1. Common Core State
Standards
The Transition for Elementary Teachers
S

2. Objectives
S Share lessons and debrief
S Look at Text Complexity.
S Focus on Productive Collaborative Conversations.
S Design a lesson that incorporates reading and
speaking/listening standards from CCSS.

3. Share lesson and debrief
S In table groups (grade levels?), share the lesson you taught.
S How did it go?
S How did the students react?
S Highlight what worked and what didn’t.
S What do you see as your next steps?

4. Key Takeaways from CCSS
S Key point in all 5 strands.
S Take a few minutes and read through them.
S Discuss in your table groups any that surprised you.

5. 21st Century Skills

6. 21st Century Skills
S Learning and Innovation Skills
S Critical thinking
S Communication
S Collaboration
S Creativity
S These skills are a big part of the 3Rs
S The 4Cs are strongly represented throughout the CCSS

7. 21st Century Skills and CCSS
S Integration of Knowledge and Skills (Reading Standards)
S This emphasizes interpretive and analytical skills across a range of texts,
digital information, and media.
S Research to Build and Present Knowledge (Writing Standards)
S The indicators at each grade level support the development of inquiry-
based research skills in the context of writing, all of which are central to
critical thinking.
S Comprehension and Collaboration (Speaking and Listening)
S This effectively highlights the importance of interpersonal communication
and collaboration as a key aspect of mastering speaking and listening.

8. Text Complexity
What makes a text complex?
Quantitative- computer
generated, lexile
Qualitative- attentive reader
Reader and Task - what are
you asking the reader to do

9. What Teachers Can Do?
S Build skills
S Establish purpose
S Foster motivation and persistence
The Challenge of Challenging Text by Shanahan, Fisher, and Frey

10. Practice with Text Complexity
S Choose a book from the table.
S Have partners choose the same book to be evaluated using
the rubric.
S Share, justify, and clarify.

11. Critical Collaborative
Conversations
S Some things to think about…..
S How do patterns of talk in the classroom affect the quality of
students’ educational opportunities and outcomes?
S How is discourse used as a support for deeper student learning?
S Checking for Understanding by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey

12. College and Career Readiness
Anchor Standards for Speaking
and Listening
S Comprehension and Collaboration
S 1. 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.
S 2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
S 3. Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.
S Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
S 4.Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization,
development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
S 5. Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.
S 6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or
appropriate.

13. Speaking and Listening
S CCR Anchor Standard 1: 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.

14. Progression of Standard 1
S Grade K: Follow agreed upon rules (take turns speaking).
S Grade 2:. Follow agreed upon rules (listening with care,
gaining the floor in respectful ways).
S Grade 5: Come to discussions prepared, follow agreed
upon rules, pose and respond to specific questions by
making comments that contribute.

15. “Structuring the Talk:
Ensuring Academic
Conversations Matter”
S Establish the Purpose
S Focus explicit attention on establishing content, language, and
social goals at the beginning of the lesson.
S The content purpose is different from the content standard.
S It tells them what they are working on that day.
S The language and social purpose include specific academic
vocabulary students need to use in their discussions and how
they should be listening and responding.

16. “Structuring the Talk:
Ensuring Academic
Conversations Matter”
S Use Language Frames
S Students benefit from support in order to have academic
conversations.
S It scaffolds academic talk through the purposeful use of
syntactically correct sentences.

17. “Structuring the Talk:
Ensuring Academic
Conversations Matter”
S Productive Group Work
S It allows more in-depth responsive opportunities in small
groups of peers.
S Ideally groups of 2-5 working on a task.
S The task should be novel and not something they have already
seen.
S Task should be complex enough that discussion is necessary.

18. Academic Conversations
S Look at the books on your table.
S Brainstorm some possible structured conversations based on
one of the books.
S Include the purpose, language frames, and productive group
work.

19. Ideas for Lessons or Units
S http://parcconline.org/parcc-model-content-frameworks
S http://engageny.org/resource/tri-state-quality-review-
rubric-and-rating-process/

20. Plan a Lesson (or Two..)
S 1. Look over the Reading Standards for Informational Text and
Speaking/Listening.
S 2. Go through your current curriculum looking for lessons you
could plan incorporating Informational Text standards.
S Find informational text and use the rubric and rate it’s complexit
S 3. Provide opportunities for structured collaborative
conversations.
S Make the rules explicit.
S How will you reinforce these rules?

21. Plan a Lesson (or Two..)
S 4. Use whatever lesson format you are comfortable with.
S Include the Common Core State Standards you are using and
any additional resources.
S Must include at least one informational text standard and one
speaking and listening standard.
S 5. Deliver the lesson some time before January 17th and be
prepared to talk about it at the next session.
S What worked, what didn’t, and any other challenges.

22. Source: Michael Fullan, Leading in Culture of Change (2001)

23. Getting Units for SSU
S Fill out registration by March meeting
S This is considered a Spring class because it won’t be over until
the end of March.
S The cost is $55 for one unit.
S Requirements
S Do lesson plans to implement and share.
S Keep a journal on reflections of what’s working well and any
challenges.