Introduction
In 2014, the Shelby County Schools Board of Education adopted a set of ambitious, yet attainable goals for school and student performance. The District is committed to these goals, as further described in our strategic plan, Destination 2025. By 2025,
§ 80% of our students will graduate from high school college or career ready
§ 90% of students will graduate on time
§ 100% of our students who graduate college or career ready will enroll in a post-secondary opportunity.
In order to achieve these ambitious goals, we must collectively work to provide our students with high-quality, College and Career Ready standards-aligned instruction. Acknowledging the need to develop competence in literacy and language as the foundations for all learning, Shelby County Schools developed the Comprehensive Literacy Improvement Plan (CLIP). The plan ensures a quality balanced literacy approach to instruction that results in high levels of literacy learning for all students and across content areas. Destination 2025 and the Comprehensive Literacy Improvement Plan establish common goals and expectations for student learning across schools and are the underpinning for the development of the English/Language Arts curriculum maps.
Designed with the teacher in mind, the English/Language Arts (ELA) curriculum maps focus on literacy teaching and learning, which include instruction in reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language. This map presents a framework for organizing instruction around the TN State Standards so that every student meets or exceeds requirements for college and career readiness. The standards define what to teach at specific grade levels, and this map provides guidelines and research-based approaches for implementing instruction to ensure students achieve their highest potentials.
A standards-based curriculum, performance-based learning and assessments, and high quality instruction are at the heart of the ELA Curriculum guides. Educators will use this guide and the standards as a road map for curriculum and instruction. Carefully crafted curricular sequences and quality instructional resources enable teachers to devote more time and energy in delivering instruction and assessing the effectiveness of instruction for all learners in their classrooms, including those with special learning needs.
How to Use the Literacy Curriculum Maps
Our collective goal is to ensure our students graduate ready for college and career. This will require a comprehensive, integrated approach to literacy instruction that ensures that students become college and career ready readers, writers, and communicators. To achieve this, students must receive literacy instruction aligned to each of the elements of effective literacy program seen in the figure to the right.
This curriculum map is designed to help teachers make effective decisions about what literacy content to teach and how to teach it so that, ultimately, our students can reach Destination 2025. To reach our collective student achievement goals, we know that teachers must change their instructional practice in alignment the with the three College and Career Ready shifts in instruction for ELA/Literacy. We should see these three shifts in all SCS literacy classrooms:
(1) Regular practice with complex text and its academic language.
(2) Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational.
(3) Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction.
Using the Curriculum Maps, Grades 6-8
· Begin by examining the text(s) selected for the week. Read them carefully and become familiar with both the text(s) and the “big idea.”
· Locate the TDOE Standards in the left column. Analyze the language of the standards, and match each standard to an evidence statement in the center column.
· Consult your Pearson Literature Teachers’ Edition (TE) and other cited references to map out your week(s) of instruction.
· Plan your weekly and daily objectives, using the evidence statements to help.
· Study the suggested writing prompts/performance assessments in the right-hand column, and match them to your objectives.
· Plan the questions you will ask each day using these three types of questions: those that derive general understanding, those that address craft and structure, and those that elicit an overall meaning of the text. Be sure that the questions you ask will lead students to success on your selected performance assessments.
· Examine the other standards and skills you will need to address—writing, vocabulary, language, and speaking and listening skills.
· Using your Pearson TE and other resources cited in the curriculum map, plan your week using the SCS lesson plan template. Remember to include differentiated activities for teacher-led small group instruction and literacy stations.
Throughout this curriculum map, you will see high-quality texts that students should be reading, as well as some resources and tasks to support you in ensuring that students are able to reach the demands of the standards in your classroom. In addition to the resources embedded in the map, there are some high-leverage resources around each of the three shifts that teachers should consistently access:
The TN English Language Arts State StandardsThe TN ELA State Standards:
http://www.tn.gov/education/article/english-language-arts-standards / Teachers can access the TN State Standards by clicking on the link.
Shift 1: Regular Practice with Complex Text and its Academic Language
Student Achievement Partners Text Complexity Collection:
http://achievethecore.org/page/642/text-complexity-collection / Teachers can learn more about how to select complex texts (using quantitative, qualitative, and reader/task measures) using the resources in this collection.
Student Achievement Partners Academic Work Finder: http://achievethecore.org/page/1027/academic-word-finder / Teachers can copy and paste a text into this tool, which then generates the most significant Tier 2 academic vocabulary contained within the text.
Shift 2: Reading, Writing and Speaking Grounded in Evidence from the Text
Student Achievement Partners Text-Dependent Questions Resources:
http://achievethecore.org/page/710/text-dependent-question-resources / Teachers can use the resources in this set of resources to craft their own text-dependent questions based on their qualitative and reader/task measures text complexity analysis.
Shift 3: Building Knowledge through Content-Rich Non-fiction
Student Achievement Partners Text Set Projects Sequenced:
http://achievethecore.org/page/1098/text-set-project-sequenced-under-construction / Teachers can use this resource to learn about how to sequence texts into “expert packs” to build student knowledge of the world.
