Pam Allyn’s Literacy Essentials in a Common Core Framework:

Getting All Students Core Ready

Virtual Institute Syllabus

Please fill in the facilitator information below so you know whom to contact about the Virtual Course.

Facilitator Name: ______

Facilitator Contact information:______

Course Overview

This course helps participants cultivate critically thinking, independent, and college- and career-ready readers and writers. Teachers learn to organize classrooms and instruction in ways that reflect the needs of 21st century students and the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). They learn the best and easiest ways to establish the fundamental building blocks at the heart of the CCSS.

Course Organization

Session # / Delivery / Length / Description
Session 1 / Synchronous Session facilitated by a Pearson consultant using Adobe Connect Pro / 90 minutes / The facilitator will use this time to
  • introduce the course content;
  • set the course expectations, outcomes, and objectives; and
  • explore content thatwill be further developed in later sessions.

Sessions 2–3 / Self-paced Sessions accessed on Pearson LearningStudio / Approximately 30 minutes run time / 80 minutes seat time / Sessions include
  • Readings;
  • Research;
  • Self-directed activities;
  • Video viewing;
  • Discussion Board posts;
  • Application-based classroom activity; and
  • Reflection.

Session 4 / Synchronous Session facilitated by a Pearson consultant using Adobe Connect Pro / 60 minutes / The facilitator will use this time to
  • ask reflection questions about what participants have learned in previous sessions;
  • introduce new content for this session;
  • provide answers to participants’ questions.

Sessions5–6 / Self-paced Sessions accessed on Pearson LearningStudio / Approximately 30 minutes run time / 80 minutes seat time / Sessions include
  • Readings;
  • Research;
  • Self-directed activities;
  • Video viewing;
  • Discussion Board posts;
  • Application-based classroom activity; and
  • Reflection.

Session 7 / Synchronous Session facilitated by a Pearson consultant using Adobe Connect Pro / 60 minutes / The facilitator will use this time to
  • ask reflection questions about what participants have learned in previous sessions;
  • introduce new content for this session; and
  • provide answers to participants’ questions.

Sessions8–9 / Self-paced Sessions accessed on Pearson LearningStudio / Approximately 30 minutes run time / 80 minutes seat time / Sessions include
  • Readings;
  • Research;
  • Self-directed activities;
  • Video viewing;
  • Discussion Board posts;
  • Application-based classroom activity; and
  • Reflection.

Session 10 / Synchronous Session facilitated by a Pearson consultant using Adobe Connect Pro / 60 minutes / The facilitator will use this time to
  • ask reflection questions about what participants have learned in previous sessions;
  • introduce new content for this session;
  • introduce culminating activities; and
  • provide answers to participants’ questions.

Course Outcomes

Participants will be able to

  • identify the reading and writing needs of students in a 21st century classroom;
  • manage the classroom and instruction to ensure students meet the expectations of the Common Core State Standards;
  • identify realistic methods for incorporating technology into literacy lessons that enhance instruction for students at every level; and
  • plan and implement an effective literacy program in the era of the Common Core State Standards.

Materials

  • Be Core Ready: Powerful, Effective Steps to Implementing and Achieving the CommonCoreState Standards by Pam Allyn
  • Participant Workbook
  • Computer or mobile device with speakers

Optional:

  • Core Ready Lesson Sets: A Staircase to Standards Success for English Language Arts series by Pam Allyn

Session Details

Session 1: Ensuring College and Career Readiness

Session 1 Overview

In Session 1, you will learn about the 21st Century Child’s Bill of Rights. You will define college and career readiness and identify traits of core learners.

Session 1 Objectives

Participants will be able to do the following:

  • Identify 6 Key Commitments for today’s classrooms set forth by the Common Core State Standards—the 21st Century Child’s Bill of Rights.
  • Define what it means to be “college and career ready.”
  • Identify the key traits that core learners must develop to become college and career ready.
  • Identify the 7 Core Capacities of a 21st century reader.

