Rhode Island Core Standards for ELA/Literacy

• Articulate Module - Collaborative Conversations: Speaking and Listening in the Common Core

• Full Articulate Module - Academic Vocabulary

Part 1: A Focus on General Academic Vocabulary

This module explores the Common Core State Standards' focus on General Academic Vocabulary as a way to provide greater access to complex texts. Educators will learn how to identify The Three Tiers of Vocabulary, become familiar with criteria for selecting Tier Two words for explicit instruction, and explore some instructional resources.

• Facilitator Notes (PDF)
• Presentation (PDF)
• Text Examples:
  • Volcanoes
  • Freedom Walkers
• Three Tiers of Words Descriptions and Sorting Activity (PDF)
• Instructional Guide for General Academic Vocabulary (PDF)
• Freedom Walkers: Instructional Guide for General Academic Vocabulary (PDF)
• Lincoln's Gettysburg Address Questions (PDF)

Part 2: Selecting Tier Two Words for Explicit Instruction

In this module, participants will gain additional experience selecting Tier Two words for instruction by using a set of criteria. Participants will have an opportunity to work with an instructional guide to begin planning for explicit vocabulary instruction.

• Facilitator Notes (PDF)
• Text Excerpts:
  • Example 1: Medieval Feast
  • Example 2: Cathedral
  • Example 3: Working Knowledge
• Instructional Guide for General Academic Vocabulary (PDF)
• Reflection Questions (PDF)
• Facilitator Resources - Annotated Examples:
  • Annotated Example 1
  • Annotated Example 2
  • Annotated Example 3
• Facilitator Resources - Instructional Guide Examples:
  • A Medieval Feast Instructional Guide Example
  • Cathedral Instructional Guide Example
  • Working Knowledge Instructional Guide Example

Part 3: Planning for Instruction

Participants will have the opportunity to extend their understanding of planning explicit vocabulary instruction with Tier Two words by using their own classroom texts and sharing instructional approaches.

• Facilitator Notes
• Instructional Guide for General Academic Vocabulary
• Reflection Questions

Recently, there has been some discussion around the topic of pre-reading and how it fits within the Common Core State Standards. The Common Core State Standards require students to read increasingly complex texts with growing independence. Because the standards articulate what students should know and be able to do, they, the standards do not tell us how we need to accomplish this expectation. Therefore, this module takes an in-depth look at pre-reading and asks participants to consider certain factors before determining whether a pre-reading lesson is warranted. Additionally, participants will use a guide to analyze their own practices so they may continue to be mindful of the goal, which is to allow students to work through these complex texts independently.

• Pre-Reading Presentation (PDF)
• Pre-Reading Planning Guide (DOC)

• Guide to Creating Questions for Close Analytic Reading
  Text Dependent Questions are identified within the CCSS as a key skill for students: “rather than asking students questions about their prior knowledge or experience, the standards expect students to wrestle with text dependent questions: questions that can only be answered by referring explicitly back to the text in front of them.” This document provides questions to help guide thinking on development of text dependent questions.
• Close Reading Exemplars
  “These close reading exemplars intend to model how teachers can support their students as they undergo the kind of careful reading the Common Core State Standards require.” The exemplars provided are for Grades 6-12.
  • Grades 11-12, "Living Like Weasels" (DOC)
  • Grades 9-10, "Gettysburg Address" (DOC)
  • Grade 8, "Words We Live By" (DOC)
  • Grade 8, "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave" (DOC)
  • Grade 8, "The Long Night of the Little Boats" (DOC)
  • Grade 7, "Farewell to Manzanar" and "Unbroken" (DOC)
  • Grade 7, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (DOC)
  • Grade 6, "The Great Fire" (DOC)
  • Grade 6, "The Making of a Scientist" (DOC)
• Close Reading Model Lessons with Student Supports
  • A Close Reading Model Lesson with Student Supports: Because of Winn-Dixie, Grade 3
  • A Close Reading Model Lesson with Student Supports: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Grade 8
  • A Close Reading Model Lesson with Student Supports: Learned Hand’s “I am an American Day Address” (1944), Grade 11
• Close Reading Sample Lessons

Considering Text Complexity

Module designed for participants to understand the reasoning and importance of the Common Core State Standards’ shift to increase the complexity of texts utilized in K-12 classrooms in order to prepare students for college and career readiness.

