English Language Arts Info
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Common Core State Standards for ELA : Professional Development Modules
On this page:
Module 1: Introduction
Resources to help you learn what the initiative is all about and to develop general concepts about the ELA standards and appendices.
Module 2: Alignment
Information about what alignment means and resources to help you align your curriculum and practices to the CCSS.
Module 3: Implementation
Topic-specific support for implementing the standards.
Module 1: Introduction
Resources to help you learn what the initiative is all about and to develop general concepts about the ELA standards and appendices. Items presented in this module are intended to help educators get familiar with the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, including the Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects, and the three appendices. The standards and related documents are presented in various formats, in their entirety, chunked into smaller parts for easier access, and grouped for topical study. Suggestions for learning activities are also included.
Common Core State Standards Introduction
In September, 2010, Patsy Dunton and Lee Anne Larsen of the Maine Department of Education presented a workshop introducing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Initiative and exploring how this historic document may affect the work of educators throughout Maine. In these six-hour workshops, participants discussed:
- the layout and organization of all the CCSS documents for English Language Arts;
- some of the content within the document including definitions of text complexity, role of text types, and sample or suggested texts and students performance tasks;
- understanding the foundational skills presented in the document (K-5);
- implications for the Literacy standards in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects (specific to 6-12).
In order to help schools and districts prepare for the implementation of the Common Core State Standards, we are offering the materials used in the workshops for local professional development.
Online Presentation: A follow-up to the full day workshops. Patsy and Lee Anne review the morning workshop materials and strategies used to help educators get acquainted with the Common Core State Standards and all supporting materials. This session is a description of activities with an expectation that participants can use the information and resources to conduct professional development in their own locations. (Flash* / Approximately 45min.)
Click here to view the recorded presentation.
Additional materials for Module 1
WEBINAR SERIES: The Common Core State Standards - The Year of Study
An online series of webinars designed to guide ELA educators in Maine through the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), assist in developing an understanding of the document and its appendices, and establishing a foundation for approaching the standards in the classroom.
Introduction (Originally presented 11/3/10)
This session introduces the Common Core State Standards and explores how this historic document may affect the work of educators throughout Maine. In this presentation, Patsy Dunton and Lee Anne Larsen discuss:
- the layout and organization of all the CCSS documents for English Language Arts;
- some of the content within the document including definitions of text complexity, role of text types, and sample or suggested texts and students performance tasks;
- understanding the foundational skills presented in the document (K-5);
- implications for the Literacy standards in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects (specific to 6-12).
Click here to view the recorded presentation. (Flash* / Approximately 45 minutes)
Bibliographies (Originally presented 12/7/10)
This presentation examines some of the articles, books, and papers which informed the development of the Common Core State Standards and the information found in the appendices. If you are seeking more information about resources to support professional learning, you will find detailed information in the presentation about several options in each of the four strands (Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language).
Click here to view the recorded presentation. (Flash* / Approximately 47 minutes)
View or download a printable version of the presentation. (PDF)
Common Core State Standards Videos
The Hunt Institute and the Council for Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) have developed a series of video vignettes that describe and explain the Common Core State Standards. In the videos, key Standards writers talk about how the Standards were developed, who was involved, and the goals they set for all students.
View online: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheHuntInstitute.
ASCD Special Report: Common Core State Standards
Now that the Common Core State Standards in English and math have been
adopted by most states, how will teaching and learning change? This
two-part ASCD SmartBrief Special Report on the Common Core State
Standards offers educators a guide to the latest information.
Click here to read the report.
Module 2: Alignment
Information about what alignment means and resources to help you align your curriculum and practices to the CCSS. After developing an initial understanding of the materials and concepts in the Common Core State Standards, this module will help educators unpack the standards, determine whether their current practices and resources match the CCSS, and where they may have gaps in curriculum and strategies for implementation.
