Common Core Standards and Best Practices

Transcription

1 Common Core Standards and Best Practices Introduction: The Common Core The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) represent a coherent progression of learning expectations in English language arts and mathematics. They are designed to prepare K-12 students for college and career success. The English Language Arts (ELA) K-5 standards focus on six strands: Three Reading strands Literature, Non-fiction, Foundational skills Writing Speaking and Listening, and Language. Because the Reading (Literature and Non-fiction strands) standards place equal emphasis on the sophistication of what students read and the skill with which they read, they speak to the importance of all students having ownership of the Reading: Foundational Skills strand. Print concepts are key foundational skills for learning to use print effectively. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are directed toward fostering students understanding and working knowledge of concepts of print, the alphabetic principle, and other basic conventions of the English writing system. The Standards document emphasizes that the point is to teach students what they need to learn and not what they already know to discern when particular children or activities warrant more or less attention. This is where highly skilled teaching becomes necessary, keeping instruction multisensory and highly engaging for all students. 1

2 CCSS-ELA Reading: Foundational Skills Print Concepts Kindergarten 1. Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print. a. Follow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page. b. Recognize that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters. c. Understand that words are separated by spaces in print. d. Recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet. Grade 1 1. Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print. a. Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence (e.g., first word, capitalization, ending punctuation). Print Concepts in Other Grades Although, not specifically mentioned within the standards, instruction in print concepts continues throughout the grades. There are references to print concepts e.g., use of titles, headings, commas, and other punctuation in the Language Standards K-5 and the Writing Standards K-5. As their skills develop, children will need to gain a clear understanding of additional print concepts including the use of charts, graphs, bolded text, italicized text, and all punctuation. This short list is not all inclusive. Teachers will always want to explicitly teach and provide discussion involving print concepts as they appear in the materials used by students. 2

3 Best Practices for Teaching Phonological Awareness A student s degree of success with skills that lead to early reading is significant, because this success also has a positive impact on later reading and spelling. Lessons at this level should be multi-sensory and involve the students orally and aurally. Lessons should be scaffolded as needed to allow every student to show meaningful growth, with the goal being grade-level or above achievement. Utilizing Direct Instruction ensures that students will get the support they need to own new skills and concepts. Teacher Explains Task Teacher Models Task (I do) Discuss How and When the Skill is to be Used Involve students in a conversation concerning why the skill should be learned and applied in their lives. Explain and Demonstrate the Skill Use simple yet accurate academic terms to move students to mastery. ask questions. Carefully monitor students accurate use of all academic and content specific terms. Focus on higher order questions. The Teacher (I do) - Model the new strategy explicitly (work to see the strategy from your students current background) and let your students see you use the strategy throughout the day, with lots of I do it on the part of the teacher. Students have to be actively engaged throughout the lesson, even when the teacher is doing make sure they are NOT passive listeners. Engage them verbally and through response cards: yes/no cards, stop/go cards. Keep an ongoing list of how you keep your students actively involved throughout the lesson; this serves as a reality check to make sure students are kept actively engaged/involved, and also provides a quick-reference for effective methods you have used with your students. Explain and Demonstrate the Skill Use simple yet accurate academic terms to move students to mastery. Think Aloud procedures are most helpful. In a Think Aloud, the teacher models the thought processes that take place when difficult or unfamiliar material is read aloud. Teachers verbalize their thoughts as they read orally to students. The purpose is to assist students comprehension as they gain insight to how the mind can respond to what is known with what is being read. Work to increase the complexity of your examples and student work until the work is at grade-level or beyond. Move students to doing their own Think Aloud. ask questions. Carefully monitor students accurate use of all academic and content specific terms. Focus on higher order questions. 3

4 Teacher and Student Practice Task Together (we do) Student Practice (you do) Scaffolding/ Constructive Feedback Engage Every Student Invite volunteers to attempt the strategy on their own. Give corrective feedback as needed, allowing for follow-up questions. All feedback (including praise) needs to be specific. Carefully monitor students accurate use of all academic and content specific terms. Provide students with ongoing opportunities to ask questions. Focus on higher order questions. Access Student Ownership After many I do it and we do it examples, ease into you do it opportunities under your careful eye. Applying new learning accurately is crucial to future success. Student responses should give you a clear picture of their level of understanding and level of application. ask questions. Invite volunteers to attempt the strategy on their own. Give corrective feedback as needed, allowing for follow-up questions. All feedback (including praise) needs to be specific. Carefully monitor students accurate use of all academic and content specific terms. Focus on higher order questions. Constructive Feedback Remember to begin with less complex examples with the goal of moving to grade level and above examples. Students may work independently, in pairs and or small groups. This is the perfect time for students to verbally state each step of the strategy, while giving their reason for the choices they are making. Constructive Feedback Remember to begin with less complex examples with the goal of moving to grade level and above examples. Students may work independently, in pairs and or small groups. This is the perfect time for students to verbally state each step of the strategy, while giving their reason for the choices they are making. Scaffolding and Differentiation At this time the teacher will need to provide additional opportunities for student practice (with immediate feedback and reteaching with possible accommodations) to ensure all students have every opportunity to learn. ask questions. Give corrective feedback as needed, allowing for follow-up questions. All feedback (including praise) needs to be specific. Carefully monitor students accurate use of all academic and content specific terms. Focus on higher order questions. 4

