Background, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3

1. NEIU19
Fall 2013

2. “When you Google “hero,” there should
be a picture of a principal, a school lunch
worker, a custodian, a reading specialist,
a teacher, or a bus monitor. Real heroes
don’t wear capes. They work in America’s
schools.”
~Nelba Marquez-Green, mother of Ana Grace, a Sandy
Hook Elementary School victim
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3. Agenda
• Background of PA Core Standards
• Brief overview of Teacher Effectiveness
• PA Core ELA Shifts
• PA Academic Standards for ELA
• 1.1 Foundational Skills
• 1.2 Reading Informational Text
• 1.3 Reading Literature
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5. Core State Standards
O Initiated in 1996 by the National Governors Association
(NGA) and Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)
O Result in College and Career Readiness
O Are students leaving schools with the content and skills
they need?
O Developed in collaboration with teachers, school
administrators, and experts
O Fewer, Higher and Clearer Expectations
O 87% of PA Academic Standards are moderately or very
strongly aligned to Common Core Standards
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6. Core State Standards
O Are Aligned with college and work expectations
O Include rigorous content and application of
knowledge through high-order skills
O Build upon strengths and lessons of current state
standards
O Are informed by other top performing countries,
so that all students are prepared to succeed in
our global economy and society
O Are evidence-based
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9. Multiple Measures of Teacher Effectiveness –
Observation/Evidence and the Danielson Framework
Beginning 2013-14, teacher evaluations will be based on classroom observations by
principal/supervisor including evidence that demonstrates behaviors associated
with improving student achievement:
● Planning and preparation, including selecting standards-based lesson goals and
designing effective instruction and assessment
● Classroom environment, including establishing a culture for learning and
appropriate classroom management techniques that maximize instructional time
● Instruction, including the use of research-based strategies which engage students
in meaningful learning and utilize assessment results to make decisions abut
student needs
● Professional responsibilities, including using systems for managing student data
and communicating with student families
Link to PA Assessment Information

10. PA Academic Standards for ELA
Standard 1: Foundational Skills begin at Pre Kindergarten and focus on
early childhood, with some standards reflected through Grade 5. These foundational skills are a
necessary and important component of an effective, comprehensive reading program designed to
develop proficient readers with the capacity to comprehend text - both literary and informational
across disciplines.
Standard 2: Reading Informational Text enables students to read,
understand, and respond to informational text.
Standard 3: Reading Literature enables students to read, understand, and
respond to works of literature.
Standard 4: Writing develops the skills of informational, argumentative, and
narrative writing as well as the ability to engage in evidence-based analysis of text and research.
Standard 5: Speaking and Listening focuses students on communication
skills that enable critical listening and effective presentation of ideas.
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11. PA ELA Common Core
State Standard (CCSS)
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13. 5 ELA/Literacy Shifts
Shift #1:
Balancing the reading of informational and literary texts so
that students can access non-fiction and authentic texts as
well as literature.
Grade Level Text Selection
1. Grade 4 – 50% Literature vs. 50%
Informational
2. Grade 12 – 30% Literature vs. 70%
Information
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14. Building Knowledge Through
Content-Rich Nonfiction: Why?
•Students are required to read very little
informational text in elementary and middle
school.
•Non-fiction makes up the vast majority of
required reading in college/workplace.
•Informational text is harder for students to
comprehend than narrative text.
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15. 5 ELA/Literacy Shifts
Shift #2:
Focusing on close and careful reading of text so that
students are learning from the text.
O Ask text-dependent questions
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16. Content Shift #2
In “Casey at the Bat,” Casey strikes out.
Describe a time when you failed at
something.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is the story
of how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly.
Have you ever seen a caterpillar turn into
a butterfly?
In the story of The Three Bears,
Goldilocks visits a family of bears. Tell
your partner three things you know
about bears.
What makes Casey’s experiences at bat
humorous?
How do you know that the caterpillar is
hungry?
From this text, do you think Goldilocks
would make a good friend? Why do you
say that?
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Not Text-Dependent Text-Dependent
Text-Dependent Questions

17. 5 ELA/Literacy Shifts
Shift #3:
Building a staircase of complexity (i.e., each grade
level requires a “step” of growth on the “staircase”)
so that students graduate college or career ready.
○ It is also important to build a staircase of
complexity within each grade.
○ Pick a standard and read across grade
levels. What changes do you notice
progressing from grade to grade.
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18. 5 ELA/Literacy Shifts
Shift #4:
Writing from sources (i.e., using evidence from text to
inform or make an argument) so that students use
evidence and respond to the ideas, events, facts, and
arguments presented in the texts they read.
1. Narrative
2. Opinion/Argumentative
3. Informative/Explanatory
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19. 5 ELA/Literacy Shifts
Shift #5:
Stressing an academically focused
vocabulary so that students can access
more complex texts.
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20. 1.1 Foundational Skills
O Book Handling
O Print Concepts
O Phonological Awareness
O Phonics and Word Recognition
O Fluency

21. From the Phrontistery
O buccelation
O celeripedean
O ossifragant
O excutient
O philargyrist
O riviation

22. 1.2 Reading Informational Text: Activity
● Receive a copy of My Five Senses by Aliki.
● Read the book and your assigned skill.
• Group #1: A
• Group #2: B
• Group #3: C
• Group #4: F
• Group #5: G
• Group #6: J
• Group #7: K
● How would you use this text to address your assigned
skill? Create a list of instructional strategies.
● Share your skill with your new group.
● Discuss takeaways and implications.
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23. 1.3 Reading Literature: Activity
● Read Daisy Comes Home by Jan Brett.
● What would you do with this text? Create a sample
lesson.
● Watch America Achieves: Daisy Comes Home; write
down any 1.3 skills you observe during the lesson.
● Based on the video/standards:
○ Label existing skills in green
○ Refine your lesson, make revisions in red
○ Exchange lessons/discuss
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24. Unpacking 1.3: Reading Literature
Create a list of questions or activities that
ensure student mastery of a specific skill.
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25. Where I find more information?
Visit the Common Core State Standards Initiative
Website.
Visit the PDE SAS Website
Select Standards
Select Common Core
Pinterest.com/ceceliamecca
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