English Language Arts Short Term Transition Plan -- Let’s take time to do this well!!
This spring
· Dive In, get messy, work with colleagues – get familiar with Curriculum Essentials Document.
· Begin to investigate, develop, and ask text dependent questions. “Are 80% of the questions I ask students, text dependent?”
· Have students rigorously engage & grapple with high quality, complex texts you currently use – have them fall in love with the process & texts due to what the author did.
· Have students write thoughts, understandings, and reflections then support those statements with evidence from the texts.
· Review the exemplar texts – begin to explore/inventory what texts you have within the classroom library, school library, local public library, instructional resource room. Relook at resources currently used or stored in your building, which one’s are of very high quality? Of those, which one’s have similar attributes to exemplar texts?
· Explore improved/refined leveling system using classroom library books – you could involve older students in this process.
· Familiarize self with Reading Foundational Skills document -- What concepts/skills are familiar to you? What concepts/skills are new to you?
Step 2: Throughout next year 2012-2013
· Using the CED & Common Core unit sample website, design at least one unit each trimester aligned to the CED.
· Regularly ask text dependent questions having students use close reading.
· Provide students learning opportunities with informative text reading & writing skills using content texts & writing work within the 120 minute literacy block (Teachers are currently in various stages of implementation of this -Awareness & Transition through Exploration & Trialing)
· Communicate with colleagues to discuss and design opportunities for more technical reading & writing throughout the day.
Consider ways to use of technology for communication, researching and presenting.
· Use the Conventions Scope & Sequence and students’ daily writing to evaluate formatively, select specific teaching objective, instruct & provide feedback on use of the newly learned convention, monitor for independent use.
· Use the Exemplar Texts list, inventory what texts you have within the classroom library, school library, local public library, instructional resource room, and online possibilities. Determine the amount of funds needed/funds that can be used for purchasing resources – Reminder: ELA materials adoption occurs in 2015-2016 – we are considering the need to purchase digital resources.
· Move to 50/50
o Conduct Inventory:
§ “Are our reading lists and Resource Rooms balanced to 50/50 & 75/25?
§ “Do we have rich, quality reading resources?” - Discard tests we don’t think are the absolute best to put in front of our children.
§ “What do we currently have to prepare for meeting EOs?” Have this discussion per grade & then have it vertically K-2, 3-5, 2-3, 5
· Small group responsive instruction lessons -- “How much to I listen to student responses as evaluation of reaching intended objective and adjust my instruction/support based on those responses?”
· Design lessons for & assess for student mastery of Reading Foundational Skills – K-3 teachers use the DRA2 Word Analysis Assessment
· Stay with current spelling words – we will use the same list next year as all teachers learn about connectedness of spelling & vocabulary foundational skills – we will shift to a new list of words for 2013-2014.
Online Resources to Support CED/Common Core
Transitions in English Language Arts
Our BVSD Website:
· General link to where all the draft documents are located http://www.bvsd.org/curriculum/curriculumreview/Pages/default.aspx
· Literacy webpage link http://www.bvsd.org/curriculum/literacy/Pages/default.aspx
Common Core Standards link http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards
Units, Lessons & Updates on implementing Common Core:
· Achievethecore.org
· Achieve.org
· Common Core Curriculum Maps (sample unit plans by grade level) user name: password: angel1
Engage NY – short transition video clips with New York Commissioner of Education & David Coleman
· The Common Core in Literacy: Overview http://vimeo.com/27073497
· The Common Core in Literacy: Getting Started http://vimeo.com/27064789
· Shift 1: PK-5 Balancing Information/Literature http://vimeo.com/27074227
· Shift 2: Building Knowledge in the Disciplines http://vimeo.com/27074735
· Shift 3: Staircase of Complexity http://vimeo.com/27075601
· Shift 4: Text-based Answers http://vimeo.com/27076243
· Shift 5: Writing from Sources http://vimeo.com/27076961
· Shift 6: Academic Vocabulary http://vimeo.com/27077248
· Preparing for Close Reading with Students: Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. http://vimeo.com/27064472
· Aligning Curricular Materials with the Common Core http://vimeo.com/27057352
· The Gettysburg Address: A Curricular Exemplar in Literacy (sample close reading) http://vimeo.com/27057291
· Three Tools to Advance Your Literacy Work http://vimeo.com/27056260
Assessments:
· PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) http://parcconline.org/
· Smarter Balance Assessment http://www.smarterbalanced.org/