Session 1 Activities

Read Be Core Ready: Powerful, Effective Steps to Implementing and Achieving Common Core State Standards; Intro and Chapter 1

Complete the Warm-Up Activity on page 5 of the Participant Workbook.

Complete theApply to Classroom Activityon page 5 of the Participant Workbook.

Complete your reflections about the 7 CoreCapacitieson page 6 of the Participant Workbook.

Complete Session 1 in your Action Plan.

Answer the reflection questions on page 7 of the Participant Workbook and post on the Discussion Board.

Session 2: Entering the Four Doors to the Common Core

Session 2 Overview

In Session 2, you will describe the “Lit Loop” and its implications for teaching.You will learn about and describe the Four Doors to Core Ready. You will discuss the benefits for planning rich tasks that meet several standards simultaneously and use the Common Core State Standards to identify topics for sets of rich lessons. .

Session 2 Objectives

Participants will be able to do the following:

  • Describe the Lit Loop and its implications for modern literacy.
  • Describe the Four Doors to Core Ready through which most Common Core literacy skillscan be accessed:

– The Journey to Meaning

– The Shape of Story

– The Road to Knowledge

– The Power to Persuade

  • Discuss the benefits for planning rich tasks that meet several standards simultaneously.
  • Use the Common Core State Standards to identify topics for sets of rich lessons.

Session 2 Activities

Read Be Core Ready: Powerful, Effective Steps to Implementing and Achieving CommonCoreState Standards; Chapter 2 (PDF)

Excerpt from a Core-Ready Lesson Set, Grade Four

CommonCoreState Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/SocialStudies, Science, and Technical Subjects (corestandards.org)

Complete theIntroduction Questions on page 8 of the Participant Workbook.

Answer the video questions on page 9 of the Participant Workbook.

Complete the Apply to Classroom Activity questions on page 10 of the Participant Workbook.

Complete Session 2 in your Action Plan.

Answer the Discussion questions on page 11 of the Participant Workbook and post on the Discussion Board.

Session 3: Making Core Shifts

Session 3 Overview

In Session 3, you willexplorethe Core Shifts that can be made to align your teaching with the Common Core State Standards:

Session 3 Objectives

Participants will be able to do the following:

  • Identify 8 core paradigm shifts.
  • Discuss the relevance of these paradigm shifts to 21st century learning.

Session 3 Activities

Read Be Core Ready: Powerful, Effective Steps to Implementing and Achieving CommonCoreState Standards; Chapter 3 (PDF)

Excerpt from a Core-Ready Lesson Set, Grade Three

CommonCoreState Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social

Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects (corestandards.org)

Complete theIntroduction Questions on page 12 of the Participant Workbook.

Answer the video questions on page 13 of the Participant Workbook.

Complete the Apply to Classroom Activity questions on page 13 of the Participant Workbook.

Complete Session 3 in your Action Plan.

Answer the Discussion questions on page 14 of the Participant Workbook and post on the Discussion Board.

Session 4: Mastering Text Complexity

Session 4 Overview

In Session 4, you will examine text selection and how to align their teaching with the Common Core’s demands for increased text complexity. We will discuss both how to choose the right literature and best practice methods for teaching it.

Session 4 Objectives

Participants will be able to do the following:

Use the staircase model of the Common Core State Standards to select teaching

objectives for your class and for individual students.

Choose appropriately complex texts for your literacy lessons.

Session 4 Activities

Read Be Core Ready: Powerful, Effective Steps to Implementing and Achieving CommonCoreState Standards; Chapter 5

CommonCoreState Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects (corestandards.org)

Complete the Review and Questions on page 15 of the Participant Workbook.

Complete theIntroduction Questionon page 16 of the Participant Workbook.

Complete the notes and record your own thoughts and reflections about the 6 Core Principles for Text Complexity on page 16–17 of the Participant Workbook.