Text Complexity in the Pearson Textbooks
Shelby County Schools adopted the Pearson Literature textbooks for grades 6-12 in 2012-2013. The textbook adoption process at that time followed the requirements set forth by the Tennessee Department of Education and took into consideration all texts approved by the TDOE as appropriate. The textbook has been vetted using the Instructional Materials Evaluation Tool (IMET) developed in partnership with Achieve, the Council of Chief State Officers (CCSSO) and the Council of Great City Schools. The textbook was rated as meeting all non-negotiable criteria and some indicators of superior quality.Non-negotiable criteria are Foundational Skills (as applicable),Complexity of Texts,Quality of Texts, andText-Dependent Questions.
All schools have access to these textbooks, so the Curriculum Maps draw heavily from them. Texts selected for inclusion in the Curriculum Maps, both those from the textbooks and external/supplemental texts, have been evaluated by District staff to ensure that they meet all criteria for text complexity--Quantitative, Qualitative, and Reader & Task Factors. Lexile Levels are listed on the Curriculum Maps, and additional information about other factors can be found on designated pages in the Pearson textbooks for those selections.
Using the WIDA MPIs
WIDA English Language Development (ELD) standards and example Model Performance Indicator (MPI) strands appear within this document to provide teachers with appropriate scaffolding examples for ELLs and struggling readers. Strands of MPIs related to the domain of Reading are provided and linked to the corresponding set of CCR standards. By referencing the provided MPIs and those MPIs within the given links, teachers can craft "I can" statements that are appropriately leveled for ELLs (and struggling readers) in their classrooms. Additionally, MPIs can be referenced for designing new and/or modifying existing assessments.
First Quarter / TN State Standards / Evidence Statements / Content /Weeks 1-4
Reading Selections
· The Woman Called Moses by Walter Oleksy and Meg Mims (ATOS 7.1) and Leaders of the Civil War Era: Harriet Tubman by Ann Malaspina (ATOS 9.4)
· Literary Analysis Workshop: from the “Letter on Thomas Jefferson” (ATOS 8.1; nonfiction) and “My Heart in the Highlands” (ATOS 8.0; nonfiction)
· “The Drive-In Movies” Lexile 920; autobiography
(See text complexity measures pgs.42-43)
Big Question: What does helping others require?
Reading Complex Texts
Reading Complex Texts
Reading Complex Texts / Informational
RI6.1
Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RI6.2
Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
RI6.6
Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.
These standards are constant and should be taught throughout each quarter.
Cite Evidence: RL1, RI1
Analyze Content: RL/RI.6.2-9 / Informational
Evidence Statements
· Provides textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly.
· Provides textual evidence to support analysis of inferences drawn from the text. RI6.1
· Provides a statement of the central idea(s) of a text.
· Provides an objective summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments. RI6.2
· Provides a statement of an author’s point of view in a text.
· Provides an explanation of how the author’s point of view is conveyed in the text. RI6.6 / Reading Selections
Analyzing Text
The Woman Called Moses by Walter Oleksy and Meg Mims (ATOS 7.1) RI6.1, RI6.2
http://edutoolbox.org/system/files/rasp_file/ELAG68P1Text1TubmanMoses_2.pdf
· Skills: elements of nonfiction, determining central ideas, making inferences
o Glossary of Informational and Literary Terms
§ http://cdn.scope.scholastic.com/sites/default/files/uploads_scope/issues/library/pdfs/SCOPE-Library-NonfictionTerms.pdf
§ http://lizphillips-ela.weebly.com/uploads/7/0/0/4/7004988/nonfiction_vocabulary.pdf
§ http://www.bathcsd.org/webpages/edepartment/literary_terms.cfm
§ http://www.ode.state.or.us/teachlearn/subjects/elarts/reading/resources/readingglossary.pdf
§ http://www.darke.k12.oh.us/curriculum/la/glossary.pdf
· Text Dependent Questions
1. What evidence showed that though Harriett reached freedom, she didn’t exactly feel free?
2. What is the central idea of the text?
3. Look at the quote on page one in lines 28-30. What does the author reveal to you about Tubman’s character, and how does this quote explain her beliefs regarding death and liberty?
4. How does the word “freedom” contribute to the overall central idea of the text?
5. Look at page one, lines 1-8. The text begins with Harriett lying awake in a windowless, one-room cabin with a dirt floor that she shared with her parents. How does the beginning shape the text?
6. The author included spoken words from Harriet Tubman in the text. Determine why. Cite evidence to support.
7. Explain the purpose of the title? How were Moses and Harriet similar?
8. Does the author support the intended message with adequate information? Cite evidence to support your opinion?
9. Describe the different approaches the authors of “The Woman Called Moses” and “Leaders of the Civil War Era: Harriet Tubman” use to communicate information on the same topic. Cite evidence to explain.
