MIDDLE SCHOOL ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS/READINGPROFESSIONAL LEARNING CONFERENCE 2013

Charles Fears

cfears1@saisd.net

NORMS

• Please silence your phones• Take care of yourself and your neighbor• Actively participate• Place questions on the Parking Lot

ICE BREAKER

• Line up by years of teaching experience.• Divide and pair up.• A – pedagogical question or insight.• B – summary and/or feedback.• Switch roles.

AGENDA

• Welcome• 2013 STAAR Data Overview• SAISD Literacy Initiative• Strategies for Success- Close Reading- Text-Dependent Questions• Curriculum Guide Changes

Clear Learner Objectives

• Analyze and identify areas of strength and weakness for assigned grade level

• Apply close reading skills

• Create text-dependent

questions

Daily Demonstration of Learning

• Annotated STAAR Data

• Annotated text (close reading)

• Written text-dependent

questions

Active Student Engagement Strategies• Ice Breaker• Think-Pair-Share• Sentence Stem Discussion• Video – Cornell Notes• Jigsaw• Cornell Notes• Musical Gallery Walk• Discussion• Text-Dependent Questions – Socratic Seminar• Collaborative Grouping• Toss a Question

2013 STAAR Data Overview

STAAR Performance Level Descriptors

• Level I- Unsatisfactory Academic Performance

• Level II- Satisfactory Academic Performance

• Level III- Advanced Academic Performance (there will not be a phase-in for Level III Advanced Academic Performance)

Grades 6-8 Performance StandardsPhase-In I - Level II

Subject Grade Total # Questions

Scale Score # Questions % Met Standard

Reading

6 48 1504 27 56%

7 50 1556 27 54%

8 52 1575 28 54%

Writing 7 72 3500 40 56%

TEA is proposing to maintain Phase-In I 2013-14•Data wasn’t received until January 2013•No access to released-tests or item-level analysisNOTE: While question stems may be used, do not utilize any STAAR released-tests as a formative assessment.

Reading Performance for Grades 6-81st Phase-In

6th 7th 8th0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

5365

78

Percentage of Inferential Questions6th 42% 7th 32% 8th 35%

Met Standard Percentages

Writing Performance for Grades 4, 7, EOC I, EOC II1st Phase-In

4th 7th EOC I EOC II0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

51 53

37 38

Narrative &

Expository

Narrative &

Expository

Literary &

Expository

Persuasive &

Expository

Met Standard Percentages

STAAR DATA DISCUSSION

ACADEMIC SENTENCE STARTERSYou might consider how…Another way of looking at the problem…If considered in this light…When you look at it this way…Can you imagine how it might feel to…From another perspective it might seem…In my opinion…It might seem that…It makes good sense that…A reasonable person can assume…

Grade Level Item Analysis

Group by grade level

Person with the longest hair pick up 2013 STAAR Item Analysis and STAAR Snapshot

Identify and annotate areas of Strength (+) and Weakness (-)

a poster that illustrates areas of strength and weakness

Gallery Walk

Gallery Walk – Post-It!

Campus Plan

• Group by campus

• Discuss grade-level notes item analysis and develop a plan that will address the areas of weakness and sustain areas of strength.

• Share campus plans and

add insightful ideas from

other campuses.

SAISD Literacy Initiative

What is literacy?

Five Strands of ELAR TEKS• Reading• Writing• Listening and Speaking• Oral and Written Conventions• Research• Media literacy is also embedded in

the standards

SAISD Literacy Initiative• Three year plan

-reading and writing across contents

-district will partner with Benchmark

and Pearson to provide teachers with

professional development

-Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop K-12

• Designed to improve literacy instruction in SAISD

• Utilizes a balanced literacy model

SAISD Literacy Initiative Goal

All students in third grade will read on grade level and remain on grade level throughout their educational career

Research

Research shows that proficiency in reading by the end of

third grade enables students to shift from learning to read

to reading to learn. Most students who do not reach this

critical milestone will struggle in school and many often

drop out before earning a high school diploma. Two-thirds

of U.S. 4th graders are not proficient readers. More than 4 out

of every 5 low-income students miss this critical milestone.

Discuss: How can we promote and support literacy

across the content areas on our campus?

Strategies for Success

CLOSE READING

What is Close Reading?

"Close reading is an instructional approach that requires

readers to re-read a text several times and really develop a

deep understanding of the content contained in the text. The

purpose is to build the habits of readers as they engage with

the complex texts and to build their stamina and skills for

being able to do so independently. As part of a close

reading, students "read with a pencil" and learn to annotate

as they go. In addition, they are asked text-dependent

questions that require that they produce evidence from the

text as part of their responses."

