Common Core State Standards ELA 6 SHIFTS YOU WILL SEE IN YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING

Goals of the Common Core Create more national cohesion in expectations for student learning Respond to continued US low performance in international tests of student achievement to help us be more internationally competitive Develop national standards that set high expectations for student learning while also allowing for individuality among US regions, states, and schools

The more we read, the more we can read! By age 3, children from affluent families have heard 30 million more words than children from parents living in poverty. (Hart and Risley, 1995). • Children who have larger vocabularies and greater understanding of spoken language do better in school (Whitehurst and Lonigan). • If children aren’t reading on grade level by third grade, are four times more likely to leave high school without a diploma (Hernandez, 2011).

6 Shifts in ELA/Literacy Read as much non fiction as fiction Learn about the world by reading Read more challenging material closely Discuss reading using evidence Write non-fiction using evidence Increase academic vocabulary You should see these in your child’s school experience Will talk about the shifts and how your child will experience this and what you can do to support your child

ELA/Literacy Shift 1: Read as much non-fiction as fiction Students must… Parents can… Read more non-fiction Know the ways non-fiction can be put together Enjoy and discuss the details of non-fiction Continue to read fiction Supply more non-fiction books and magazines Read non fiction texts aloud or with your child Have fun with non- fiction in front of them Continue to read fiction together Cause and effect, description, argument with evidence, sequence, how to, chronological order Key is to enjoy being curious and learning together. Don’t hesitate to communicate wonder to your child. We are working to build our collection of non-fiction in classrooms. Using book fair money to buy more non-fiction books. Using the library and inter library loan to acquire non-fiction.

ELA/Literacy Shift 2: Learn about the world by reading Students must… Parents can… Learn about Science and Social Studies through reading Investigate topics of interest More focused non-fiction studies in school Supply series of texts on topics of interest Find books that explain Discuss non-fiction texts and the ideas within Go to museums and talk about what you see Try science experiments at home: cook, build a model, try to understand a science idea Non-fiction units provide students with a range of text complexity at home. We also emphasize hands-on experiences – theater, museum trips, examining primary documents and artifacts in social studies, reading and making maps, engaging in hands-on science experiences.

ELA/Literacy Shift 3: Read more complex material carefully Students must… Parents can… Read books again and again Read literature at comfort level AND work with more challenging texts Build stamina Read more challenging texts aloud AND provide texts students WANT to read and can read comfortably Know what is grade and content level appropriate and appropriate for your child Encourage children to read on their own (emergent readers can “read” the story.) Continue to read more complex texts with your child. Don’t hesitate to read articles or snippets of non-fiction aloud to ponder, Teachers read aloud and students read in partnership. Students are coached towards reading more challenging texts. I read a great non-fiction book for young people, helps me read more non-fiction for adults.

ELA/Literacy Shift 4: Discuss reading using evidence Students must… Parents can… Find evidence to support their opinions and ideas Enjoy learning and curiosity Talk about texts Ask your child for evidence in every day discussions Read aloud to your child or read the same book as your child and discuss the book Students are expected to talk about what they are reading. choosing a preferred story and saying why, engage in book conversations, connecting what they are learning from one situation to another. Learn about authors purpose and how it colors what you are reading.

ELA/Literacy Shift 5: Writing from Sources Students must… Parents can… Use evidence to support thinking and ideas Compare multiple texts in writing Write fiction and non-fiction that is organized, has appropriate mechanics, uses transitional phrases, engaging introductions and conclusions Encourage writing at home Write “books” together and use evidence/ details Appreciate well written texts together Once they have spoken about books, they can write about them Diaries, travel journals, all about a topic Letters to convince you (one child had to research fish and fish tanks in order to get an aquarium Write to compare two texts (fiction and non-fiction, or two texts on the same topic)

ELA/Literacy Shift 6: Academic Vocabulary Students must… Parents can… Read often and constantly with your children Read multiple books about the same topic Let your kids see you reading Talk with your children; Read to your children; Discover with your children; Practice using more complex vocabulary with your children Learn the words that will help them in academics: argument, consequence, compare/contrast and discipline specific vocabulary like amoeba and theory. Use this language fluently and purposefully to understand their world Interesting, stuff, those vague words that fill our conversations. Challenge yourself to use more precise language.