WEBINAR: Issues of Alignment: Common Core State Standards in Maine (Originally presented 6/15/11)
The Common Core State Standards for ELA and Math have been adopted by the Maine Legislature. Full transition to these standards is expected by the 2014/2015 school year. In an effort to support the transitioning work, MDOE ELA Specialists Patsy Dunton and Lee Anne Larsen have prepared this presentation, which explores the topic of alignment to standards, provides definitions of what it means to be aligned, and suggests methods for determining degree of alignment in your school or classroom. Several resources for supporting curriculum work and standards transition are offered.
Click here to view a recording of the presentation. (Flash* / Approximately 63 minutes)
Click here to download the PowerPoint presentation used in this webinar. (PPT)
Text Complexity
Determining complexity is a primary concern of initial implementation efforts. The Council of Chief State School Officers published the following report about complexity research: Measures of Text Difficulty: Testing Their Predictive Value for Grade Levels and Student Performance (PDF).
You may want to begin by comparing your texts to those listed in Appendix B. Click here for a graphic organizer to help you evaluate your complexity alignment. (PDF)
Tools and resources to support an understanding of complexity.
Developmental Progressions
Seeing how the standards line up in a developmental progression (a version of “alignment”) is critical to understanding a standard within a particular grade level. (All files PDF)
Nationally Shared CCSS Alignment Resources
As states transition to the Common Core State Standards, they share the work they have done. Delaware and Kentucky have posted their “unpacking” work which has been publicly vetted and independently verified.
Delaware
KUD (Know-Understand-Do) Concept Organizers (based on the Common Core State Standards) are an unpacking of a Common Core State Standard. These are not a curriculum unit but should be used as a springboard to inform decisions about curriculum and instruction.
http://www.doe.k12.de.us/infosuites/staff/ci/content_areas/ela.shtml (Viewers will need to scroll.)
Kentucky
A complete set of deconstructed standards for English Language Arts is now available! These were created collaboratively by teachers and leaders across the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Please note that these deconstructions have been reviewed, edited, and revised based on feedback from internal and external reviewers.
http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Instructional+Resources/Curriculum+Documents+and+Resources/English+Language+Arts+Deconstructed+Standards.htm
Unpacking the Standards
The following activities lead you through a process of understanding the standards in context: horizontal alignment, vertical alignment, connecting to information and resources in the appendices, and using other relevant supporting information to unpack. While we have not presented an activity for every one of the 32 ELA standards, we have provided several models and a blank template.
As you do the unpacking, remember to identify gaps in your knowledge and in your curriculum. Once you have identified your gaps or priority transition topics, determine how to fill those gaps. Module 3 will continue to grow as we create materials and tools to fill the gaps.
Cognitive demand refers to the expectation of student thinking relative to standards, instruction, and assessment.
In Maine, we often use the model of cognitive demand called Depth of Knowledge (DOK) developed by Dr. Norman Webb at the University of Wisconsin.
Read more about Depth of Knowledge for Four Content Areas (PDF) Norman L. Webb (2002)
Click here to view the archived webinar: Cognitive Demand and Constructed Responses - Reading (Originally presented 3/2/11)
(Flash* / Approximately 80 minutes) View or download a printable version of the presentation. (PDF)
Module 3: Implementation
Topic-specific support for implementing the standards. Resources listed in Module 3 are intended to help fill the gaps educators might encounter as they transition to the CCSS. As needs are identified and materials are developed, Maine Department of Education ELA specialists will post information about webinars, workshops, and other materials in this section.
Reading Like a Writer
A guide for helping students evaluate and annotate text. This document provides a model with notes for teachers and a student template for reading short articles and passages. It may work for any grade with appropriate modification. PDF | MS Word
Peer Edit Protocol (MS Word)
A model for helping students learn how to edit a partner’s paper. Modify as necessary according to your needs. This instructional tool can also be used as formative assessment.
readwritethink.org
NCTE and the International Reading Association host a great website with a plethora of resources for the English classroom. You will find lesson plans, professional learning, and more. Click here to visit the site.
Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle and High School (PDF)
What comes after Reading First? Writing Next. This report includes 11 Key Elements of Writing Instruction.
