From Teaching Literacy in Tennessee
https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/readready/documents/rpt_teaching_literacy_in_tn.pdf
Tennessee's Vision for Reading Proficiency
In order to better support educators in teaching literacy, Tennessee first needed to define reading proficiency so that all education stakeholders could work together from a shared definition. To this end, the department of education convened the Early Learning Council, which was a group of Tennessee teachers, instructional coaches, principals, district leaders, and university professors, who met multiple times over the course of a year to develop our state's Vision for Reading Proficiency.The Early Learning Council determined that the end goal and defining trait of reading proficience is students' ability to make meaning from text and through that meaning-making process, build knowledge about the world around them.
Several related factors support students in achieving this outcome:
- Academic standards
- Access to high-quality texts
- Effective instruction
It is essential that texts are made accessible to all students through effective literacy instruction, regardless of students' decoding ability, background knowledge, primary language, current interest in reading, or any other variable.
The graphic below outlines what it means to be a proficient reader:
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January 3, 2018
From Teaching Literacy in Tennessee
https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/readready/documents/rpt_teaching_literacy_in_tn.pdf
Skills-based and Knowledge-based Competencies
Proficient readers use both skills-based and knowledge-based competencies to make meaning from text. Each one is vitally important, and neither serves as the foundation for the other; rather students must develop skills-based and knowledge-based competencies at the same time.
December 1, 2017
Why does my principal keep talking about standards?
Standards are guideposts for schools. Teachers, parents and students use them as a tool to focus on what students are expected to learn.Standards spell out what students are expected to learn in each grade and each subject. These standards become the basis for the way teachers are trained, what they teach and what is on state standardized tests that students take.
Without standards, districts and schools don’t have goals to shoot for. By matching what is taught in the classroom to the standards in each subject area, students (and their parents and teachers) will know what teachers should be teaching, what students should be learning and what they will be tested on.
All teachers have access to resources to help ensure your lessons are standard-aligned by helping you have a greater understanding of each standard.
Standards Crosswalks for ELA and Math
The consulting firm, Instructional Partners, has developed the following crosswalks to highlight the changes Tennessee state standards have had. These crosswalks put in clear language what the changes mean.
https://instructionpartners.org/resources/standards-crosswalks
Top ELA resources from Instructional Partners:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/589d1b9ebe65941098d57d14/t/59cd047fc534a582e871121c/1506608256329/ELA.Resources.pdf
Top Math resources from Instructional Partners:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/589d1b9ebe65941098d57d14/t/59cd049a18b27d77330200a1/1506608283487/Math.Resources.pdf
The Achieve the Core Coherence Map is the most powerful standards tool available for math. It shows how the math standards are related and it includes a sample task for each standard that demonstrates the rigor expected. Teachers can use it to help plan lessons and units.
You can follow this link to the Achieve the Core Coherence Map:
https://achievethecore.org/coherence-map/
For guidance on designing a curriculum based on standards, refer to this article on the ASCD webite:
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/100043/chapters/Standards-Based_Curriculum_and_Assessment_Design.aspx
April 4, 2017
Vocabulary for Teachers about Standardized Testing...
Taken from A Teacher's Guide to Standardized Reading Tests, Knowledge is Power by Lucy Calkins
February 24, 2017
The Benefits of Students Talking About Texts
Taken from: Guided Reading by Fountas and Pinnell, 2016
- Build relationships with peers by learning more about them and their thinking.
- Articulate their own understandings of, and perspectives on, a text.
- Test ideas within a safe group context.
- Develop and share understandings about the larger meanings of a text and how they connect to their lives, to other texts, and to the world.
- Engage in turn taking and learn how to keep a meaningful strand of discussion going.
- Become independent of the teacher in discussing texts with others.
- Learn to value and respond to the thinking of other students.
- Learn that there are different interpretations of texts and different perspectives on characters, plots, problem resolutions, and topics.
- Learn academic language to use in discussing texts.
- Build deeper, richer understandings of a text.
