Describes strategies that can be used to implement common core standards into science, social studies, and technical subjects

1. Incorporating
Common Core
Literacy
Standards
into
Non-ELA
classrooms
LITERACY IN THE
CONTENT AREAS

2. What are “shifts”?
 Shifts are the changes we
will see in instruction
during CCSS
implementation
 Impact on teachers: the
way we are accustomed
to instructing students is
moving toward developing
higher order thinking,
deeper understanding,
and discourse about
content based in text
UNDERSTANDING THE SHIFTS

3. THE LITERACY SHIFTS
Major Literacy Shifts
Translation
Building knowledge
through content‐rich
nonfiction
 All content area
teachers for science,
social studies, and
technical subjects are
now teachers of literacy
 ELA classes cannot do
it all-that the rest of
the subjects have to
contribute
Non-Fictional Texts

4. What quantity of information texts
do students have to read?

5. WHAT’S WITH ALL THESE SHIFTS?
Major Literacy Shifts
Translation
Reading, writing and
speaking grounded
In evidence from text,
both literary and
informational
 Rather than asking students
questions they can answer
solely from prior knowledge
or experience, they now
answer questions that
require them to read a text
 No more “how does this
make you feel” type prompts
 If they can answer the
questions without reading
the texts, then the prompt is
not CCSS compliant
Evidence from Text

6. WHAT’S WITH ALL THESE SHIFTS?
Major Literacy Shifts
Translation
Regular practice
with Complex text
and its academic
language
 Literacy (reading and
writing) increases in
complexity from the
beginning of the year
(semester) to the end
 Start off at grade level,
then progress higher
throughout the semester
 Focus on higher levels of
vocabulary
comprehension
Text Complexity

7. Lexile=Reading level displayed as a number

8.  It is not enough to read
only on grade level-
COHERENCE required
 By the end of the
school year, students
should be looking at
texts in lexile bands for
the NEXT reading level
 Ex.-by the end of 8th
grade, students should
read 9th grade texts on
the lower end of the
lexile band
INCREASING TEXT COMPLEXITY
995
1115
8th Grade

9.  In the content areas like
science and social studies,
its not always the jargon
that intimidates students
 In addition to the content
jargon, also consider syntax
and the way the words are
used in a sentence
 Things like this can be
addressed during a close
reading lesson (more info
on close reading to come)
Students need to
practice seeing and
using the words
within the context of
the sentence-words in
isolation not as
effective
COMPLEX VOCABULARY

10. REGULAR PRACTICE WITH COMPLEX TEXT AND ITS
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE: WHY?
• Gap between complexity of college and high school
texts is huge.
• What students can read, in terms of complexity, is
greatest predictor of success in college ( 2006 ACT
study).
• Too many students are reading at too low a level.
• Standards include a staircase of increasing text
complexity from elementary through high school.
• Standards also focus on building general academic
vocabulary so critical to comprehension.
10

11. DETERMINING TEXT COMPLEXITY
11

12. WHICH TEXT IS MORE COMPLEX?
Lincoln was shaken by the
presidency. Back in Springfield,
politics had been a sort of
exhilarating game; but in the White
House, politics was power, and
power was responsibility. Never
before had Lincoln held executive
office. In public life he had always
been an insignificant legislator
whose votes were cast in concert
with others and whose decisions in
themselves had neither finality nor
importance. As President he might
consult with others, but
innumerable grave decisions were
in the end his own, and with them
came a burden of responsibility
terrifying in its dimensions.
According to those who knew
him, Lincoln was a man of many
faces. In repose, he often
seemed sad and gloomy. But
when he began to speak, his
expression changed. “The dull,
listless features dropped like a
mask,” said a Chicago
newspaperman. “The eyes
began to sparkle, the mouth to
smile, the whole countenance
was wreathed in animation, so
that a stranger would have said,
‘Why, this man, so angular and
solemn a moment ago, is really
handsome.’”
12
Text 1 Text 2

13. 4 IMPORTANT RESOURCES FOR TEXTS
 What Kind of text
should I choose?
 I found a online. How
can I know its lexile?
 Where can I find
examples of the sort
of texts required?
 What is student
writing supposed to
look like?
CCSS Publisher’s
Criteria for Text
Selection
Link to lexile.com
CCSS Appendix B: Text
Exemplars and Sample
Performance Assessments
CCSS Appendix C: Writing Samples
for Science, Social Studies, and
Technical Subjects

14.  Content area teachers often struggle with knowing how to
incorporate the literacy standards into their instruction
 Tried and true CCSS compliant methods:
 Close reading -any text, any time-take a complex text and read it
more than once and engage in discussions with teammates to gain a
deeper understanding of the text (I have a template for you)
 Literacy Design Collaborative: framework for implementing the CCSS
into science, social studies, and technical subjects (warning label:
training recommended to properly create a module…and there are
modules that are already made)
 Argumentative writing -can we say “instant engagement”? Deeper
level of understand obtained when stating counterarguments
 Discourse -can include whole class discussions like Socratic seminar
and small group discussions that surround a piece of text
HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO TEACH
LITERACY? I AM A NON ELA TEACHER!

