Shift 1: Balancing Informational & Literary Texts

Shift 1: Balancing Informational & Literary Texts

K-5 Teacher Behavior:

Modeling comprehension strategies using nonfiction text
Explicit teaching of graphic organizers to pull out key points
Planning 50/50 balance of pulling resources (leveled readers, articles, books)
Integration of content areas (teaching through & with)
Provide opportunities for nonfiction read aloud
Model clear concise summaries
Design/plan activities for written response using key points and summary of informational text (shared writing)

K-5 Student Behavior:

Interacting with informational text (group/partner/independent)
Interactions to include speaking, listening, reading
Use key points to summarize (i.e. book, commercials, graphic organizers)
Using a variety of text formats (short articles, magazines, etc…)
Using leveled informational text for building fluency
Self-selected, project based

K-5 Resources

Classroom libraries
Bookroom
Media center
Online resources (Ebsco, Reading A-2)
Leveled readers, articles
Magazines (Time for Kids, Highlights)

6-8 Teacher Behavior:

Reading, writing, speaking, listening across content areas
Build a foundation for using a variety of formats and content when choosing text
Pair fiction and nonfiction to get a deeper understanding of content
Teach reading strategies to attack informational text
Becomes facilitator of the world; tour guide of text/world.

6-8 Student Behavior:

Learn to discuss (speak & listen) text
Read teacher and self selected literature and informational text
Summarize informational text using key words
Compare/contrast fiction and nonfiction pieces
Build stamina and engagement with text
Independently choose reading strategy to decode//comprehend text

6-8 Resources

paired fiction and nonfiction text
exemplar texts
magazines
newspapers
speeches
poems
Paideia seminars
informational databases
Socratic seminars
Short stories

9-12 Teacher Behavior:

research to find informational text
balance the use of informational and literary text
pair informational text with literary text
guide students through different types of informational text
provide graphic organizers to dissect to informational texts
design text-based questions to use with informational text

9-12 Student Behavior:

Examines informational text and continues to learn the different strategies used to read and analyze different types of informational text
Uses informational text to build background knowledge for literary texts
Uses graphic organizers to dissect texts
Learns to analyze informational texts
Increases vocabulary through involvement in informational texts
Discusses, writes about informational texts

9-12 Resources

New York Times Learning Network
Newspapers
Atlantic Monthly
Magazines
Web 2.0 tools
The New Yorker
NCWIse Owl
EBSCO
Expert Space
NC Live
ClasScape
The Big 6 for research

Shift 2: Building Knowledge in the Disciplines

K-5 Teacher Behavior:

Choose increasingly challenging texts across the curriculum
Making content relevant and rigorous
Explicitly modeling reading strategies, thinking aloud
Providing multiple opportunities for learning
Scaffolding of learning progressions
Planning and collaborating vertically

K-5 Student Behavior:

Reading increasingly challenging texts
Building background knowledge and making connections, inferences, etc…
Using multiple reading strategies
Giving students choice and voice
Advancement/progress
Writing about learning
Evaluating and analyzing
Collaboration with peers

K-5 Resources

Professional Development
Visit model classrooms/districts
Foldables-online resource
Technology
Rich content-specific texts
Primary and secondary resources
Time…prepare, create, collaborate, etc

6-8 Teacher Behavior:

Choose increasingly challenging texts
Scaffolding
Providing connections across curriculum/disciplines
Planning and working in grade level teams

6-8 Student Behavior:

Reading increasingly challenging texts
Showing advancement in reading skills
Transferring knowledge and reading skills in multiple disciplines
Making connections between disciplines

6-8 Resources

Professional Development
Visit model classrooms/districts
Foldables-online resource
Technology
Rich content-specific texts
Primary and secondary resources
Time…prepare, create, collaborate, etc

9-12 Teacher Behavior:

Collaborating vertically
Sharing literacy strategies between disciplines
Providing opportunities for ownership and student investment

9-12 Student Behavior:

Increasing ability in each grade level
Use common literacy strategies across disciplines
Investing in the learning/literacy process

9-12 Resources

Professional Development
Visit model classrooms/districts
Foldables-online resource
Technology
Rich content-specific texts
Primary and secondary resources
Time…prepare, create, collaborate, etc

Shift 3: Staircase of Complexity

K-2 Teacher Behavior:

Develop unit study
Have specific goals in mind for ELA, Sc, SS (any relevant content area)
Select grade level appropriate fiction and nonfiction texts
May deal with small excerpts or pieces of literature
Develop central questions that create thoughtful responses
Ask students to clarify answers, give proof
Choose vocabulary carefully

K-2 Student Behavior:

Feel safe about going out on a limb
Lots of sharing, talking interaction
Read and reread for same or different purposes.
Share proof
Involved in writing activities-interactive, shared
Make connections

K-2 Resources

Video streaming
“expert” visit class
adequate number of textual resources of fiction and nonfiction

3-5 Teacher Behavior:

thoughtful planning with goals in mind
integrated unit of study with variety of texts from many genres, appropriate complexities
scaffolding-teacher asking open-ended questions with multiple students answering questions

3-5 Student Behavior:

Participate in rich discussions
Orally and in writing, compare/contrast/analyze/synthesize
Students encouraged to read/reread to find proof in text

3-5 Resources

Opportunities to build knowledge/experiences
Fieldtrips, video streaming
Visits from experts (ex. Soil scientist to discuss soil)
Wide variety of appropriate texts