November 29, 2016
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
CORE INSTRUCTION TIMES = TIER 1
K-2nd Minimum Recommended
Instructional Times:
Tier I
|
Kindergarten
|
First
|
Second
|
ELA
|
150 minutes daily
|
150 minutes
daily
|
150 minutes
daily
|
3rd-5th Minimum Recommended Instructional Times:
Tier I
Third Grade
Fourth Grade
Fifth Grade
ELA
120 minutes daily
120 minutes daily
120 minutes daily
OVERVIEW K-5
All literacy instruction is grounded in the explicit, systematic instruction of the foundational skills and rooted in the three instructional shifts. The first shift, knowledge, requires that students build knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and informational text. The second shift, evidence, calls for reading, writing, and speaking to be grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational. The third shift, vocabulary, requires that students have regular practice with complex texts and their academic language. Evidence-based instructional practices occur using a scientifically research-based core curriculum aligned to the Tennessee Academic Standards.
From the council’s report: “By the end of third grade, proficient readers read and comprehend a wide range of text types of increasing difficulty, including both narrative and informational texts. They accurately and independently decode text, reading with a rate and level of expression that promotes comprehension. Proficient readers recognize when to employ specific comprehension strategies in service of their understanding, with a focus on the text’s central ideas or themes. Readers select comprehension strategies strategically, based on the unique structure, topic, and demands of the text (Howland, Jonassen, & Marra, 2013).”
While the Early Literacy Council was charged with creating a vision of reading proficiency that set specific expectations for third grade, the council found that many of the skills, habits, and knowledge structures required for proficient reading at third grade remain true for readers throughout the K-12 grade span. Fluent reading, application of reading strategies, argumentation, and vocabulary and knowledge development are critical for readers at all levels, and the council encourages all educators to consider the relevance of this vision to their work, regardless of the age or grade of students they serve.
The council also points out the significance of this vision for early grades educators. For this vision to be realized in third grade, it must first take root in kindergarten, with students continuing to grow into it throughout first, second, and third grade. Early grades educators must invest in building students’ knowledge and skill simultaneously, expanding vocabulary, engaging students with a wide range of texts, and developing students’ listening, speaking, and writing abilities.
The English language arts instruction in K-2 should engage students in multiple listening, speaking, reading, viewing, drawing, and writing activities that are hands-on, concrete, and appropriate for developing young children’s early literacy capabilities.
The goal for K-2 English Language Arts instruction is supporting all students’ development of both skills-based competencies, such as alphabetic recognition and word reading, and knowledge-based literacy competencies, such as vocabulary and comprehension. To accomplish this goal, readers in grades K-2 develop abilities to accurately, fluently, and independently read a wide range of appropriately complex texts; strategically employ comprehension strategies to analyze key ideas and information; construct interpretations and arguments through speaking and writing; develop vocabulary; and build knowledge about the world.
Tier I
Third Grade
Fourth Grade
Fifth Grade
ELA
120 minutes daily
120 minutes daily
120 minutes daily
OVERVIEW K-5 All literacy instruction is grounded in the explicit, systematic instruction of the foundational skills and rooted in the three instructional shifts. The first shift, knowledge, requires that students build knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and informational text. The second shift, evidence, calls for reading, writing, and speaking to be grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational. The third shift, vocabulary, requires that students have regular practice with complex texts and their academic language. Evidence-based instructional practices occur using a scientifically research-based core curriculum aligned to the Tennessee Academic Standards. From the council’s report: “By the end of third grade, proficient readers read and comprehend a wide range of text types of increasing difficulty, including both narrative and informational texts. They accurately and independently decode text, reading with a rate and level of expression that promotes comprehension. Proficient readers recognize when to employ specific comprehension strategies in service of their understanding, with a focus on the text’s central ideas or themes. Readers select comprehension strategies strategically, based on the unique structure, topic, and demands of the text (Howland, Jonassen, & Marra, 2013).” |
While the Early Literacy Council was charged with creating a vision of reading proficiency that set specific expectations for third grade, the council found that many of the skills, habits, and knowledge structures required for proficient reading at third grade remain true for readers throughout the K-12 grade span. Fluent reading, application of reading strategies, argumentation, and vocabulary and knowledge development are critical for readers at all levels, and the council encourages all educators to consider the relevance of this vision to their work, regardless of the age or grade of students they serve.
