Teaching Literacy Standards Across Content Areas

1. Teaching Literacy Standards Across Content Areas AIMSS, LLC.

2. Session Objectives • Understanding the fundamental “instructional shift” for teaching content literacy • Strategies for teaching ELA literacy standards across grade bands and content areas • Assessment?

3. Who is Responsible for Teaching Literacy Standards? • “The Standards insist that instruction in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language be a shared responsibility within the school.” Introduction to the CCSS, p. 4

4. Why Core? • High quality education consistently, from school to school and state to state(CCSS 2012). • Share experiences and expertise within and across states to improve educators’ abilities to serve students (CCSS 2012).

5. Why Now? • “With 42% of students entering college underprepared and an estimation that 80% of future jobs will require the skills that a college education provides, we must find better methods to prepare these students and assist them in achieving their academic goals” (Wilmer, 2008).

6. How are Core ELA standards beneficial? • Advances essential literacy skills for students’ college and career readiness • Develops pupils’ critical thinking and insight • Supports progressive literacy development • Exposes students’ to broader range of relevant and challenging literature

7. Key Instructional Shifts: • Writing to Sources • Research (Short Projects) • Marshaling Arguments (Using evidence, evidence, evidence)

8. Implementing ELA Literacy Standards: • Become familiarized with the structure and content of the literacy standards • Understand the essential skills in each literacy topic, reading, writing, vocabulary and speaking • Include strategies and assessments that are text dependent.

9. What Does It Look Like in Grades 6-8?

10. Strategies for Teaching Text-Dependent Literacy: • Probing • Locating Evidence • Dialectal Journaling • Integrating Ideas • Establishing Positions • Analyzing Graphic Texts • Creating Graphic Texts

11. Probing: The Bigger Picture Natural Resources: Russia is rich in natural resources, many of which have been exploited in the western portion of the country. .. Exploitation of these resources has come at a high cost. During the Soviet era, the government pursued a program of rapid industrialization that gave little regard to the environment. Many areas have thus suffered extreme ecological degradation. Soil, air and water pollution are all serious problems. Some areas have been contaminated by nuclear waste, others by chemical dumping or poor wastewater management. It is estimated that about 40 percent of Russia faces varying degrees of pollution. Aliprandini, Michael. “Our World.” Russia. Ebsco Teen: 2011. Web.

12. Writing to Sources: Locating Evidence • Develop short response prompts that students must use the text to locate evidence to support and sustain ideas. • Examine Russia’s river systems and land areas. Which is likely the more important geographic feature for Russia’s economy? Support your response citing at least two examples from the text selection.

13. Dialectal Journaling Aliprandini, Michael. “Our World.” Russia. Ebsco Teen: 2011. Web.

14. What Does It Look Like in Grades 9-10?Powell, Devin.” Warmer Atmospheres May be to Blame for Changes in Water Cylcle.” Science News: 181(11). 10

15. Integrating Ideas: Research into Position Statements • Allow students to use text selection to pose possible questions for further research. • Ex: Which environmental factors are most likely to create warming trends? • Ex: In what ways have human activities compromised the integrity of the world’s water supply?

16. Research: Why? • Research projects allow for and promote: • Close reading • Text complexity increase • Increase in literary nonfiction • Writing to sources • Exposure to academic vocabulary • Presentation skills (Speaking and Listening)

17. Developing and Presenting a Position Statement • After conducting a small-scaled research review on text related questions, guide students in developing position statements. This will allow them to: • Make a claim about the content based on research findings • Marshal arguments that may be proven and disproven through research.

18. Sample Position Statements: • Unless humans make a conscious effort to become informed about global trends in temperatures, we will continue to compromise the integrity of our world’s water supply. • Students may present research findings in an oral presentation • Add Literacy Standard

19. Prepare to Revisit Your Perspective and Approach for Teaching Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and *Other Technical Subjects: • *A course devoted to a practical study, such as engineering, technology, design, business, or other workforce-related subject; a technical aspect of a wider field of study, such as art or music. (CCSS Glossary)

20. Guiding Principles for Successful Teaching to Literacy Standards: • Structure a majority of instruction so that all students are reading grade-level complex texts. • Provide scaffolding that does not preempt or replace text • Ask text-dependent questions • Provide extensive research and writing opportunities (claims and evidence) • Offer regular opportunities for students to share ideas, evidence, and research • Cultivate students’ independence

21. Questions?