardis Young, which provides more detail on this remarkable leadership training program. AS WE MOVE AWAY FROM the simple but rigid authoritarian patterns of the age of empire, we need to refine and enrich our understanding of how we can work together in ways that draw on the full human potential among us. One of the most useful insights for doing this is to realize that "leadership" is not a simple property of one person ("the leader"), but rather it is a rich and diverse series of roles that are frequently shared by many people within a healthy group. To give this more detail, it will be helpful to distinguish between leadership roles that help the group accomplish its task, and roles that help the group build and maintain itself as a group: Task Roles Maintenance Roles

Common Core State Standards » TextProject The Common Core State Standards is the first effort by American states (43 to date) to set the same goals for student learning. Within the standards, explicit text levels are given across the grades to ensure that high school graduates are college and career ready. Beginning with the grade 2-3 band, target text levels have increased from previous recommendations. The Standards provide little guidance, however, on how to support the many students who struggle with current grade-level texts. TextProject has responded rapidly to this need with research-based resources that will guide and inform educators, parents, and community leaders. Featured Resources Benchmark Texts: Stepping Up Complexity Adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) represents the first time that explicit complexity levels have been set for grade-level texts. Reading Research Report #10.01 An Examination of Current Text Difficulty Indices with Early Reading Texts Hiebert, E.H. & Pearson, P.D. (2010). Text Matters

Reading Coach: Incidental Vocabulary By Cathy Puett Miller Note: This final article in a series on vocabulary instruction builds upon previous articles. If you missed the earlier articles, you might want to take at least a brief look at them before proceeding. (See sidebar 2 for links to previous articles in this series.) As we already know, incidental learning plays a critical role in vocabulary acquisition. Word knowledge is incremental. (Promoting Students Vocabulary Development: An Overview) Put your students in situations that allow them to experience all three types of learning. Preparation: Quickly read with students the class list of Intriguing Words. The Activity Break students into small teams. Through regular use of this activity, students will become masters at figuring out what words mean. A.

Finding Fabulous Financial Literacy Vocabulary With Fancy Nancy ReadWriteThink couldn't publish all of this great content without literacy experts to write and review for us. If you've got lessons plans, activities, or other ideas you'd like to contribute, we'd love to hear from you. More Find the latest in professional publications, learn new techniques and strategies, and find out how you can connect with other literacy professionals. More Teacher Resources by Grade Your students can save their work with Student Interactives. More Home › Classroom Resources › Lesson Plans Lesson Plan Overview Featured Resources From Theory to Practice In the Fancy Nancy series, the author introduces a variety of “fancy” words, which include descriptive vocabulary words. back to top Rodgers, Y.V., Hawthorne, S., & Wheeler, R.C. (2007). Recommend using children's literature to teach economics concepts in the primary grades. Ellery, V. (2005). Altieri, J.L. (2011).

Choosing, Chatting, and Collecting: Vocabulary Self-Collection Strategy ReadWriteThink couldn't publish all of this great content without literacy experts to write and review for us. If you've got lessons plans, videos, activities, or other ideas you'd like to contribute, we'd love to hear from you. More Find the latest in professional publications, learn new techniques and strategies, and find out how you can connect with other literacy professionals. More Teacher Resources by Grade Your students can save their work with Student Interactives. More Home › Classroom Resources › Lesson Plans Lesson Plan Overview From Theory to Practice The vocabulary self-collection strategy involves having students choose the words they want to learn, chat about their rationale for selecting words, and agree upon words for a classroom collection. back to top Ruddell, M.R., & Shearer, B.A. (2002).

BOOKMATCH: Scaffolding Independent Book Selection ReadWriteThink couldn't publish all of this great content without literacy experts to write and review for us. If you've got lessons plans, activities, or other ideas you'd like to contribute, we'd love to hear from you. More Find the latest in professional publications, learn new techniques and strategies, and find out how you can connect with other literacy professionals. More Teacher Resources by Grade Your students can save their work with Student Interactives. More Home › Classroom Resources › Lesson Plans Lesson Plan Overview From Theory to Practice This lesson prepares students to be independent and responsible for their own just-right book selections during independent reading time. back to top Wedwick, L., & Wutz, J.A (2008). Wedwick, L., & Wutz, J.A. (2006). Wutz, J.A., & Wedwick, L. (2005).

Building Reading Comprehension Through Think-Alouds Student Objectives Day 1 Day 2 Extensions Student Assessment/Reflections Students will Explore the use of the think-aloud strategyVocalize interactions with textsDiscuss connections between texts and previously acquired knowledgeUse various types of responses to interact with textsAssess personal level of comprehension back to top Day 1 Initiation — Present the term "think-aloud" to your students. Modeling — Model a think-aloud by presenting a poem on the overhead. Example — This is a think-aloud for the poem "Dream Variation" by Langston Hughes. To fling my arms wideIn some place of the sun,To whirl and to danceTill the white day is done. [I’m picturing a young girl with bare feet and a summer dress twirling in her front yard with her arms outstretched.] Then rest at cool eveningBeneath a tall tree [I'm picturing a large willow tree and sitting underneath it. While night comes on gently,Dark like me— That is my dream! [I think about how children's lives are so filled with dreams. Day 2

Are "just right" books right for the Common Core? In the 1990s, much of the fireworks in the education policy debate centered around a “reading war” where supporters of whole language squared off against the forces of phonics. Now, in the Common Core era, I predict a similar firestorm is on the horizon. Only this time, the debate will not be about how to teach students to read in the first place, but rather how to help them build knowledge and improve comprehension over time. More specifically: It’s about how to choose the books you are asking students to read. There are two camps in debate over how to select and assign texts. The prevailing view among many educators in the United States today is that the best way to improve student reading comprehension is to assign lots books that are “just right” for individual students. Makes sense, right? Not necessarily. Let’s take, as one example, a ninth grade student –Maria—who has the equivalent of a fifth grade reading level. Enter the Common Core.