Complete Session 4 in your Action Plan.

Complete the Reflection Questions on page 17 of the Participant Workbook and Post on the Discussion Board.

Session 5:Taking Action to Meet and Exceed Standards

Session 5 Overview

In Session 5, you will identify seven action steps that you can take immediately to deliver literacy instruction that adheres to the Common Core State Standards.

Session 5 Objectives

Participants will be able to do the following:

Identify 7 CoreReady action steps you can take right now to prepare for CoreReady teaching:

  • Establish a classroom reading collection that is accessible to students, supports learningobjectives, and is reflective of the world outside of school.
  • Embrace new media that reflects and delivers real and current reading and writing.
  • Use the whole-small-whole model for individual lessons.Adopt the lesson set model for yearly planning.
  • Adopt the lesson set model for yearly planning.
  • Mentor students.
  • Let student work drive instruction.
  • Make the core English language arts standards a family affair.

Session 5 Activities

Read Be Core Ready: Powerful, Effective Steps to Implementing and Achieving CommonCoreState Standards; Chapter 4 (PDF)

CommonCoreState Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects (corestandards.org)

Complete theIntroduction Questions on page 18 of the Participant Workbook.

Complete the Review and Questions for Action Steps on page 19 of the Participant Workbook.

Answer the video questions on page 19 of the Participant Workbook.

Complete the Apply to Classroom Activity questions on page 20–22 of the Participant Workbook.

Complete Session 4 in your Action Plan.

Answer the Discussion questions on page 22 of the Participant Workbook and post on the Discussion Board.

Session 6:Implementing CoreReady Lessons

Session 6 Overview

In Session 6, you will determine advantages of lesson-set teaching—using purposefully connected lessons structured around one central topic and how to use the Core Ready I.D.E.A. framework to create lesson sets.

Session 6 Objectives

Participants will be able to do the following:

  • Identify major components of a lesson set.
  • Structure a lesson set using the I.D.E.A. (Introduce, Define, Extend, Assess) framework

Session 6 Activities

Read Be Core Ready: Powerful, Effective Steps to Implementing and Achieving CommonCoreState Standards; Chapter 8 (PDF)

Excerpt from a Core-Ready Lesson Set, The Core I.D.E.A. Chart

CommonCoreState Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects (corestandards.org)

Complete theIntroduction Questions on page 23 of the Participant Workbook.

Answer the video questions on page 24 of the Participant Workbook.

Complete the Apply to Classroom Activity questions on page 25 of the Participant Workbook.

Complete Session 5 in your Action Plan.

Answer the Discussion questions on page 26 of the Participant Workbook and post on the Discussion Board.

Session 7:Mastering Technology and New Media and Q & A with the Author

Session 7 Overview

In Session 7, you will learn the difference between technology and media literacy, anddescribe

uses for new technology and media.You will identify “talking points” for media literacy that you can incorporate into your media literacy instruction.

Session 7 Objectives

Participants will be able to do the following:

  • Articulate the differences between technology and media literacy education.
  • Describe three uses for technology and media: to communicate and collaborate, to consume and create, to curate and collate.
  • Articulate four “talking points”about media literacy into your Core-Ready teaching.

Session 7 Activities

Complete theOpening Discussion Questionon page 27 of the Participant Workbook.

Take notes and record your own thoughts and reflections about the three uses

for technology and media, that is, the major ways students use technology in and outside of theclassroom on page 27 of the Participant Workbook.

Take notes and record your own thoughts and reflections about the Talking

Points for Media Literacy Education on page 28 of the Participant Workbook.

Complete the Apply to Classroom Activity questions on page 29 of the Participant Workbook.

Complete Session 7 in your Action Plan.

Session 8:Mastering Close Reading

Session 8 Overview

In Session 8, you will learn about the nature of close reading as required by the Common Core State Standards and use the 7 Core ReadyLenses to guide your close-reading instruction.