6-8 Teacher Behavior:

Selecting purposeful text
Provide resources for students to explore text
Provide open ended questions related to the text
Support Socratic Seminar
Model respectful discussion behavior
Facilitate discussion

6-8 Student Behavior:

Identify unknown vocabulary
Summarize text frequently (after a few lines)
Question word choice of author
Infer author’s purpose and meaning from what is stated versus from what is omitted
Delve into historical/social importance, relevance, and significance
Read and re-read

6-8 Resources

Have selected text
Make prepared open ended questions
Have knowledge of historical background
Have knowledge of the text
Have a goal in mind of where the focus will go

9-12 Teacher Behavior:

Create text based questions
Provide Socratic style discussion
Students do most of the talking

9-12 Student Behavior:

Read and re-read
Consider purpose of word choice-pay attention to the thoughts/interactions they have with the text

9-12 Resources

Current articles/Editorials/photos/images
Classic/Grade level appropriate text
Planning time to collaborate with faculty.

Shift 4: Text-Based Answers

K-2 Teacher Behavior:

Model everything (write/ teach and train)
Lay the foundation
Plan ahead
Know where to find the answers
Guide students back to the text
Ask for evidence
Model
Monitor for connectedness
Read across the curriculum
Write about what you read

K-2 Student Behavior:

Deep conversations
Re-reading
Explaining the text to others
Developing habits for citing texts
Speaking and writing across the curriculum
Write about what you read

K-2 Resources

Text

Expectations
Rubric for assessment
Guiding questions
Word work
Multiple resources
Professional development
Technology
Time

3-5 Teacher Behavior:

Plan ahead
Know where to find the answers
Guide students back to the text
Ask for evidence
Model
Monitor for connectedness
Read across the curriculum
Write about what you read
Re-write descriptive feedback
Let go
Scaffold
differentiation

3-5 Student Behavior:

Deep conversations
Re-reading
Explaining the text to others
Developing habits for citing texts
Speaking and writing across the curriculum
Student to student descriptive feedback
Student inquiry of texts

3-5 Resources

Text

Expectations
Rubric for assessment
Guiding questions
Word work
Multiple resources
Professional development
Technology
time

6-8 Teacher Behavior:

Let go more
Give choices of texts

6-8 Student Behavior:

Write like an investigator and read like a detective
Listen like “yo mama”

6-8 Resources

texts
above grade level texts
interdisciplinary units/studies
relate to literature

9-12 Teacher Behavior:

Let go completely
Write for life
Less is more
Less kum-ba-ya and more cite to text
Balanced informational and literary texts
Fewer words and the webs around them
Synthesize ideas across multiple texts
In many ways there’s just reading

9-12 Student Behavior:

Deep conversations
Re-reading
Explaining the text to others
Developing habits for citing texts
Speaking and writing across the curriculum
Student to student descriptive feedback
Student inquiry of texts

9-12 Resources

Text

Expectations
Rubric for assessment
Guiding questions
Word work
Multiple resources
Professional development
Technology
time

Shift 5: Writing from Sources

K-5 Teacher Behavior:

Modeling the 3 types of Writing-not just the narrative
Providing quality mentor texts of informational, persuasive, and narrative texts
Using the anchor standards, gade standards for planning instruction
Scaffolding students with writing skills throughout the day

K-5 Student Behavior:

Writing across the curriculum
Using text resources to support writing
Synthesizing the information from multiple sources for writing
Using facts to support ideas in writing
Researching
Writing in different modes, not just the narrative

K-5 Resources

Great short, rich mentor texts
Professional resources to support teachers with instructional planning
Primary sources
Professional development on how to teach informational and argumentative writing
Writing Instructional Guides from District

6-8 Teacher Behavior:

Modeling /asserting/defending/combining/gathering
Scaffolding
Establishing real purposes
Increasing choice of complex text
Providing grammar and mechanics in context
Less talking, more writing

6-8 Student Behavior:

Asserting
Defending
Conveying experiences
Choosing words based on audience
Combing kinds of writing
Using technology to create, refine and collaborate
Gathering information, evaluating resources and citing material
Meeting deadlines
Making improvements
Writing about topics that matter

6-8 Resources

Quality professional development
Exemplars
Primary and secondary sources
ELO’s
Online writing instruction

9-12 Teacher Behavior:

Set higher expectations
Model
Learn how to effectively write for multiple purposes (argue, persuade, convey)
Scaffolding with differentiation
Infuse grammar with direct instruction for basic knowledge as needed (blended model)
Cross Curricular Writing Focus (based on content area)

9-12 Student Behavior:

Write arguments
Support claims
Convey ideas, concepts, and information thorugh the selection of sources
Write with precision, accuracy, and clarity
Research to answer questions or solve problem
Synthesize Multiple Sources “Write like an investigative reporter
Investigate
Form opinion
Persuade
Example Activities: RAFT, Authentic Writing (real world),Research/Graduation Project,Partner Writing

9-12 Resources

Professional Development (modeling/cross curricular writing)
Exemplars
AP Teachers and instructions (D B Qs)
Primary and Secondary Sources
Online Writing Instruction
DCS Essential Learning Outcomes

Shift 6: Academic Vocabulary

K-5 Teacher Behavior:

K-5 Student Behavior:

K-5 Resources

6-8 Teacher Behavior:

6-8 Student Behavior:

6-8 Resources

9-12 Teacher Behavior:

9-12 Student Behavior:

9-12 Resources