• Facilitator Notes (PDF)
• ELA CCSS Appendix A (PDF)
• Questions to Guide Discussion (PDF)

Measuring Text Complexity Part 1

Module designed for participants to use a protocol to determine text complexity grade bands for a selection of common texts.

• Facilitator Notes (PDF)
• ELA CCSS Appendix A (PDF)
• Protocol for Measuring Text Complexity (DOC)
• Qualitative Measures Rubrics:
  • Qualitative Measures Rubric for Literary Text
  • Qualitative Measures Rubric for Informational Text
• Text Excerpts:
  • Example 1 ~ Grapes of Wrath (PDF)
  • Example 2 ~ A Wrinkle in Time (PDF)
  • Example 3 ~ Discovering Mars: The Amazing Story of the Red Planet (PDF)
  • Example 4 ~ Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave, Written by Himself (PDF)
• Completed Protocols for Facilitator Use:
  • Annotation of Grapes of Wrath (page 14 in Appendix A) (PDF)
  • Completed Protocol for Grapes of Wrath (PDF)
  • Completed Protocol for A Wrinkle in Time (PDF)
  • Completed Protocol for Discovering Mars: The Amazing Story of the Red Planet (PDF)
  • Completed Protocol for Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave, Written by Himself (PDF)

Measuring Text Complexity Part 2

Module designed for participants to utilize a protocol to determine text complexity grade bands for texts that are currently used in their classrooms.

• Facilitator Notes (PDF)
• Protocol for Measuring Text Complexity (DOC)
• Qualitative Measures Rubrics:
  • Qualitative Measures Rubric for Literary Text
  • Qualitative Measures Rubric for Informational Text

Resources

• Why Text Complexity Matters [PPTX]
  The RIDE sponsored Text Complexity PD session, which supports the Text Complexity Modules, included a PowerPoint that provided background information regarding the need for increasing text complexity within our classrooms. Participants of the session have requested that we share this background knowledge to help support Module implementation.
• The Challenge of Challenging Text article
  Dr. Timothy Shanahan, Douglas Fisher, and Nancy Frey’s article, The Challenge of Challenging Text, addresses complex texts: “When teachers understand what makes texts complex, they can better support their students in reading them.”
• Video Vignette: The Common Core State Standards: Complex Text & Its Implications in the Classroom
  Dr. Timothy Shanahan discusses the ELA Common Core State Standards readability requirements and how an increase in complex texts may shift the way teachers think about teaching students to read a challenging text. (Video 1:42)

Text Analyzer Tools

• Common Scale for Band Level Text Difficulty Ranges (DOC)
  Chart identifies the Common Scale for Grade Level Bands highlighting six different Text Analyzer Tools.
  • Lexile® Framework (MetaMetrics): Lexile® Analyzer / Find a Book (based upon Lexile® measure)
  • ATOS® (Renaissance Learning)
  • Degrees of Reading Power© (Questar Assessment, Inc.) - Please inquire through Questar.
  • Flesch Kincaid® (public domain / MS Word)
  • TextEvaluator® (formerly known as SourceRater)
  • Pearson Reading Maturity Metric© (Pearson Education)
• Measures of Text Difficulty: Testing their Predictive Value for Grade Levels and Student Performance (PDF)
  Research article that assesses the capabilities of six “text analyzers.” The six metrics included within the study: Lexile®, ATOS®, Degrees of Reading Power: DRP Analyzer©, REAP, SourceRater©, and the Pearson Reading Maturity Metric©.

