Group items tagged

*Standards - what we teach *Text Complexity - what we teach with *Focus on comprehension Scaffolds - how we teach *The Task - how we measure what we teach Comprehension Standards - What's new? NOT the same cake with different frosting

Key ideas and details - what is author saying Standard 1Standard 2Standard 3 Craft and Structure - How is the author saying itStandard 4Standard 5Standard 6 Integration of Knowledge and Ideas - Why is the author saying itStandard 7Standard 8Standard 9 Text Complexity and RangeStandard 10

NEW ADDITIONS to think about when thinking about the CCSS 1. More on character development (characters who change from beginning to end) 2. Summary includes theme 3. Paraphrasing 4. Vocabulary: tier2, tier3, figurative language (simile, personification, idioms), TONE (where did the character have a bad attitude,  a good attitude, change attitude) 5. Genre, text structure 6. Text to text connections 7. Broader definition of text (digital, live, video) 8.Illustrations part of message (picture shows mood of character) 9. Point of view / perspectives (values and belief systems) NO LONGER TEACHING in CCSS: text to self connections because it takes students away from the texts Creative thinking

the push is now to implement next-generation learning goals that encourage higher-order thinking skills.

A critical piece in this roadmap will be new assessments, which have the potential to give school leaders new and better tools to guide instruction, support teachers, and improve outcomes. Assessment decisions will have a big impact on principals, who know the difference between leading a school constrained by punitively used tests that fail to measure many of the most important learning goals, and a school that uses thoughtful assessments to measure what matters and inform instruction.

Become part of a new accountability system that replaces the old test-and-punish philosophy with one that aims to assess, support, and improve. Tests should be used not to allocate sanctions, but to provide information, in conjunction with other indicators, to guide educational improvement.

Creating Text-Dependent Questions for Close Reading Step One: Identify the core understandings and key ideas of the text Step Two: Start small to build confidence Step Three: Target vocabulary and text structure Step Four: Tackle tough sections head‐on Step Five: Create coherent sequences of text-dependent questions Step Six: Identify the standards that are being addressed Question Stems for Close Reading of Informational Texts (Adapted from Race to the Top/Strategies for Close Reading) What clues show you … Point to the evidence … How does the author describe X in paragraph X? What are the exact words? What reasons does the book give for X? Where are they? Share a sentence that (tells you what the text is about, or describes X, or gives a different point of view) What is the purpose of paragraph X? What are the clues that tell you this? What does the author think about X? Why do you think so — what is your evidence? What do you predict will happen next? What are the clues that make you think so?

Examples of Text-Dependent Questions Could people live on Earth if there were no Sun? Why or why not? Use evidence from the text to support your answer. Explain why conditions on a distant planet like Neptune are so different than those on Earth. In the end, our task is unwavering: create questions that provide opportunities to teach strategies to our kids so they feel successful when they search for evidence and key words to answer text-dependent questions. Don't allow our students to answer a question without evidence and proof. Hold our students to high expectations, and constantly use those magic words, "Tell me more.""

With more and more of the world's content online, it is critical that students understand how to effectively use web search to find quality sources appropriate to their task. We've created a series of lessons to help you guide your students to use search meaningfully in their schoolwork and beyond. On this page, you'll find Search Literacy lessons and A Google A Day classroom challenges. Our search literacy lessons help you meet the new Common Core State Standards and are broken down based on level of expertise in search: Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced. A Google A Day challenges help your students put their search skills to the test, and to get your classroom engaged and excited about using technology to discover the world around them.

“With this test, you had to make your point and explain your answer,” said Desiree Jones. “In the future, you may have to do the same thing – back up your claim –where you work. You can’t just say, ‘That’s good.’ You’ll need to say what you think and why.”

Citing evidence, defending a position Desiree was referring to the performance assessment part of the test. It represents the biggest change from the state tests.

They were asked to take a position, using evidence based on what they read. They could use a split screen to cut and paste from the articles – a task that some students found difficult to do, especially for math problems, using their portable Chromebooks  – and they could write as much and take as much time as they wanted.

To design the text set, each person thought about a theme in the anchor text to explore. In this way, different people designed different text sets around a common anchor text. Next, each preservice teacher began to put a text set together. These requirements framed the assignment: The text set needed to include 6-8 texts, including the anchor text. The text set had to include both narrative and informational genres. The text set had to include both print and digital texts. The text set needed to include texts of varying complexity.

The authors inspired us to include both narrative and informational texts. The goals of this assignment were to help preservice teachers (1) understand what a text set is and (2) experience putting a text set together. Although the task seemed daunting at first, most preservice teachers were satisfied with their outcomes. The challenges we ran into included: Selecting an anchor text; Deciding on a theme in the anchor text to explore through the text set; Making informed choices about other texts to include.

These standards can seem daunting to preservice teachers. A text set assignment like the one described here is one way  teacher educators can help prepare our university students to plan curriculum and instruction that helps students make deeper connections.