The council also points out the significance of this vision for early grades educators. For this vision to be realized in third grade, it must first take root in kindergarten, with students continuing to grow into it throughout first, second, and third grade. Early grades educators must invest in building students’ knowledge and skill simultaneously, expanding vocabulary, engaging students with a wide range of texts, and developing students’ listening, speaking, and writing abilities.
The English language arts instruction in K-2 should engage students in multiple listening, speaking, reading, viewing, drawing, and writing activities that are hands-on, concrete, and appropriate for developing young children’s early literacy capabilities.
The goal for K-2 English Language Arts instruction is supporting all students’ development of both skills-based competencies, such as alphabetic recognition and word reading, and knowledge-based literacy competencies, such as vocabulary and comprehension. To accomplish this goal, readers in grades K-2 develop abilities to accurately, fluently, and independently read a wide range of appropriately complex texts; strategically employ comprehension strategies to analyze key ideas and information; construct interpretations and arguments through speaking and writing; develop vocabulary; and build knowledge about the world.
Instruction in grades 3-5 should have a strong emphasis on reading and comprehending complex texts, knowledge development of academic concepts, and high levels of student verbal interactions and engagement.
Strong emphasis should be given to the reading standards with particular attention to the 3-5 strands of standards that include Reading: Literature, Reading: Informational Text, Reading: Foundational Skills (K-5), Writing, Speaking & Listening, and Language. In pursuit of developing proficient readers, instruction should support students in analyzing, critiquing, and synthesizing text information for multiple purposes, with the end goal of deeply understanding what is read. Students accurately and independently decode text, reading with a rate and level of expression and phrasing that promotes comprehension. Students should receive explicit instruction in recognizing when to employ specific comprehension strategies in service of their understanding, with a focus on the text’s central ideas or themes. Additionally, students should be taught how to generate inferences, interpretations, conclusions, and arguments that are supported by textual evidence and that are also informed by their own background knowledge. Students should be given frequent opportunities to communicate their ideas in both formal and informal settings through speaking and writing. As a result of effective instruction and attentive engagement with texts, students will build their historical, cultural, and disciplinary knowledge enabling them to use this robust knowledge bank to make connections across topics and settings and enhance their understanding of new ideas.
- Close reading (including re-reading and chunking particularly difficult sections) to identify details and main ideas
- Comprehending complex texts, including digital texts, across a range of genres and disciplines to analyze content and structure
- Speaking about and listening to texts to address text dependent questions that promote close reading, textual analysis, argumentation, and use of evidence to support claims
- Vocabulary development through the text (with a focus on understanding Tier II words, using context and explicit vocabulary instruction)
- Volume of reading on one topic at a time in order to build knowledge and vocabulary
- Reading across topics in order to build knowledge, intertextual connections, and vocabulary
- Reading widely across content areas, including science and social studies, to build historical, cultural, and disciplinary knowledge
- Writing-to-sources (students write about what they have read) to construct interpretations and promote reasoning
- Speaking and writing for multiple purposes that are authentic and purposeful (e.g., to inform, to solve problems, to organize information, to analyze literary and informational texts, etc.)
Tier I English language arts (ELA) instruction should include all of the strands of the Tennessee Academic Standards which include Reading: Literature, Reading: Informational Text, Reading: Foundational Skills (K-5), Writing, Speaking & Listening, and Language. These standards must be taught in an integrated manner to support the reciprocal nature of English language arts skills. Skills and strategies should be taught in purposeful, systematic, explicit, and authentic ways, through connected text, with the dual goals of developing fluency and building knowledge. Additionally, reading instruction should engage students in reading widely across content areas, including science, social studies, fine arts, and career and technical texts that build students’ domain-specific knowledge and vocabulary.
In the fall of 2015, the Tennessee Department of Education convened an Early Literacy Council composed of educators from across the state representing diverse points of view, including teachers, instructional coaches, principals, district leaders, and university professors. The council’s primary charge was to establish a vision for third grade reading proficiency; this work will soon be finalized and published. The council defines reading proficiency as the ability to comprehend the meaning of complex and content-rich text, enabling students to increase their knowledge of the world. Students should simultaneously develop skills-based and knowledge-based literacy competencies; neither competency serves as the foundation for the other. Students should read to learn while they are learning to read.
