JaJ ELA Expectations at

Gunpowder Elementary

WELCOME

Shifts in Teaching

&Learning

Parent Professional Development

January 27, 2014

PURPOSEGunpowder Elementary School’s expectations for

teaching and learning.

An overview of what your child will learn in ELA.

Ideas for activities to help your child learn at home.

Questions and answers about learning expectations at Gunpowder Elementary.

TerminologyShift : A change in how teachers teach and how students learn

Text: Any written work

Non-fiction: Texts about real-life events or facts

Evidence: Bits of proof from the text Arguments: How students to convince someone of something Judgment: A student’s conclusion about what they have read

Focus: Learning more on fewer topics

What’s the Shift for ELA?• ELA standards organized in a K-12 structure

• Outlines three types of writing, beginning in Kindergarten

• Addition of writing with argumentation

• K-12 emphasis on informational text

• Deep integration of reading and writing

• Greater emphasis on grammar

ELA Shift (cont.)• Greater emphasis on digital reading,

writing, multi-media production

• Greater attention to comprehension

• Pervasive demand for higher-order thinking and production

• Specific standards for speaking and listening

• Standards for literacy in science, social studies, and instructional technology

Why is the Shift Necessary?Most college/workplace writing is evidence-

based

Large gap between college and high school text complexity

Students’ reading complexity levels are predictors of success in college

The Gap…

6 Shifts in Learning: How the CCSS Changes LearningIncrease in Nonfiction Texts

Content Area Literacy

Increase Complexity of Texts

Focus on Text-Based Questions

Focus on Writing Arguments

Academic Vocabulary

ELA/Literacy Shift 1:Read as much non-fiction as fiction

ELA/ Literacy Shift 2:Learn about the world by reading

ELA/Literacy Shift 3:Read more complex material carefully

ELA/Literacy Shift 4:Discuss reading using evidence

ELA/Literacy Shift 5 :Writing from sources

ELA/ Literacy Shift 6:Academic Vocabulary

Ideas for HomeLook through the common core standards to get a feel for

what your child will be learning as he moves through school.

Encourage your child to research a topic of interest by using informational texts.

As you read with your child, ask in-depth why and how questions that encourage her to analyze and synthesize texts. For example, read three different versions of the Goldilocks and the Three Bears and ask your child to compare and contrast them as you read.

What questions do you have?

Thank you for joining us on this journey of rigorous and responsive

teaching and learning at Gunpowder Elementary!