- Dr. Douglas Fisher

What is Close Reading?• Read Douglas Fisher’s definition of

close reading.

• Think about how Douglas Fisher defines

close reading and underline the big

ideas.

• Think-Pair-Share the big ideas

of close reading.

Why Close Reading?

“Combined with shared, collaborative, and independent

readings, close readings will give students the experiences

they need to become skilled in analytical reading, a

prerequisite for college and career success.” – Nancy Frey

Group by Grade-Level

Teaching Close Reading

Close Reading Demonstration

As you watch the following video, think about the definition of close reading. Make notes of the how the teacher incorporates elements of close reading.

Close Reading Jigsaw

Close Reading JigsawLocate 1)“Allowing tweens on Facebook:There’s much to like” 2)“Close Reading” Annotation

Read silently (5 minutes)

Count off 1-5 and meet with your designated group.

Using Close Reading handout markers, annotate for: 1.Details2.Syntax (Text structure)

3.Diction (Vocabulary) (7 minutes)4.Tone (Author’s attitude)5.Figurative Language

Share (5 minutes)

Final Word on Close Reading

“Read like a detective. Write like a reporter.”

Text-Dependent Questions

Why Text-Dependent Questions?

According to Margaret Kilgo, educational researcher on curriculum and standardized assessments, STAAR requires close, text-dependent reading comprehension.

The correct inferred and implied answers are based on accurate, relevant, and explicit text evidence which requires students to read and reread and find accurate evidence to support their response.

What Are Text-Dependent Questions?

Answered through close reading

Require evidence from the text

Requires an understanding beyond basic facts

Text-Dependent Questions Are Not…

Low-level, literal, or recall questions

Focused on comprehension strategies

Just questions…

Consider the following questions:

1.If you were present at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, what would you do?

2.How do the authors’ support their declaration to separate from Great Britain?

Why adjust the way we question?

• When students are asked to make connections to themselves, other texts and the world they are guided student away from the text. (Level 3)

• To ensure students have read a text, they are often asked simple, literal questions. (Level 1)

Types of Text-Dependent Questions

Opinions, Arguments, Intertextual Connections

Inferences

Author’s Purpose

Vocab & Text Structure

Key Details

General Understandings

Part

Sentence

Paragraph

Entire text

Across texts

Word

Whole

Segments

Non-Examples and Examples42

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?

“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

Creating Text-Dependent Questions

43

Step One: Identify the standards

Step Two: Select the text

Step Three: Read and identify key ideas

Step Four: Write your questions

While STAAR released-test question stems may be used, do not utilize any released-tests as a formative assessment.

•Provided by the ELAR department in the curriculum guide.•Kilo Stems found with the TEKS can also be used

Tinyurl.com/staarstems

Think about the following when creating text-dependent questions?

Do the questions require the reader to return to

the text?

Do the questions require the reader to use evidence to

support inferences?

Do the questions move from text-explicit to text-implicit

knowledge?

Do the questions require the reader to analyze,

evaluate, interpret, and synthesize?

You Try!

“Allowing tweens to Facebook: There’s much to like” Text-Dependent Questions

Return to close reading jigsaw group

Group1 6.10A

Group 2 7.10B

Group 3 8.10C Refer to Standards

Group 4 Figure 19D

Group 5 7.2B

Each member writes their name on a new piece of

paper and creates three text-dependent questions

Toss a Question

Active Student Engagement Strategies• Ice Breaker• Think-Pair-Share• Sentence Stem Discussion• Video – Cornell Notes• Jigsaw• Cornell Notes• Musical Gallery Walk• Discussion• Text-Dependent Questions – Socratic Seminar• Collaborative Grouping• Toss a Question

It’s More Than Recall

“The goal in creating text-dependent questions is to balance the reader and the text so that each is involved in the transaction of reading.”-Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher

Curriculum Guides

Curriculum Guide Changes• Vertical vs. Horizontal• TEKS Specificity and Examples• Essential Questions• Teacher Homework/Preparation• Weekly Pacing• Strategies• Anchor Charts• Homework• Reading/Writing Connection

Reflection

3-2-1 Reflection!3 NEW CLASSROOM IDEAS

2 ACCOMMODATIONS OR

MODIFICATIONS

1 QUESTION

COMMENTS:

“The more you read, the more things you will know.

The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”

-Dr. Seuss

Tinyurl.com/fears041