JANUARY 14, 2014 Who are our “Not-So-Common” Learners?

Purpose To equip participants with resources and strategies that can assist in building diverse learners’ language skills to meet the demands of the ELA Common Core State Standards.

Essential Questions To what extent are diverse learners an integral part of both their school and overall community? How do we ensure all learners have access to rigorous curriculum and high- quality instruction? How do we effectively collaborate to cause meaningful change?

Today’s Agenda  Gather, Greet, Eat, and Network  Close Read o “Say Something” (Part 1) o Our Diverse Learners  Mindsets o What does Mindset have to do with this work?  The Shifts of the CCSS o Common Core Shifts & the Implications of Mindset o One Word – Scrambled Sentence o Close Read: “Say Something” (Part 2)  What’s Within Our Control o Recommendations for Success

Let’s Begin Who is in the room? What “lens” do we bring to this work? What is our current understanding of who the “not- so-common” learners are in our classrooms?

Introduction “Say Something” Find a partner. Read silently and simultaneously to stopping points in the text (e.g., after a paragraph or a natural break). When you finish reading, look up and when you are both ready, take turns “saying something” about the portion of the text you just read. Read the section “Who are our not-so-common learners?” (6-12)=pgs. 4-5; (K-5)=3-4

Do You Know Any of These Students? Each person should take a card and, taking turns, these should be read out loud. As each card is read, take a moment to think about the student(s) who fit this description. Are any of these students in your classroom this year?

Who Are Our Diverse / “Not-So-Common-Learners?” “Often coupled with low expectations for them, when diverse students are labeled and segregated from the mainstream classroom, their abilities, language, and culture are subject to ‘subtle forms of unintentional rejection.’” — Cummins, 2001, as quoted by Honigsfeld & Dove in The Common Core for the Not-So-Common-Learner, 2013

The Success of the CCSS “The success of the CCSS in preparing all students for college or a career depends on educators’ capacity to make the instructional shifts the standards require.” — Learning Forward, August 2013

ELA CCSS Self-Assessment 4. I have started to identify curriculum issues that will need to be addressed. I have started to identify what professional development will be needed to fully implement the standards. 3: I have started to identify what lessons/activities/strategies will be necessary to address the CCSS—for all learners—and have helped teachers incorporate them into their lesson plans. 2: I have read through the standards and the appendices and have an understanding of what to do next to support all learners in achieving the ELA CCSS. 1: I have read the ELA standards and have a lot of questions about ensuring all students can achieve success with these standards.

4 Corners & – 3 things we already know/are doing – 2 things we want to know – Here’s why:

What does mindset have to do with it? WHAT’S YOURS?

Concept Attainment: Mindset Fixed Mindset Mrs. Allen hates me. She always gives me a low grade. This might be important but it is mind-numbingly dull and I have had enough! It’s easy for him. His dad was a guitarist. Growth Mindset Just you watch! In 2 weeks you will see an improvement. The fact that I am shy is the very reason I am joining this club. How do you know if you have never tried?

What’s the Mindset, Here? My textbook is CCSS aligned. It has different strategies already identified. I’m good to go. I’m interested in learning more about how to support all students in meeting the demands of the CCSS. I’ve attended a training on CCSS—I get this!

So, really... What would we expect to find are the trends in teacher mindsets regarding supporting ALL learners in achieving the ELA CCSS? How does our own mindset impact our ability to teach ALL learners? To Support our Colleagues? How might we shift mindsets, here?

Changing Mindsets

Curmudgeon or Gold? “... You can read like a curmudgeon... But you can, instead, read as if the text is gold.” --Lucy Calkins, pg. 3 How can we use this thinking with our colleagues’ mindsets? Our mindsets?

“Say Something” Find a partner. Read silently and simultaneously to stopping points in the text (e.g., after two paragraphs or a natural break). When you finish reading, look up and when you are both ready, take turns “saying something” about the portion of the text you just read. Read “Standards Movement through Student Diversity & Teacher Challenges”: – (6-12)=pgs – (K-5)=pgs. 4-10

What Would the Mindsets Say? Reflect on... Individually, develop at least 2 statements of someone with a growth mindset and 2 statements of someone with a fixed mindset. Share

CCSS Shifts in ELA/Literacy

Common Core Shifts for ELA/Literacy (from 6-3) Building knowledge through content- rich nonfiction Reading, writing and speaking grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational Regular practice with complex text and its academic language

5 Things EVERY Teacher Should be Doing!

How the “shifts” Impact Students AND Teachers Look at the charts representing the ELA/Literacy shifts. Each chart represents something the students will “do” as a result of each shift. Work with a partner to brainstorm what the teachers will “do” as a result of each shift.

Building Knowledge Through Content-rich Nonfiction (#1) What the Student Does...What the Teacher Does... Build content knowledge through text Shift identity: “I teach reading.” Handle primary source documents Stop referring and summarizing and start reading Find evidenceSlow down the history and science classroom

Evidence from Text: Speaking & Listening (#2) What the Students DoWhat the Teacher Does Find evidence to support judgments Facilitate evidence-based conversations about text Form judgments and become scholars Plan and conduct rich conversations Conducting close reading of the text Keep students in the text Engage with the author and his/her choices Identify questions that are text-dependent, worthwhile & stimulate discussion

Evidence from Text: Reading & Writing (#2) What the Student DoesWhat the Teacher Does Generate informational texts Spend less time on personal narratives Make arguments using evidence Present opportunities to write from multiple sources Sequence ideas in an organized fashion Provide opportunities to analyze and synthesize ideas Compare multiple sourcesDevelop students’ voice so they can argue a point with evidence

Regular Practice with Complex Text (#3) What the Student DoesWhat the Teacher Does Re-read textsTeach more complex texts at every grade level Read material at own level to enjoy reading Give students less to read in order to go further in depth Tolerate frustration with text Spend more time on complex texts Provide scaffolding & strategies to students Engage with texts and other adults

Regular Practice with Academic Vocabulary (#3) What the Student DoesWhat the Teacher Does Use Tier 2 “high- frequency” words across content areas Develop students’ ability to use and access words Build personal dictionary Be strategic about the new vocabulary words Work with words students will use frequently Teacher fewer words more deeply

What Would the Mindsets Say? Reflect on... Individually, develop at least 2 statements of someone with a growth mindset and 2 statements of someone with a fixed mindset. Share

What These Shifts Mean for Diverse Learners “This major shift in classroom practices, the teaching of literacy as a shared responsibility, is an outstanding promotion for the teaching and learning of diverse students as all teachers are expected to foster students’ reading and writing skills across all the disciplines.” —Honigsfeld & Dove, 2013

Key Word & Scrambled Sentences The purpose of this activity is for us to reflect on what we have learned up to this point.

Successful Implementation Educators should approach the employment of the CCSS as a multidimensional task. School administrators should take into consideration the complexities of implementation, encompass various approaches to the challenges, collaboratively analyze the issues, & develop an overall plan of action. Does your school have an overall plan of action?

What’s Within our Control?

What Would the Mindsets Say? Reflect on... Individually, develop at least 2 statements of someone with a growth mindset and 2 statements of someone with a fixed mindset. Share

Given our Essential Questions... What will WE commit to doing? Take a minute to reflect on this. If you are comfortable, share your commitment.

What a difference one letter can make!

Preparation for Next Week Take the time to read the full Introduction. Read pgs. 13 – 16 OR pgs. 15 – 21. The rest of Chapter 2 will be divided for a JIGSAW read. Number off 1-6. Your number will indicate which Anchor Performance Standard you will read about in Chapter 2.