K - 2ND GRADE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
Core instruction in the area of K-2 elementary reading should consist of 150 minutes, with 90 minutes of uninterrupted reading instruction. Explicit instruction in reading foundations, language, text comprehension, and listening, speaking, and writing should take place within the 150 minutes. For students to become proficient early readers, skills must be acquired and developed within the context of authentic listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities, as well as within an environment where the application and integration of skills and strategies are modeled and supported. It is critical for students to spend a large percentage of their day listening to, reading, and responding to texts. As noted in Tennessee’s English language arts standards, science and social studies texts should be used during this time to enhance the reading and understanding of informational text and strengthen the Language, Speaking & Listening, and Writing strands. However, the use of scientific texts to support literacy should not be substituted for appropriate science instruction. Additionally, in social studies, where content is topical, students should be exposed to informational texts based on what is currently being discussed in the social studies classroom as part of the topic of study.
Core instruction in the area of K-2 elementary reading should consist of a 90-minute uninterrupted reading block. Explicit writing and language instruction should be integrated during this time. This entire block of literacy instruction (reading, writing, and language) should be taught by the same teacher. English language arts standards should be taught in an integrated manner across all strands that include Reading: Literature, Reading: Informational Text, Reading: Foundational Skills (K-5), Writing, Speaking & Listening, and Language. Separating these ELA strands into separate courses does not reflect best practice.
The reading block should contain roughly 30 minutes of whole group instruction. This time may be non-consecutive. Whole group instruction may include such activities as: interactive read-alouds, shared reading, teacher-modeled mini-lessons, and share time (reflective learning using speaking and listening standards).
The reading block should also contain approximately 60 minutes of small group instruction. Teachers should meet with 3-4 small groups daily. Each small group should contain no more than six students and should meet for approximately 15-20 minutes. The small groups should be teacher-led, flexible, and differentiated to meet student need.
Students should rotate between a teacher-led group and two or more purposeful practice activities and should have teacher contact a minimum of every other day. Purposeful practice involves students in real-world exploration and problem solving. Students read, speak, draw, and write to answer questions, solve problems, construct arguments, or learn more about topics of interest. Purposeful practice can also include the strategic and differentiated development of literacy skills, either to strengthen an area of need or build on an area of expertise. Teachers could have three to four groups in a classroom. It is recommended that struggling students be seen by the teacher every day. Student conferencing may occur during this time as well.
Small group instruction should focus on students reading and discussing text. Lessons should include activities such as rereading familiar text, guided reading of new text, skill work, and word work. Small groups should be formed based on evidence from multiple sources of data and should be flexible.
When not in a small group, students should engage in purposeful practice that reinforces the standards being taught in whole and small group. Purposeful practice may include such activities as partner reading, reflective journaling, learning stations, skill practice, word sorts, reader response activity, book studies, writing activities, and independent reading.
As noted in Tennessee’s English language arts standards, science and social studies texts should be used during this time to enhance the reading and understanding of informational text and strengthen the Language, Writing, and Speaking & Listening strands. However, the use of scientific texts to support literacy should not be substituted for appropriate science instruction.
The remaining 60 minutes of literacy instruction, outside the 90 minute uninterrupted reading block, could integrate a writing block in connection with the other ELA strands, including language instruction. The writing block should offer students opportunities with whole group modeling, shared practice, independent practice, and conferencing. This instruction should support students in producing writing products for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
3RD - 5TH GRADE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
The goal for 3-5 English Language Arts instruction is supporting all students’ development of both skills-based competencies, such as advanced phonics, word analysis, and word reading; and
In particular, 3-5 students should build the necessary reading skills, including comprehension and stamina, in order to read, understand, and write about increasingly complex and lengthy texts. Because the Tennessee Academic Standards for ELA are so closely integrated across strands, every reading unit should focus on the following:
It is strongly recommended that Tier I ELA be 90-minutes of uninterrupted instruction in grades 3-5. The additional 30 minutes can be taught throughout the day.
The Tennessee Academic Standards for ELA must be taught in an integrated manner across all strands. It is recommended that the same highly skilled teacher teach all ELA content. Separating these ELA strands into separate courses does not reflect best practice.