Writing to Read: Evidence for How Writing Can Improve Reading (PDF)
While reading and writing are closely connected, writing is an often overlooked tool for improving reading skills and content learning. This study identifies three core instructional practices that have been show to be effective in improving student reading.
The Synthesis Question
At the Spring 2008 MCELA conference, Cindy Allen of Camden Hills Regional High School and Beth Allen of Kennebunk High School presented a workshop about teaching the skills necessary to create a strong response to the AP synthesis essay prompt. These instructional strategies are applicable to anyone providing opportunity to learn how to analyze text, extract information, and use it effectively. View the PowerPoint presentation of The Synthesis Question (PPT)
WEBINAR: Common Core State Standards for Reading, Grades 6-12 (Originally presented 11/9/11)
Beginning in grade 6, the reading standards include Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects. Understanding the reading strand necessary involves understanding the relationship between and among the reading standards for literature, informational text, and the content areas. In this presentation, Patsy Dunton and Lee Anne Larsen explore the standards and offer suggestions for aligning curriculum and practice.
Click here to view the recorded presentation. (Flash* / Approximately 58 minutes)
Documents:
WEBINAR: Common Core State Standards for Writing, Grades K-5 (Originally presented 11/1/11)
The writing standards are rigorous and developmentally incremental. Participants in this session will understand the learning targets and explore some instructional strategies for implementation. Transition resources are also shared.
Click here to view the recorded presentation. (Flash* / Approximately 65 minutes)
Documents:
WEBINAR: CCSS - Vocabulary (Originally presented 1/19/11)
This presentation, for educators at grade levels 6-12, discusses the philosophy of vocabulary instruction, demonstrates some strategies, and explores a few resources including the two books presented in the September workshops.
Click here to view the recorded presentation. (Flash* / Approximately 47 minutes)
View or download a printable version of the presentation. (PDF)
WEBINAR: Amy Benjamin: Vocabulary at the Center (Originally presented 5/17/11)
The Common Core State Standards includes
significant expectations about vocabulary learning: no less than three
of the 35 standards address vocabulary development. Research suggests
that achievement in the workplace and strong content area learning
require that an individual be skillful in making meaning of new words
and concepts. There is certainly a connection to rapidly changing
technology which is profoundly altering the workplace.
In an effort to fill the gap, the Maine Department of Education is pleased to present Amy Benjamin: Vocabulary at the Center. This webinar features Amy Benjamin, author of Vocabulary at the Center, offering ideas about vocabulary instruction in middle and high school.
Amy Benjamin is a nationally recognized consultant
specializing in improving student performance through literacy in all
subject areas. An advisor to major educational publishers including
Holt McDougal, McGraw Hill, and the College Board, she is also a member
of the professional development network of the National Council of
Teachers of English. As a classroom teacher, Amy received honors and
recognition for excellence from Tufts University, Union College, and
the New York State English Council. Her classroom work was used as a
model of Standards-based teaching by the New York State Education
Department.
Find Amy’s book, Vocabulary at the Center, online: http://www.eyeoneducation.com/bookstore/productdetails.cfm?sku=7124-9&title=vocabulary-at-the-center.
Click here to view a recording of the presentation. (Flash* / Approximately 90 minutes)
P21 Common Core Toolkit
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) is a national organization that advocates for 21st century readiness for every student by supporting local, state and federal policies that support this approach for every school. The Framework for 21st Century Learning is an effort to provide a holistic approach to readiness for every student. P21 recently released the P21 Common Core Toolkit: A Guide to Aligning the Common Core State Standards with the Framework for 21st Century Skills. This toolkit includes lesson starters which are aligned to CCSS standards at grades 4, 8, and 12.
Click here to download (PDF)
Literacy Micro-courses
The Literacy Micro-course collection is a professional learning tool developed as a resource to K-5 educators. The courses are designed specifically for teachers seeking to further their knowledge of research-based, literacy-related content and explore methods for applying that knowledge to their classroom practice. The Micro- courses combine online reading with opportunities for discussion, video viewing, and exploration of additional web-based resources and tools.
Click here to access the micro-courses.
4/25/12
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