15. What is Close Reading?
 Reading a complex text
multiple times in order
to gain a deeper
understanding
 4 focus areas:
 Multiple read-throughs
 Text-dependent questions
 Discourse about the text
 Writing
 Choose a text based on
what topic you are
teaching
 Highly Suggested:
determine the lexile
level of the text
 Use a close reading
lesson planning
template
CLOSE READING
Tips for Teachers
Publisher’s Criteria Close reading template

16.  Achieve3000.com-lesson and article database
 Search for texts within any content area
 Instant differentiated instruction-can choose a lexile grade band to
adjust the same text for different levels
 If you follow the lessons word-for-word, from beginning to end, they
encompass close reading strategies!
 Available to all Jefferson Parish teachers
 Login- CommonCore.Teacher
 Password: CommonCore.Teacher
 Sciencenews.org (sciencenewsforkids.org)-FABOLOUS free
scientific articles relevant to current events; print publication
also for a fee
 Newspapers, magazines, documents such as the Bill of Rights
 Excerpts from books (close reading is intended for shorter
texts)
WHERE CAN I FIND TEXTS FOR CLOSE
READING?

17. Framework created
especially for CCSS
Template-based
approach to
teaching literacy in
the content areas
For Science
teachers: specially
made science
templates
LITERACY DESIGN COLLABORATIVE
The “Select LDC Template Task
Adaptations for Use in Science
Classrooms” support reading and
writing distinctive to scientific work.
Options include a Research Design
Plan, a Background Research/ piece,
and a Research Abstract
Educurious Science Templates
Teachingchannel.org

18. How Do I create an LDC
Module?
 All framework materials
are available on
literacydesigncollaborativ
e.org
 Perfectly fine to teach a
module that has already
been made! Also found
on the site
 Training is recommended,
but not required
LITERACY DESIGN COLLABORATIVE

19. WHAT IS A THEME-BASED
CURRICULA?
 Based on a central
‘real life’ theme
 Encourages process
learning and active
involvement
 Integrates several
content areas
 Typically ends with
an integrated
culminating activity
Theme
Language
Arts
Social
Studies
Science
Math
Health
Fine Arts

20. EXAMPLE OF THEMATIC UNIT FOR
ELEMENTARY
Topic: Olympics
 Language Arts/Social Studies- Students read a story
about a gold medal winner and create their own gold
model
 Geography/Art- Students create a map of a country
 Language Arts/ Social Studies- Compare and Contrast a
triathlon with a pentathlon using a Venn diagram
 Math- Students measure a parade route for Opening
Ceremonies
 Art/Current Events: Draw Olympic mascots
 Writing: Examine/Create poems for winners of events
 PE: Participate in Your Own Events
 Science: Create meals for athletes using food pyramid
INFO
Craft
4. De
acad
phras
or su
5. Co
(e.g.
probl
or inf

21. ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING

22. Why argue?
 Argumentation deepens
understanding
 Notice how people on the
internet become
“researchers” when they are
trying to prove a point?
 Forces the writer to consider
the counterarguments and
other viewpoints
 Can be done as a stand-
alone writing project or
as an LDC module
How?
 Choose a text that aligns
with your content
instruction
 Pose an essential
question to the students
(i.e. Do you think that
____ should be
mandatory?)
 Use the resources
provided below to get you
started
ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING
Information for Argumentative Writing Graphic Organizer for Argumentative

23. SPEAKING AND LISTENING STANDARDS

24. The “forgotten” CCS
standards!
Suggestions for
implementation:
 Orally and visually
presenting lab report
data
 Socratic Seminar
 Orally summarizing an
article
 Kagan© Cooperative
Learning team strategies
SPEAKING AND LISTENING STANDARDS
Remember: promote good
social behaviors- making eye
contact, speaking clearly,
good posture, etc.

25.  Requires technology
incorporation to meet all
of the S&L standards
 Suggestions:
 have students present
information in a variety of
mediums
 power points/prezi
presentations
 Google Docs for collaborating
on papers/projects
 Google Apps-forms, surveys,
questionnaires, etc.
 Promethean Board
Let students create a
survey or
questionnaire that
utilizes the activotes
Include small group
as well as whole
group discussions
Literacy Partners Strategy
SPEAKING AND LISTENING STANDARDS

26. Objectives of Socratic
Seminar
 Foster independent thought
in students
 Engage students actively in
discourse surrounding
content
 Encourage deep dives into
text
 Promote deep understanding
by providing students with
open-ended questions
 Promote social awareness
and norms of a civilized
discussion
 End product: text dependent
writing
What S.S. is NOT:
 a debate or argument-no
one attempts to persuade
others but rather speaks
openly about the topic
 Teacher centered-this is a
student centered activity
facilitated by the teacher
 Just for English classes-
any content area can
incorporate Socratic
Seminar into the
classroom
SOCRATIC SEMINAR

27. S.S. is a whole class, non-
scripted, text-dependent
discussion where the
students elaborate on the
ideas of others-only one
person can speak at a time
FYI: Socratic
Seminar
addresses at
least 12
Common Core
standards if
done correctly
WHAT
EXACTLY IS A
SOCRATIC
SEMINAR?
Socratic Seminar Planning Document

28. Why write so much?
 Goodbye LEAP-projected
to be replaced next
school year with PARCC
assessments
 Requires a great deal of
writing on a computer
 If writing does not
become routine in all
subject areas, scores will
suffer…a lot
 Writing is primarily how
deeper levels of
understanding will be
assessed, even in math
 Need practice writing to a
variety of audiences (to
the Governor, Principal,
peer, parent, agency, etc.)
 Consider using a
template for students to
format & structure their
writing
MOVING WRITE ALONG

29. IF YOU DON’T PRACTICE WRITING WITH A
FORMAT/TEMPLATE:
You get this. And this is awful.

30. THE RESOURCES YOU SAW TODAY
Sbanks.wikispaces.com