Core instruction in the area of 3-5 elementary reading should consist of a 90 minute uninterrupted reading block. Explicit writing and language instruction should be integrated during this time. This entire block of literacy instruction (reading, writing, and language) should be taught by the same teacher. The Tennessee English language arts Standards should be taught in an integrated manner across all strands that include Reading: Literature, Reading: Informational Text, Reading: Foundational Skills (K-5), Writing, Speaking & Listening, and Language. Separating these ELA strands into separate courses does not reflect best practice.
The reading block should contain roughly 30 minutes of whole group instruction. This time may be non-consecutive. Whole group instruction may include such activities as: interactive read-alouds, shared reading, teacher-modeled mini-lessons, and share time (reflective learning using speaking and listening standards).
The reading block should also contain approximately 60 minutes of small group instruction. Teachers should meet with 3-4 small groups daily. Each small group should contain no more than six students and should meet for approximately 15-20 minutes. The small groups should be teacher-led, flexible, and differentiated to meet student need.
Students should rotate between a teacher-led group and two purposeful practice time segments and should have teacher contact a minimum of every other day. Teachers could have three to four groups in a classroom. It is recommended that struggling students be seen by the teacher every day. Student conferencing may occur during this time as well.
Small group instruction should focus on students reading and discussing text. Lessons should include activities such as rereading familiar text, guided reading of new text, skill work, and word work. Small groups should be formed based on multiple sources of data and should be flexible.
When not in a small group, students should engage in purposeful practice that reinforces the standards being taught in whole and small group. Purposeful practice may include such activities as partner reading, reflective journaling, learning stations, skill practice, word sorts, reader response, novel studies, writing activities, and independent reading.
As noted in Tennessee’s English language arts standards, science and social studies texts should be used during this time to enhance the reading and understanding of informational text and strengthen the Language, Writing, and Speaking and Listening strands. However, the use of scientific texts to support literacy should not be substituted for appropriate science instruction. Additionally, in social studies, where content is topical, students should be exposed to informational texts based on what is currently being discussed in the social studies classroom as part of the topic of study.
The remaining 60 minutes of literacy instruction, outside the 90 minute uninterrupted reading block, could integrate a writing block in connection with the other ELA strands, including language instruction. The writing block should offer students opportunities with whole group modeling, shared practice, independent practice, and conferencing. This instruction should support students in producing writing products for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
| Instruction in grades 3-5 should have a strong emphasis on reading and comprehending complex texts, knowledge development of academic concepts, and high levels of student verbal interactions and engagement. Strong emphasis should be given to the reading standards with particular attention to the 3-5 strands of standards that include Reading: Literature, Reading: Informational Text, Reading: Foundational Skills (K-5), Writing, Speaking & Listening, and Language. In pursuit of developing proficient readers, instruction should support students in analyzing, critiquing, and synthesizing text information for multiple purposes, with the end goal of deeply understanding what is read. Students accurately and independently decode text, reading with a rate and level of expression and phrasing that promotes comprehension. Students should receive explicit instruction in recognizing when to employ specific comprehension strategies in service of their understanding, with a focus on the text’s central ideas or themes. Additionally, students should be taught how to generate inferences, interpretations, conclusions, and arguments that are supported by textual evidence and that are also informed by their own background knowledge. Students should be given frequent opportunities to communicate their ideas in both formal and informal settings through speaking and writing. As a result of effective instruction and attentive engagement with texts, students will build their historical, cultural, and disciplinary knowledge enabling them to use this robust knowledge bank to make connections across topics and settings and enhance their understanding of new ideas.
