Common Core Workshopfor Parents

Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects

http://bit.ly/1n4uPPtRidge Crest Elementary School

January 27, 2014

Workshop Objectives:

Define Literacy and Technical Subjects

Why we need to change?

Review Anchor Standards and Instructional Shifts

Literacy Standards vs. English Language Arts Standards

Practice Close Reading and Answering Text-based Questions

The Standards set requirements not only for English language arts

(ELA) but also for literacy in history/social studies, science, and

technical subjects. Just as students must learn to read, write, speak,

listen, and use language effectively in a variety of content areas, so too

must the Standards specify the literacy skills and understandings

required for college and career readiness in multiple disciplines.

It is important to note that the 6-12 literacy standards in history/social

studies, science, and technical subjects are not meant to replace content

standards in those areas but rather to supplement them.

Do You Know the Facts About Literacy? (quiz)1. Illiteracy costs U.S. businesses how much money each year in lost productivity?• a. $225 billion• b. $500 billion• c. $100 billion2. What percentages of American adults are unable to read a book at the eighth grade level?a. 10%b. 50%c. 25%3. Which month did Ohio's Governor, Bob Taft designate as "Ohio Adult Literacy Month"?a. Novemberb. Octoberc. September4. A high school dropout has less than a 1 in 3 chance of finding a job?a. Trueb. False5. How much money in taxes is paid to support individuals who are receiving public assistance and are unemployable due to illiteracy?a. $10 thousand a yearb. $1 million a yearc. $5 billion a year6. Literacy is defined as the ability to read or write?a. Trueb. False7. How many individuals are added to the adult illiterate population in the U.S?a. 1 millionb. 3 thousandc. 2.2 million

8. The cost of illiteracy to businesses and taxpayers is estimated at $20 billion annually?a. Trueb. False9. What percentages of Ohioans over age 18 don't have a high school diploma?a. 5%b. 24%c. 15%10. What percentages of Americans, who have jobs, are classified as functionally illiterate?a. 2 millionb. 10 millionc. 5 million11. 1 in 5 American adults are functionally illiterate?a. Trueb. False12. What percentages of 17 year olds are functionally illiterate?a. 5%b. 20%c. 13%13. What percentage of individuals, in the United States, cannot read well enough to fill out an application, read a food label, or read a simple story to a child?a. 10 millionb. 60 millionc. 44 million

http://literacy.kent.edu/Oasis/Workshops/facts/quiz.html

What is literacy?

The 1991 Adult Literacy Act, defines literacy as:

"An individuals ability to read, write and speak in

English, and compute and solve problems at levels of

proficiency necessary to function on the job and in

society, to achieve one's goals and develop one's

knowledge and potential."

Literacy Quiz: http://literacy.kent.edu/Oasis/Workshops/facts/quiz.html

What are the technical subjects?

The CCSS define technical subjects as courses that are

devoted to “a practical study, such as engineering,

technology, design, business, or other workforce-related

subject” and “a technical aspect of a wider field of study,

such as art or music.” It includes literacy instruction in

technical subjects also taught in the elementary grades

such as visual and performing arts (VAPA), physical

education, and world languages.

Change is Necessary

Literacy is the key word here, because the teaching of history should

have reading and writing at its core.

In some schools, teachers struggle to cope with low reading levels by

reading the textbook aloud to students so they at least "get the content"

(Schoenbach, et. al, Reading for Understanding, 1999). In other

classrooms, writing in social studies is increasingly being replaced by

PowerPoint assignments, complete with bullet points and animation.

But we can no more defend an argument on why the USSR disintegrated

using bullet points than we can journey to Moscow on the wings of a

Frommer travel guide. Working through successive drafts of the cause-

and-effect essay-making sure that paragraphs reflect a logical

procession of ideas and that assertions are backed by evidence-is hard

and inglorious work, but there are no shortcuts. Skits and posters may

be engaging, but leaving students there-engaged but illiterate-amounts

to an incomplete lesson that forfeits our claim as educators. Sam Wineburg

(Stanford History Education Group) and Daisy Martin (National History Education Clearinghouse)

"Reading and Rewriting History," 2004.