Session 8 Objectives

Participants will be able to do the following:

  • Understand the nature of close reading as required by the Common Core State Standards.
  • Use 7 CoreReady Lenses to guide your close reading of text.

Session 8 Activities

Read Be Core Ready: Powerful, Effective Steps to Implementing and Achieving Common CoreState Standards; Chapter 9 (PDF)

CommonCoreState Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social

Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects (corestandards.org)

Complete theIntroduction Questions on page 30 of the Participant Workbook.

Answer the video questions on page 31 of the Participant Workbook.

Complete the Apply to Classroom Activity questions on page 32–35 of the Participant Workbook.

Complete Session 8 in your Action Plan.

Answer the Discussion questions on page 35 of the Participant Workbook and post on the Discussion Board.

Session 9:Empowering ELL Core Learners

Session 9 Overview

In Session 9, you willlearn about CoreReady values for differentiated ELL curriculum.

You will identify unique needs of English language learners and the Core Ready ELL philosophy and implement practical ways to differentiate instructions for all students.

Session 9 Objectives

Participants will be able to do the following:

  • Integrate CoreReady values for differentiating curriculum for ELL students.
  • Identify unique needs of English language learners.
  • Implement practical methods for differentiating literacy instruction for all core learners.

Session 9 Activities

Read Be Core Ready: Powerful, Effective Steps to Implementing and Achieving Common CoreState Standards; Chapter 10 (PDF)

CommonCoreState Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social

Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects (corestandards.org)

Complete theIntroduction Questions on page 36 of the Participant Workbook.

Answer the video questions on page 37 of the Participant Workbook.

Complete the Apply to Classroom Activity questions on page 37–39 of the Participant Workbook.

Complete Session 9 in your Action Plan.

Answer the Discussion questions on page 39 of the Participant Workbook and post on the Discussion Board.

Session 10:Core Ready, Set, Go! Reaching for the Stars!

Session 10 Overview

In Session 10, you will identify key components of the role of the family and community in the literacy lives of children. You will also review the learning and new concepts presented throughout the Virtual Institute and write a personal pledge that includes a plan for making your teaching Core-Ready.

Session 10 Objectives

Participants will be able to

  • Identify key components of the role of the family and community in the literacy lives of children.
  • Review the learning and new concepts presented throughout the Virtual Institute.
  • Write a personal pledge that includes a plan for making your teaching CoreReady.
  • Submit your action plan and receive feedback on your work.

Session 10 Activities

Read Be Core Ready: Powerful, Effective Steps to Implementing and Achieving Common CoreState Standards; Chapter 13 (PDF)

CommonCoreState Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social

Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects (corestandards.org)

Complete Session 10 in your Action Plan.

Take notes and record your own thoughts and reflections about the 5 Core Steps to Protect the Joy of Teaching on page 40 of the Participant Workbook.

Suggestions for Successful Completion of the Virtual Institute

To be successful in this institute and meet the course outcomes, below is a list of suggested practices for engaging in the virtual setting and learning the institute content:

Watch to the Guide to Adobe Connect tutorial and refer to the quick-start guide to learn how to participate and interact with a facilitator and attendees in a virtual environment.

Attend the live sessions and be an active participant, participating in chats, polls, and breakoutgroups.

View the self-paced sessions at least once—or more often if needed—in order to learn the content and complete the corresponding assignments in the Participant Workbook.

Participate in discussions by answering questions and posting reflections on the course Discussion Board.

Complete all activities in the Participant Workbook in order to apply and reflect on the course content.

Ask any remaining questions during the last live session to ensure successful start to implementing Common Core State Standards.

CEUs

After you have completed the course, please visit Pearson LearningStudio to access a Certificate of Completion. Click the Certificate for Course link and it will take you toa page where you can print off a personalized copy of your certificate.The site will also be sending you an e-mail confirming your requested CEUs.Please save the e-mail so that you can access the certificate at a laterdate.