Common Core State Standards ELA and

Literacy

Today:

•Common Core State Standards

•Oregon Shifts

•Thanks to Ken Hermens

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ODE Staff:Karin Moscon

Karin.moscon@state.or.us

(503) 947-5706

English Language ArtsEnglish Language Arts

English Language Arts (ELA) and Literacy

Key Ideas

Traditional Focus on literature (fiction)

Literary skills (identifying terms and devices like theme)

ELA taught in isolation

Common CoreInformational texts prepare for

college and career

Close reading, tied to the text

Cross-content literacy

ELA taught in collaboration

Language

Language will be taking a new role in all classrooms.

Argument

Justification

Collaboration

Inquiry

Analyzing

Presenting

Oregon Common Core Shifts

1. Increase Reading of Informational Text

2. Text Complexity

3. Academic Vocabulary

4. Text-based Answers

5. Increase Writing from Sources

6. Literacy Instruction in all Content Areas

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Oregon CCSS Toolkithttp://www.ode.state.or.us/go/CommonCoreCommon Core State Standards – ELA & Literacy Resourceshttp://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=3359

Shift 1: Increase Reading of Informational Text• At least 50% of reading in elementary grades shifts to

informational (current estimate: 7%)• By middle school, the percentage increases to 55%

(current estimate: 15%)• By the end of high school, 70%• This reflects the premise that to be college and career-

ready, students need to read an increasingly higher percentage of informational text throughout the school day. Research demonstrates that this can be more difficult for students to accomplish.

Shift 2: Text Complexity

Demands that college, careers, and citizenship place on readers have increased over the last 50 years

The difficulty of college textbooks, as measured by Lexile scores, has increased over the past 50 years

Many careers require reading complex technical text

By college/career, students are expected to read complex texts with a high level of independence

Based on ACT test data, few students in general are prepared for postsecondary reading

Shift 3: Academic Vocabulary

Differences in students’ vocabulary levels is a key factor in disparities in academic achievement

Generally, vocabulary instruction has been “neither frequent nor systematic in most schools.”

Research suggests that if students are going to grasp and retain words and comprehend text, they need incremental, repeated exposure…to the words they are trying to learn.

Three tiers of words: emphasis on Tier 2 words (general academic words)

Shift 4: Text-based AnswersRich and rigorous conversations which are dependent on students reading a central text or multiple texts

Greater emphasis in the standards for students to make explicit references to textual evidence.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading: “…referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.”

Sample standard from Grade 4: “Refer to details and examples in a text…” “…drawing on specific details in the text…” “based on specific information in the text…”

Text based answers are grounded in text based questions.

Text based questions/answers provide more equity in classrooms.

Non-Examples and Examples

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In “Casey at the Bat,” Casey strikes out. Describe a time when you failed at something.

In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” Dr. King discusses nonviolent protest. Discuss, in writing, a time when you wanted to fight against something that you felt was unfair.

In “The Gettysburg Address” Lincoln says the nation is dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Why is equality an important value to promote?

What makes Casey’s experiences at bat humorous?

What can you infer from King’s letter about the letter that he received? Explain your reasoning using examples from the letter.

“The Gettysburg Address” mentions the year 1776. According to Lincoln’s speech, why is this year significant to the events described in the speech?

Not Text-Dependent Text-Dependent

Shift 5: Increase Writing from Sources

Greater emphasis on the selection and use of sources when writing to inform or to make an argument

Separate Claim dedicated to research/inquiry to investigate and write about topics.

Move toward performance tasks in assessments that focus on research skills

Research to Build and Present Knowledge one of the College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for writing

Shift 6:Literacy Across All Content Areas

Clear message that literacy is not just an ELA issue

Separate literacy standards: Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Correlates to the increased emphasis on reading informational text

Content area (domain-specific) text during ELA instruction; attention to literacy through reading and writing in social science and science classrooms and throughout the curriculum

Four Claims for AssessmentClaim #1: Students can read closely and analytically to comprehend a range of increasingly complex literary and informational texts.

Claim #2: Students can produce effective and well-grounded writing for a range of purposes and audiences.

Claim #3: Students can employ effective speaking and listening skills for a range of purposes and audiences.

Claim #4: Students can engage in research/inquiry to investigate topics, and to analyze, integrate, and present information.

Literary and Informational Text

Key Ideas and DetailsComprehension of ideas, themes, inferences; summarize

Craft and StructureWord meaning and use, forms and structures, author’s

style and craft

Integration of Knowledge and IdeasCompare/contrast forms; synthesize

Range of Reading and Level of Complexity

Writing

Text Types and PurposesGenres and components of each

Production and Distribution of WritingWriting process, purpose, technology

Research to Build and Present KnowledgeGather information; apply reading to research

Range of Writing

Language

Conventions of Standard EnglishGrammar, Spelling, Punctuation

Knowledge of LanguageWord choice, precision and conciseness

Vocabulary Acquisition and UseUnderstanding audiences

Determine meanings of words, phrases, figurative language

Speaking and Listening

Comprehension and CollaborationGroup Discussions, Listening Skills

Presentation of Knowledge and IdeasSpeaking presentations, use of multi-media elements, adapting for context

Common Core Anchor Standard for English Language Arts1. Comprehension and Collaboration

– Students are able to:

• prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively;

• integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, qualitatively, and orally; and

• evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.

• Structured oral language activities (Jigsaw, Lines of Communication, Small group, etc.) where everyone participates helps all students meet this standard/ claim.

http://commoncoretools.me/2012/02/16/the-structure-is-the-standards/

A Grecian urnYou have just purchased an expensive Grecian urn and asked the dealer to ship it to your house. He picks up a hammer, shatters it into pieces, and explains that he will send one piece a day in an envelope for the next year. You object; he says “don’t worry, I’ll make sure that you get every single piece, and the markings are clear, so you’ll be able to glue them all back together. I’ve got it covered.”

Absurd, no? But this is the way many school systems require teachers to deliver instruction to their students; one piece (i.e. one standard) at a time. They promise their customers (the taxpayers) that by the end of the year they will have “covered” the standards.

ELA College and Career Ready: “a portrait of students who meet the standards”

1. Demonstrate Independence2. Build strong content knowledge3. Respond to varying demands of audience, task,

purpose, and discipline4. Comprehend as well as critique5. Value evidence6. Use technology and digital media strategically and

capably7. They come to respect other perspectives and cultures

QuestionsSend additional questions regarding ELA and Literacy Standards to:

Drew Hinds

drew.hinds@state.or.us

(503) 947-5799

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