In the fall of 2015, the Tennessee Department of Education convened an Early Literacy Council composed of educators from across the state representing diverse points of view, including teachers, instructional coaches, principals, district leaders, and university professors. The council’s primary charge was to establish a vision for third grade reading proficiency; this work will soon be finalized and published. The council defines reading proficiency as the ability to comprehend the meaning of complex and content-rich text, enabling students to increase their knowledge of the world. Students should simultaneously develop skills-based and knowledge-based literacy competencies; neither competency serves as the foundation for the other. Students should read to learn while they are learning to read. K - 2ND GRADE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS Core instruction in the area of K-2 elementary reading should consist of 150 minutes, with 90 minutes of uninterrupted reading instruction. Explicit instruction in reading foundations, language, text comprehension, and listening, speaking, and writing should take place within the 150 minutes. For students to become proficient early readers, skills must be acquired and developed within the context of authentic listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities, as well as within an environment where the application and integration of skills and strategies are modeled and supported. It is critical for students to spend a large percentage of their day listening to, reading, and responding to texts. As noted in Tennessee’s English language arts standards, science and social studies texts should be used during this time to enhance the reading and understanding of informational text and strengthen the Language, Speaking & Listening, and Writing strands. However, the use of scientific texts to support literacy should not be substituted for appropriate science instruction. Additionally, in social studies, where content is topical, students should be exposed to informational texts based on what is currently being discussed in the social studies classroom as part of the topic of study. Core instruction in the area of K-2 elementary reading should consist of a 90-minute uninterrupted reading block. Explicit writing and language instruction should be integrated during this time. This entire block of literacy instruction (reading, writing, and language) should be taught by the same teacher. English language arts standards should be taught in an integrated manner across all strands that include Reading: Literature, Reading: Informational Text, Reading: Foundational Skills (K-5), Writing, Speaking & Listening, and Language. Separating these ELA strands into separate courses does not reflect best practice. The reading block should contain roughly 30 minutes of whole group instruction. This time may be non-consecutive. Whole group instruction may include such activities as: interactive read-alouds, shared reading, teacher-modeled mini-lessons, and share time (reflective learning using speaking and listening standards). The reading block should also contain approximately 60 minutes of small group instruction. Teachers should meet with 3-4 small groups daily. Each small group should contain no more than six students and should meet for approximately 15-20 minutes. The small groups should be teacher-led, flexible, and differentiated to meet student need. Students should rotate between a teacher-led group and two or more purposeful practice activities and should have teacher contact a minimum of every other day. Purposeful practice involves students in real-world exploration and problem solving. Students read, speak, draw, and write to answer questions, solve problems, construct arguments, or learn more about topics of interest. Purposeful practice can also include the strategic and differentiated development of literacy skills, either to strengthen an area of need or build on an area of expertise. Teachers could have three to four groups in a classroom. It is recommended that struggling students be seen by the teacher every day. Student conferencing may occur during this time as well. Small group instruction should focus on students reading and discussing text. Lessons should include activities such as rereading familiar text, guided reading of new text, skill work, and word work. Small groups should be formed based on evidence from multiple sources of data and should be flexible. When not in a small group, students should engage in purposeful practice that reinforces the standards being taught in whole and small group. Purposeful practice may include such activities as partner reading, reflective journaling, learning stations, skill practice, word sorts, reader response activity, book studies, writing activities, and independent reading. As noted in Tennessee’s English language arts standards, science and social studies texts should be used during this time to enhance the reading and understanding of informational text and strengthen the Language, Writing, and Speaking & Listening strands. However, the use of scientific texts to support literacy should not be substituted for appropriate science instruction. The remaining 60 minutes of literacy instruction, outside the 90 minute uninterrupted reading block, could integrate a writing block in connection with the other ELA strands, including language instruction. The writing block should offer students opportunities with whole group modeling, shared practice, independent practice, and conferencing. This instruction should support students in producing writing products for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences. 3RD - 5TH GRADE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS The goal for 3-5 English Language Arts instruction is supporting all students’ development of both skills-based competencies, such as advanced phonics, word analysis, and word reading; and In particular, 3-5 students should build the necessary reading skills, including comprehension and stamina, in order to read, understand, and write about increasingly complex and lengthy texts. Because the Tennessee Academic Standards for ELA are so closely integrated across strands, every reading unit should focus on the following: It is strongly recommended that Tier I ELA be 90-minutes of uninterrupted instruction in grades 3-5. The additional 30 minutes can be taught throughout the day. The Tennessee Academic Standards for ELA must be taught in an integrated manner across all strands. It is recommended that the same highly skilled teacher teach all ELA content. Separating these ELA strands into separate courses does not reflect best practice. Core instruction in the area of 3-5 elementary reading should consist of a 90 minute uninterrupted reading block. Explicit