Elementary Teaching & Learning

Moving Forward with Literacy

11.27.12

Dean Ave.

Agenda

I. Update on our Progress

II. Deepening our Implementation of Journeys

a. Text Complexity & Small Group Instructionb. Think Centralc. Cause Data Collection Analysis

III. Survey Monkey

KDG - GRADE 2 LITERACY DISTRICT PLCS:

Supporting our Shared Responsibility

Common Feedback

• Teachers REALLY appreciated the revised format with a larger focus on the implementation of the Journeys materials.

• We are strengthening our support for Title, Special Education and ELL teachers by providing opportunities for like-roled collaboration.

• Teachers are enjoying the opportunity to collaborate around things they have in common and the conversations really seemed to focus on the positive!

Common Questions

• Text complexity, Lexile Levels, and Fountas and Pinnell Guided Reading Levels continue to be a concern. (especially for Grade 1 teachers)

• Scheduling and timing for the Journeys components presented in the Framework presented some concern and stress for teachers.

• The implementation and use of Think Central is an area where many teachers would like more support.

Tomorrow's K-2 Literacy PLC Agenda

I. Welcome & Agenda

II. Revisiting the Frameworka) Celebrating our Success!b) Collaboration with Scheduling

III.Journeys Implementation: Exploring the Different Components

a) Think Central - Guided Demonstration b) Show & Tell: Discussing the Components

Attendance at PLC Sessions

• We have had great attendance at our Elementary PLC Sessions – Thank you for your support!!

• An auto-generated email will not be sent out to participants to who are absent at a district PLC. This email will state: 

Hello,

This automated message is to inform you that you were marked absent today in your district-led PLC class.  If you have previously discussed this absence with your curriculum coordinator, please disregard this message.  Otherwise, please take a few moments to email your curriculum coordinator to let them know why you were absent today. 

Please remember that these district-led PLC sessions are contracted hours and attendance is required. Multiple absences from these PLC sessions will result in notification to your building principal. If you feel that this message has reached you in error, please email your PLC facilitator or your curriculum coordinator.

Thank you.

Looking Ahead to Deepen our PLC Support… Summer Course Catalog

In June 2013, we will be offering 2-day sessions for each grade level K-5. These sessions will focus on:

I. Grade Level Curriculum Guides & Balanced Assessment Plan

II. The Journeys Instructional Framework & Scheduling

III. The Journeys Components:a) Theory & Rationale for Instructional Componentb) Expanding the Journeys Components through Engagement

Techniquesc) Using Technology to Support the Journeys Components

Each session will be facilitated by a grade level classroom teacher and a literacy coach.

Cross-School Collaboration

Work Together to Identify:

• 1 common celebration regarding what is working.

• 1 common question relevant to Elementary Literacy.

DEEPENING OUR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE JOURNEYS MATERIALS

Moving Forward with our Priorities

TEXT COMPLEXITY AND SMALL GROUP INSTRUCTION

What Fountas & Pinnell are Saying About Increasing Text Complexity…

“Achievement in literacy is trending upward! Children are entering kindergarten with more literacy awareness; they are responding to literacy-rich kindergarten curricula; they are learning fast and acquiring more experience in reading and writing… Expectations are higher and teaching is shifting. Recommended entry-, mid-, and exit-level goals, as well as intervention goals, must change.”“The average entry level for a sample of over 5, 000 first graders reached above 5 in 2010 (5 corresponds to a level D on the F&P Text Level Gradient™.)”

~ The F&P Text Level Gradient™Revision to Recommended Grade-Level Goals

© 2012 Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell

What a Building is Saying About Increasing Text Complexity…

When we look at our Iowa Assessment data, it’s easy to say that this assessment is biased against our minority or poverty students. 

When we look at our SRI data, it’s easy to say that our students were distracted by the technology or that the assessment design was flawed. 

When we look at the new Fountas and Pinnell levels, it’s easy to say that background knowledge played a role or disregard the increase in levels that has come in 2012. 

However, when we stack these three data points next to one another, it’s DIFFICULT to negate the fact that more than half of our students cannot read grade level text.

What Doug Fisher is Saying About Increasing Text Complexity…

Text Complexity is the New Black by Doug Fisher, Nancy Frey and Diane Lapp (© 2012).

Read: Revisiting How We Match Readers and Texts. (pgs. 5-7)

What Timothy Shanahan is Saying About Increasing Text Complexity…

If the teacher is doing little to support the students’ transactions with text, then I suspect more learning will accrue with somewhat easier texts. However, if reasonable levels of instructional support are available, then students are likely to thrive when working with harder texts.

The common core standards push back against the notion that students learn best when they receive the least teaching. The standards people want to know what it takes for kids to learn most, even if the teacher has to be deeply involved. For them, challenging text is the right ground to maximize learning… but the only way that will work is if kids are getting substantial teaching support in the context of that hard text.

Timothy Shanahan Warning for Lexiles

Although Lexiles have greatly improved readability assessment (shrinking standard errors of measurement and improving the amount of comprehension variance that can be explained by text difficulty), we are in no better shape than before since there are no studies indicating that if you teach students at particular Lexile levels, more learning will accrue.

I suspect that if future studies go down this road, they will still find that the answer to that issue is variable; it will depend on the amount and quality of instructional support.

VIDEO:THE COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS: COMPLEX TEXT AND ITS IMPLICATIONS IN THE CLASSROOM

Dr. Timothy Shanahan

HOW DO WE SCAFFOLD STUDENTS IN COMPLEX TEXTS??

Journeys Small Group Tab

Collaborative Group Work

• With your School Team…–Review the Journeys Small Group Tab

and Leveled Reader Lesson Plans.–Discuss how to deepen our

implementation of these materials.–Action plan how to support teachers

with developing the rationale for complex texts and the instructional strategies to support this work.

THINK CENTRAL DEMONSTRATION

Logging into Think CentralClick icon to add picture https://

www-k6.thinkcentral.com/ePC/start.do

User Name & Password:

Infinite Campus Sign-in Credentials

How do I get Help?

Help Support!

Resources

There are two places you can click to access Resources

Narrowing by Grade Level & Content Area

•Click the printer icon to print this instructional page.

•Click the “page” icon to access the table of contents (helpful when you’d like to skip right to a specific lesson)

When you select a level, the next page will provide you with a list of the titles by lesson.

You can print or save the leveled readers by using these icons.

You can play the audio of the leveled text by selecting the microphone.

** If your audio feature does not work, please be sure that you have the most updated version of flash player and that there is not a yellow bar at the top of the screen that requests you to “trust this site”.

** These are your “Words to Know”

Click on the “page icon” to see a list of all of the words. Click on a specific word and that card will come up.

Click on the printer icon the print the front or back of the card.

** These are your “Words to Know”

Click on the “page icon” to see each lesson listed by unit.

Click on the printer icon to print each page.

** These are your Phonics Word Sort Cards

Click on the “page icon” to see each lesson listed by unit.

Click on the printer icon to print each page.

Select “Save” for any pictures and then select “My Pictures for printing.

THINK CENTRAL: COLLABORATIVE GROUP WORK

Please use your Scavenger Hunt Form to explore the Think Central

website.

JOURNEYS CAUSE DATA COLLECTION

Summarize & Analyze

Collaborative Group Work

• As a building team, please electronically complete the Summary Sheet using your cause data. (please email this to Carlyn before you leave today)

• After you have completed the form, please find another building to share your findings and provide any additional thoughts regarding next steps.

SURVEY MONKEY

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/F82HS7P