Anchor Standards for Reading

Key Ideas and Details: What it means: Your child will be encouraged to carefully

read many books and texts.

Craft and Structure: What it means: The standards within this area focus on

specifics within a book, for example, an author's specific word choices or phrases,

understanding the underlying structure of common types of texts.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: What it means: Within this strand, students

will be working to compare and contrast details from stories, describe key ideas

using details in informational text, and tell how two texts on the same topic differ.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity: What it means: Teachers will be

using a variety of techniques to introduce a range of books and other written

material that both support and challenge a child's reading level.

Anchor Standards for Writing

Text Types and Purposes: What it means: Teachers will be asking students to

write opinion pieces about books or topics, informative pieces that contain facts

about a topic, and more traditional-style writing called narrative in which students

write about specific events or details.

Production and Distribution of Writing: What it means: These standards address

editing and publishing work. The standards also address sharing written work using

a variety of digital tools.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge: What it means: Students will be

working with classmates on research and writing projects. Together they'll

collaborate to gather information and present findings in an accurate way.

Range of Writing: What it means: The range of writing standards begin in Grade 3,

and simply refer to the goal of having students write routinely over extended

periods of time.

Instructional Shifts in English Language Arts and Literacy

Shift 1: Balancing Informational and Literary Texts

Students read as much fiction as non-fiction.

Shift 2: Knowledge in the Disciplines

Students build knowledge about the world through reading rather than

the teacher or activities.

*Shift 3: Staircase of Complexity

Students read more complex materials carefully.

*Shift 4: Text-based Answers

Students engage in rich and rigorous evidence based conversations

about text.

Shift 5: Writing from Sources

Writing emphasizes use of evidence from sources to inform or make an

argument.

Shift 6 Academic Vocabulary

Students constantly build the vocabulary they need to access grade level

complex texts.

English Language Arts vs. Literacy Standards

Key Ideas and Details:

CCSS.ELA.RL.6.3 Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot

unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or

change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

History/Social Studies:

CCSS.Literacy.RH.6-8.3 Identify key steps in a text’s description of a

process related to history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law,

how interest rates are raised or lowered).

CCSS.ELA.RL.6.3 Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot

unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or

change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

Science and Technical Subjects:

CCSS.Literacy.RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a multistep procedure when

carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing

technical tasks.

Close Reading of Complex Materials

Steps in a Close Read:

1. Establish a purpose for reading.

2. Students read independently. They will circle words or ideas they have questions

about.

3. Students write key idea and share with a partner. “I was amazed to learn that….”

4. Have students share out. Teachers will use this to guide their modeling.

5. Teacher will read aloud the text and model confusing parts/words or

comprehension modeling. Students will reread passage in response to text-

dependent questions.

6. Students will continue discussion around text-dependent questions referring to

text as needed.

7. Final reading of text (optional).

8. Journal/Writing response or final step in graphic organizer. Younger kids could

return to their first statement and make one now; comparing both of them.

http://www.engageny.org/resource/close-reading-strategies-with-informational-text-by-

expeditionary-learning

Emphasis on Text-Based Questions and Answers

A text-dependent question specifically asks a question that can only be answered by

referring explicitly back to the text being read.

For example, in a close analytic reading of Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address,” the

following would not be text-dependent questions:

• Have you ever been to a funeral? (Requires no familiarity with the text)

• Why is equality an important value to promote (Relies on the individual

experience and opinion)

• Why did the North fight the civil war? (Requires students to go outside of the text)

Here are examples of text-dependent questions from the "Gettysburg Address":

• What happened four score and seven years ago?

• What is being tested by this war?

• What are the people who are assembled at Gettysburg there to do?