writing and language instruction should be integrated during this time. This entire block of literacy instruction (reading, writing, and language) should be taught by the same teacher. The Tennessee English language arts Standards should be taught in an integrated manner across all strands that include Reading: Literature, Reading: Informational Text, Reading: Foundational Skills (K-5), Writing, Speaking & Listening, and Language. Separating these ELA strands into separate courses does not reflect best practice. The reading block should contain roughly 30 minutes of whole group instruction. This time may be non-consecutive. Whole group instruction may include such activities as: interactive read-alouds, shared reading, teacher-modeled mini-lessons, and share time (reflective learning using speaking and listening standards). The reading block should also contain approximately 60 minutes of small group instruction. Teachers should meet with 3-4 small groups daily. Each small group should contain no more than six students and should meet for approximately 15-20 minutes. The small groups should be teacher-led, flexible, and differentiated to meet student need. Students should rotate between a teacher-led group and two purposeful practice time segments and should have teacher contact a minimum of every other day. Teachers could have three to four groups in a classroom. It is recommended that struggling students be seen by the teacher every day. Student conferencing may occur during this time as well. Small group instruction should focus on students reading and discussing text. Lessons should include activities such as rereading familiar text, guided reading of new text, skill work, and word work. Small groups should be formed based on multiple sources of data and should be flexible. When not in a small group, students should engage in purposeful practice that reinforces the standards being taught in whole and small group. Purposeful practice may include such activities as partner reading, reflective journaling, learning stations, skill practice, word sorts, reader response, novel studies, writing activities, and independent reading. As noted in Tennessee’s English language arts standards, science and social studies texts should be used during this time to enhance the reading and understanding of informational text and strengthen the Language, Writing, and Speaking and Listening strands. However, the use of scientific texts to support literacy should not be substituted for appropriate science instruction. Additionally, in social studies, where content is topical, students should be exposed to informational texts based on what is currently being discussed in the social studies classroom as part of the topic of study. The remaining 60 minutes of literacy instruction, outside the 90 minute uninterrupted reading block, could integrate a writing block in connection with the other ELA strands, including language instruction. The writing block should offer students opportunities with whole group modeling, shared practice, independent practice, and conferencing. This instruction should support students in producing writing products for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences. |
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October 31, 2016
Backward Design
The results from our Interactive Read Aloud Survey state that 39% of Anderson County Schools elementary teachers plan for a culminating task within their read aloud lessons with regularity. While we have traditionally planned with the first lesson first all the way through to the final assessment, implementing Backward Design as our planning strategy would greatly enhance our teaching. Instruction would be streamlined with intentful purpose.
Backward design is simply Beginning with the End in Mind. As teachers think through their lessons, they begin with the ending task analysis:
Given a worthy task to be accomplished, how do we best get everyone equipped?
Or we might think of it as using a map:
Given a destination, what's the most effective and efficient route?
What must learners master if they are to effectively perform? What will count as evidence, not merely in drills, that they really get it and are ready to perform with understanding, knowledge, and skill on their own? How will the learning be designed so that learners' capacities are developed through use and feedback?
This can be a major change from the common practice that occurs as teachers must begin to think about assessment before deciding what and how they will teach. Rather than creating assessments near the conclusion of a unit of study (or relying on the tests provided by textbook publishers, which may not completely or appropriately assess our standards and goals), backward design calls for us to make our goals or standards specific and concrete, in terms of assessment evidence, as we begin to plan a unit or course.
The three stages of backward design
Stage 1: Identify desired results
What should students know, understand, and be able to do? What content is worthy of understanding? What enduring understandings are desired? In Stage 1 we consider our goals, examine established content standards and review curriculum expectations. Because typically we have more content than we can reasonably address within the available time, we must make choices. This first stage in the design process calls for clarity about priorities.
Stage 2: Determine acceptable evidence
How will we know if students have achieved the desired results? What will we accept as evidence of student understanding and proficiency? The backward design orientation suggests that we think about a unit or course in terms of the collected assessment evidence needed to document and validate that the desired learning has been achieved, not simply as content to be covered or as a series of learning activities. This approach encourages teachers and curriculum planners to first “think like an assessor” before designing specific units and lessons, and thus to consider up front how they will determine if students have attained the desired understandings.
Stage 3: Plan learning experiences and instruction
With clearly identified results and appropriate evidence of understanding in mind, it is now the time to fully think through the most appropriate instructional activities. Several key questions must be considered at this stage of backward design: What enabling knowledge (facts, concepts, principles) and skills (processes, procedures, strategies) will students need in order to perform effectively and achieve desired results? What activities will equip students with the needed knowledge and skills? What will need to be taught and coached, and how should it best be taught, in light of performance goals? What materials and resources are best suited to accomplish these goals?