10. Describe how the author proves the key ideas of the text. Cite evidence
· Task
http://edutoolbox.org/system/files/rasp_file/ELAG68P1StudentPaper.pdf
“A Letter to Harriet Tubman” by Frederick Douglass (ATOS 8.3; nonfiction)
http://www.harriet-tubman.org/letter-from-frederick-douglass/
· Text Dependent Questions
www.achievethecore.org/file/2031
· Task
www.achievethecore.org/file/2031
Leaders of the Civil War Era: Harriet Tubman by Ann Malaspina (ATOS 9.4) RI6.1, RI6.6
http://edutoolbox.org/system/files/rasp_file/ELAG68P1Text2LeaderTubman_2.pdf
· Skills: elements of nonfiction, determining central ideas, supporting details, author’s purpose, making inferences
· Text Dependent Questions
1. Cite evidence to show how Harriet’s escape techniques proved to be valuable to the Union Army during the war?
2. Summarize the main ideas, details, or points of the text.
3. How did the central idea of the text develop?
4. Look at page one, lines24-29. How does the phrase “these dispatches were the single most prolific and productive category of intelligence obtained and acted upon by Union forces throughout the Civil War” contribute to the overall tone of the piece?
5. Look at page 3 – lines 52-56. The author ends with a quote from a newspaper published about Tubman. How does this close the text, while also adding to its overall purpose of the text?
6. What is the purpose of the text?
7. Explain the purpose of the “Black Dispatches.”
8. Describe how the author proves the key ideas of the text. Cite Evidence.
9. Compare and contrast the two texts – “The Woman Called Moses” and “Leaders of the Civil War Era: Harriet Tubman”
10. . How does the author support the points of the text? Cite evidence to explain.
· Task
http://edutoolbox.org/system/files/rasp_file/ELAG68P1StudentPaper.pdf
Resources for Analyzing Text
· Strategies for analyzing text
o http://theeducatorsroom.com/2013/04/teaching-students-how-to-analyze-text/
o http://minnetesoljournal.org/spring-2014/cutting-to-the-common-core-analyzing-informational-text
o http://www.exeter.k12.pa.us/cms/lib6/PA01000700/Centricity/Domain/97/Kline_Dual_Entry_Significance.pdf
o http://www.exeter.k12.pa.us/cms/lib6/PA01000700/Centricity/Domain/97/Kline_Dual_Entry_Text_Saw_Thought.pdf
o https://www.bing.com/search?q=five+close+reading+strategies+to+support+common+core&form=EDGNTC&qs=PF&cvid=d984c10918814c9ba452f5738ae55249&pq=five%20close%20reading%20strategies%20to%20support%20common%20core
o http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/preap/teachers_corner/45200.html
o https://www.quia.com/files/quia/users/ddolhon/SOAPSyyyA-Strategy-for-Reading-and-Writing.pdf
o http://www.lessonplanet.com/lesson-plans/informational-text?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Language%20Arts%20(Search)&utm_term=informational%20text%20lesson%20plan&utm_content=Informational%20Text
o http://www.longview.k12.wa.us/student%20learning/Reading/TCH%20HOT%20TIPS%20INFORMATIONAL%20TEXT.pdf
o http://www.longview.k12.wa.us/student%20learning/Reading/TCH%20HOT%20TIPS%20INFORMATIONAL%20TEXT.pdf
o http://www.isbe.net/common_core/pdf/ela-teach-strat-read-text-6-12.pdf
o https://www.bing.com/search?q=informational%20text%20is%20a%20part%20of%20everything%20we%20do&qs=n&form=QBRE&pq=informational%20text%20is%20a%20part%20of%20everything%20we%20do&sc=0-48&sp=-1&sk=&cvid=14093E51B52C47EA98B0D667C93678DD
Reading Strategies
· Teaching Author’s Purpose- Going Beyond Persuade, Inform, and Entertain
o http://www.weareteachers.com/blogs/post/2015/01/09/going-beyond-pie-5-ways-to-teach-students-how-to-find-the-author's-purpose
o http://www.massbay.edu/uploadedFiles/Admissions_and_Financial_Aid/Enrollment/QUESTIONTYPE.pdf
o https://discovery.app.box.com/s/miufueuq20za41255nyb
Resources for Annotation
· http://www.teachingthecore.com/purposeful-annotation-close-reading/
· http://www.elacommoncorelessonplans.com/literature-reading-standards/teaching-literary-annotations.html
· https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1AFAB_enUS506US507&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=teaching%20annotation
Unit1: Determining Central Ideas in Non-fiction
Literary Analysis Workshop RI6.2
Big Question: How do we decide what is true?
· Elements of Nonfiction pgs.4-5
· Determining Central Ideas in Nonfiction pg. 7
o Skills: elements of nonfiction, determining central ideas, supporting details, author’s purpose, making inferences
o Glossary of Informational and Literary Terms
· http://cdn.scope.scholastic.com/sites/default/files/uploads_scope/issues/library/pdfs/SCOPE-Library-NonfictionTerms.pdf
· http://lizphillips-ela.weebly.com/uploads/7/0/0/4/7004988/nonfiction_vocabulary.pdf
· http://www.bathcsd.org/webpages/edepartment/literary_terms.cfm