Writing Across Common Core Standards

1. Writing Across Common Core Standards Bradley County Schools Secondary In-Service August 3, 2012

2. Today’s agenda

3. Implementation of Common Core State Standards complements other work underway

4. Text Demands of Postsecondary Education #8 & 9 “Most of the required reading in college and workforce training programs is informational in structure and challenging in content; postsecondary education programs typically provide students with both a higher volume of such reading than is generally required in K–12 schools and comparatively little scaffolding.” (Common Core State Standards 2010a, 4)

5. Implementing the Reading Standards Instructional Scenario: While teaching a lesson about classifying stars to ninth graders, you provide a demonstration of the spectrum of light using a flashlight and a prism. You also give students the text “Classifying the Stars” by Annie J. Cannon. Given this text, you ask students to support their analysis of the scientific importance of the discovery that light is composed of many colors using specific textual evidence.

6. Range and Content of Student Writing

7. Varieties of Writing in Content Areas Scientific lab report Essay or Poem for English Class Social Science Essay Void of personal opinion (based on truth) Sequence is extremely important. Discipline-specific vocabulary is essential to communication. Personal opinion or experiences and logical reasoning Language may include descriptive imagery. Often references one literary text Distanced stance Evidence included to support claim Logical reasoning to tie evidence to claim Often references multiple texts as evidence

8. Writing Like a Scientist How would you approach teaching students to write like a scientist?

9. Common Core Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects 6-12

10. How are the Writing Standards organized? • College and Career Anchor Standards are broad standards that outline what students need to have in place to be college and career ready. • Each corresponding grade span standard falls under one of 4 categories: • Text types and purposes • Production and distribution of writing • Research to build and present knowledge • Range of writing

12. Progression of Argument Writing Skills Look at p.64 to identify the progression of the new argument writing skills and those addressed in the grade band you teach.

13. The Role of Opinion/Argument “While all three text types are important, the Standards put a particular emphasis on students’ ability to write sound arguments on substantive topics and issues, as this ability is critical to college and career readiness.” (Common Core State Standards Initiative 2010b, 24)

14. Foundations of Argument Writing Before students can write sound arguments on substantive topics and issues, we must teach them to… Introduce and state opinions Support opinions with reasons Use words, phrases, or clauses to link opinion and reason Provide a concluding statement or section

15. Elements of Argument Claim: the position or assertion that supports an argument Evidence: the facts or reasons that support the claim Warrant: the chain of reasoning that connects the evidence to the claim Counterclaim: an opposing position or assertion Rebuttal: logical reasons for rejecting the counterclaim

16. Creating an Argument Topic: Should people be encouraged to commute by bicycle, rather than by car? Claim: People should be encouraged to commute by bicycle, rather than by car. Evidence: Maintaining a bicycle is significantly less expensive than maintaining a car. Warrant: Spending less money on commuting expenses is a good thing in this tough economy. Counterclaim: Some may say that riding a bicycle to work would increase commuting time and therefore decrease productivity and money earned. Rebuttal: However, bicycles can navigate rush-hour congestion more efficiently than cars. # 9

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18. Supporting Opinion/Argument Students who are college and career ready: “Use relevant evidence when supporting their own points in writing and speaking, making their reason clear to the reader or listener, and they constructively evaluate others’ use of evidence.” (Common Core State Standards Initiative 2010a, 7)

19. What is informational/explanatory writing? Informational/Explanatory writing conveys information accurately. This kind of writing serves one or more closely related purposes: to increase readers’ knowledge of a subject to help readers better understand a procedure or process to provide readers with an enhanced comprehension of a concept (Common Core State Standards Initiative 2010b, 23)

20. Informational/Explanatory Writing in Your Classroom What kinds of informational/explanatory writing do students do in your classroom?

21. Key Ideas of Informational/Explanatory Writing Students are writing from expertise (what they already know). Students also draw from primary and secondary sources on the topic. Strategies for organizing and developing ideas vary by grade level.

22. The Value of Narrative Writing What is the value of narrative writing to the college- and career-ready person?

23. Narrative Writing in Science/Technical Classes Students write narrative descriptions of step-by-step procedures they follow in their investigations so that others can replicate their procedures and (perhaps) reach the same results.

24. Incorporating Research and Writing into Science and Technical Curriculum CCR 7: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. CCR 8: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism. CCR 9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. (Common Core State Standards Initiative 2010a, 18)

25. Research Writing Strategy: RAFT (Billmeyer and Barton 1998)

26. Science and Technical Instructional Scenario

27. Sample Performance Task • Compare and contrast the ways in which the authors of Beyond Jupiter (biography) and Summer Stargazing (procedural text) discuss the topic of astronomy. How do the differences in approach affect the readers’ understanding of the topic? (W.7.2, W.7.9)

28. Curriculum Application What skill would you like to create more opportunity for students to practice? How will you assess whether the student has achieved proficiency in this skill? Where in your curriculum will you implement the additional activities? What writing activities will you implement to provide those opportunities? How will you support students in achieving this particular literacy goal?

29. Reflection # 22

30. References Common Core State Standards Initiative. 2010a. “Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects.” Accessed January 1, 2011. http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards. ———. 2010b. “Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects: Appendix A: Research Supporting Key Elements of the Standards and Glossary of Key Terms.” Accessed January 1, 2011. http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_A.pdf. ———. 2010c. “Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects: Appendix B: Text Exemplars and Sample Performance Tasks.” Accessed January 1, 2011. http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_B.pdf. ———. 2010d. “Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects: Appendix C: Samples of Student Writing.” Accessed January 1, 2011. http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_C.pdf. ———. 2010e. “Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects: Application for English Language Learners.” Accessed January 1, 2011. http://www.corestandards.org/assets/application-for-english-learners.pdf. ———. 2010f. “Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects: Application to Students with Disabilities.” Accessed January 1, 2011. http://www.corestandards.org/assets/application-to-students-with-disabilities.pdf.