Note that the specifics of instructional planning—choices about teaching methods, sequence of lessons, and resource materials—can be successfully completed only after we identify desired results and assessments and consider what they imply. Teaching is a means to an end. Having a clear goal helps to focus our planning and guide purposeful action toward the intended results.
Backward design is simply Beginning with the End in Mind. As teachers think through their lessons, they begin with the ending task analysis:
Given a worthy task to be accomplished, how do we best get everyone equipped?
Or we might think of it as using a map:
Given a destination, what's the most effective and efficient route?
What must learners master if they are to effectively perform? What will count as evidence, not merely in drills, that they really get it and are ready to perform with understanding, knowledge, and skill on their own? How will the learning be designed so that learners' capacities are developed through use and feedback?
This can be a major change from the common practice that occurs as teachers must begin to think about assessment before deciding what and how they will teach. Rather than creating assessments near the conclusion of a unit of study (or relying on the tests provided by textbook publishers, which may not completely or appropriately assess our standards and goals), backward design calls for us to make our goals or standards specific and concrete, in terms of assessment evidence, as we begin to plan a unit or course.
The three stages of backward design
Stage 1: Identify desired results
What should students know, understand, and be able to do? What content is worthy of understanding? What enduring understandings are desired? In Stage 1 we consider our goals, examine established content standards and review curriculum expectations. Because typically we have more content than we can reasonably address within the available time, we must make choices. This first stage in the design process calls for clarity about priorities.
Stage 2: Determine acceptable evidence
How will we know if students have achieved the desired results? What will we accept as evidence of student understanding and proficiency? The backward design orientation suggests that we think about a unit or course in terms of the collected assessment evidence needed to document and validate that the desired learning has been achieved, not simply as content to be covered or as a series of learning activities. This approach encourages teachers and curriculum planners to first “think like an assessor” before designing specific units and lessons, and thus to consider up front how they will determine if students have attained the desired understandings.
Stage 3: Plan learning experiences and instruction
With clearly identified results and appropriate evidence of understanding in mind, it is now the time to fully think through the most appropriate instructional activities. Several key questions must be considered at this stage of backward design: What enabling knowledge (facts, concepts, principles) and skills (processes, procedures, strategies) will students need in order to perform effectively and achieve desired results? What activities will equip students with the needed knowledge and skills? What will need to be taught and coached, and how should it best be taught, in light of performance goals? What materials and resources are best suited to accomplish these goals?
Note that the specifics of instructional planning—choices about teaching methods, sequence of lessons, and resource materials—can be successfully completed only after we identify desired results and assessments and consider what they imply. Teaching is a means to an end. Having a clear goal helps to focus our planning and guide purposeful action toward the intended results.
September 30, 2016
Why Guaranteed Curriculum
In his book, Best Practices at Tier 1, Mike Mattos says a powerful core curriculum must address essential standards, have embedded evidence-based best practices, encorporate meaningful, relevant and student-centered instruction, utilize 21st Century skills and have a success criteria for mastery. Grade level teams have been meeting over the summer to identify those standards that are essential to students' success. These teams have debated over what is essential to know and what it the best way to measure students' mastery.
You are not expected to go at this task alone. The professional learning communities at your schools need to collaborate to find out:
1. What do we want our students to learn?
2. How will we know if our students are learning?
3. How will we respond when students don't learn?
4. How will we respond when they do?
By working together answering these questions, teams will build an inter-dependency to meet the needs of all students. This means living 'Every student, every day.'
This is a viable curriculum. It will live and change and grow as we do. You are getting ready to see evidence of student learning with the first common assessments being rolled out. There will be bumps in the road. We are human and will make mistakes. We will learn and move forward. We all strive for continuous improvement and and hope to build a curriculum that is best for the students of Anderson County.
Please give the guaranteed curriculum team members your feedback. The majority of them are classroom teachers just like you. Our goal is to build student-centered classrooms that are focused on learning. By collaboraing, evaluating and working together this can be the norm for Anderson County Schools.