5 Critical strategies for teaching/practicing print concept activities: Lessons should be taught individually or with small groups of students (3-5 students), so the teacher can closely monitor students work. Lessons should be multisensory involving more than one sense at a time [visual, auditory (both listening and speaking), tactile/kinesthetic]. Example Activities and Best Practices for Print Concepts Parts of a Book Using a child s favorite book is the ideal way to introduce the parts of a book, including front and back cover, title page, text, and illustrations. Directionality is another important understanding. In English, children learn to read from the top left, and continue to the right and downward. Directionality also involves a return sweep when reading multiple lines of text. Activity: Use a big book. Ask students to point to the front of the book, the back of the book, the book s title, the author s name and/or illustrator s name. Have students sweep from left to right along lines of text and return to the start of the next line before continuing. Words and Sentences Children develop an understanding that the squiggles on the page are actually letters. They learn how letters are organized into words and words into sentences. Children become aware of the importance of the spaces found between words and are taught to frame words and sentences. Our goal is for students to gain a clear understanding that text contains a message. Kindergarten and first grade children became aware of how punctuation works as stories are read and discussed in both large and small group settings. Children at this age are not expected to know the names and all the uses of punctuation, however, they begin to learn about and use periods, commas, questions marks and exclamation points and their role in understanding the nuances of text. Activity: While using a big book, have a child point to the beginning sentence capitalization, end punctuation, and spaces between words within a sentence. Use colored highlighter tape to call greater attention to these print concepts. 5

6 Identification of Letters Identification of letters involves matching lower case and upper case letters, as well as identifying letters in print. In addition, students need to master academic vocabulary about letters, including upper case, lower case, consonant, vowel, and the positional words after, before, and between. Activities: Matching letters The teacher shows an upper case letter. The students determine whether they have a lower case letter that matches the teacher s upper case letter. This can also be done in reverse. The teacher could show a lower case letter and have students respond by recognizing the matching upper case letter. Identifying printed letters This should be accessed in a number of ways: 1. Have the child read letters printed on a paper going across the page. 2. Say a letter name and have the child to point to it on the paper. 3. Teacher points to letters in random order, asking the child to give the letter name. 4. Flashcards can also be used with students. 5. Starting mid-year in Kindergarten and continuing through Grade 1, the teacher can dictate letter names while the children write the letter, calling on visual memory. Notes: Upper and lower case letters should be assessed together, as in Aa, and separately, as in A and a. The skills addressed in the activities above need to become automatic for students. No hesitation should be present as students work with and use these skills. Learning academic vocabulary The teacher can work with children in large group using an alphabet board, saying the alphabet aloud and identifying what letter comes before, after, and in between. The purpose of this activity is to model academic vocabulary (upper case, lower case, consonants, vowels, after, before and in between) and encourage the children to begin using the vocabulary, as they interact with the teacher and with their classmates. 6

7 Recommended readings Putting Students on the Path to Learning, The Case for Fully Guided Instruction By Richard E. Clark, Paul A. Kirschner, and John Sweller CATCH THEM BEFORE THEY FALL Identification and Assessment To Prevent Reading Failure in Young Children By Joe Torgesen References Baumann, J.F. (1984) The effectiveness of direct instruction paradigm for teaching main idea comprehension. Reading Research Quarterly, 20, Carnine, D. (1994). Diverse learners and prevailing, emerging and research-based educational approaches and their tools. School Psychology Review, 23, Guidelines for Examining Phonics and Word Recognition Programs, Texas Reading Initiative, Texas Education Agency (2002). Himmele R., Himmele, W. (2011). Total Participation Techniques, ASCD. Lyon, G. R. (July 10, 1997). Report on Learning Disabilities Research. Testimony before the Committee on Education and the Workforce, U.S. House of Representatives. Report of the National Reading Panel (NRP) (2000). Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Roberts, E. (1992). The evolution of the young child's concept of word as a unit of spoken and written language. Reading Research Quarterly, 27, Snow, C., Burns, M., & Griffin, P. (Eds.). l998) Preventing reading difficulties in young children. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Tomlinson, C.A., McTighe, J. (2006) Integrating Differentiated Instruction + Understanding by Design, ASCD. 7