Part 1: An Introduction

• Facilitator Notes (PDF)
• Presentation (PPT)
• ELA CCSS (PDF)
• Learning Trajectory Template for Participants (PDF)
• Completed Learning Trajectories for Facilitator Use:
  • ELA Learning Trajectory (PDF)
  • Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects Learning (PDF)
• Text-Based Answers Video
• Text-Based Answers Video Discussion Questions (PDF)

Part 2: Examining Close Reading Exemplars

• Facilitator Notes (PDF)
• Exemplars
  • Grade 6: "The Making of a Scientist" (DOC)
  • Grade 8: "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave" (DOC)
  • Grade 9/10: "Gettysburg Address" (DOC)
• Protocol for Close Reading Exemplar (PDF) / Poster Option for Protocol (PDF)

Part 3: Maintaining a Deep Connection to the Text

• Facilitator Notes (PDF)
• "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" video
• Video Reflection Questions (PDF)
• Appendix B: Common Core State Standards for ELA/Literacy (PDF)
• Template for Questions (PDF)

Part 4: Creating Text-Dependent Questions for Close Reading

• Facilitator Notes (PDF)
• Example of Text Dependent Questions Worksheet for Facilitator Use (PDF)
• Text Dependent Questions Worksheet (PDF)

Part 1: Introduction

This part of the Writing an Argument Module enables participants to understand the definition, key terminology, and characteristics of argument writing in the ELA/Literacy Common Core State Standards. Participants learn why argument writing is given such prominence in the standards and are introduced to the distinction between persuasive writing and logical argumentation.

• Facilitator Notes (PDF)
• ELA CCSS Appendix A (PDF)
• Hand-out 1.1: Alpha Blocks (PDF)
• Hand-out 1.2: Graphic Organizer (PDF)
• Hand-out 1.3: CCSS W.11-12.1; WHST.11-12.1 (PDF)
• Hand-out 1.4: Frayer Model (PDF)
• Example of Hand-out 1.2: Graphic Organizer for Facilitator Use (PDF)
• Example of Hand-out 1.4: Frayer Model for Facilitator Use (PDF)

Part 2: Deconstructing Argument Writing

This module explores the rigor of the argument writing standard in the ELA Common Core State Standards by having participants deconstruct the standard at their own and other grade levels to identify what students are expected to know and be able to do. Participants think about the instructional implications of the expectations and begin to plan resources and strategies that they could use to teach argument writing.

• Facilitator Notes (PDF)
• Hand-out 2.1: Deconstructing W.6.1 (PDF)
• Hand-out 2.2: Vertical Articulation Document for Writing Standard 1 (K-12) (PDF)
• Hand-out 2.3: Deconstructing a Standard Template (PDF)
• Example of Handout 2.1 for Facilitator Use (PDF)

Part 3: Arguments

In this module, participants gain a deeper understanding of the integration of the strands of the ELA/Literacy Common Core State Standards as it pertains to argumentation. They broaden their understanding of argumentation by reading and listening to Patrick Henry’s “Speech to the Second Virginia Convention (1775)” and tracing the speaker’s argument.

• Facilitator Notes (PDF)
• Hand-out 3.1: Anchor Standards (PDF)
• Hand-out 3.2: Patrick Henry's Speech (PDF)
• Hand-out 3.3: Argument Graphic Organizer (PDF)
• Example of Hand-out 3.3 for Facilitator Use (PDF)

Part 4: Analyzing and Writing Arguments

This module familiarizes participants with tools and resources to support the teaching of argument writing. Participants annotate a student sample of argument writing from Appendix C of the Common Core State Standards and also examine an argument writing rubric. Using a text set (a collection of resources on one topic), participants have an opportunity to practice argument writing.

• Facilitator Notes (PDF)
• Hand-out 4.1: School Bond Levy (PDF)
• Hand-out 4.2: Annotation: School Bond Levy (PDF)
• Hand-out 4.3: Delaware's Argumentation/Opinion Text-based Writing Rubric (PDF)
• Hand-out 4.4: Rubric/CCSS Standards Side-by-Side Template (PDF)
• Hand-out 4.5: Rubric/CCSS Standards Side-by-Side Comparison (PDF)
• Hand-out 4.6: Planning Your Argument (PDF)
• Example of Hand-out 4.2: Annotation of School Bond Levy for Facilitator Use (PDF)

• Writing Calibration Tool
• In Common: Effective Writing for All Students
  Common Core writing samples from classrooms around the country.