An Introduction to the Literacy Design Collaborative A framework to move from Common Core to classrooms

The Literacy Design Collaborative An expanding set of classroom, district, state and service providers with the will to meet the challenge of expecting high levels of secondary literacy, head-on. Example Talking Points Introduce yourself and describe LDC. For example: The Literacy Design Collaborative is a partnership of literacy experts, content experts, recognized practitioners, researchers. It began with a small design team working on behalf of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that looked at ways to TEACH secondary level reading and writing skills AT SCALE The work builds off designed and led by Vicki Phillips, head of the Education arm of the Gates Foundation, in common assessments in Pennsylvania and common assignments in Portland, OR The LDC design team developed and piloted a framework and first phase tools that are designed to engage practitioners in sharing their literacy expertise and building on each others

Common Core State Standards Are a blueprint. Example Talking Points: -- Last year, the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers developed the Common Core Standards -- They are based on an in-depth analysis of international, state and local standards and assessments and vetted by multitudes of educators. They set a level of expectation that goes beyond district, state and national lines… The Common Core Standards have now been adopted by the majority of states –and most of those states are participating in new assessment consortia to develop shared approaches to assessing those standards.

They Set Clear Goals The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. http://www.corestandards.org Example Talking Points: First and foremost, the Common Core sets clear responsibility for the knowledge and skills students are expected to learn to be prepared for college and careers So, in turn, teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them.

They Define Literacy in Content Areas While the English language arts classroom has often been seen as the proper site for literacy instruction, this document acknowledges that the responsibility for teaching such skills must also extend to other content areas. http://www.corestandards.org Example Talking Points: For literacy, in particular, the Common Core establishes that we all hold the responsibility for the teaching of reading, writing, listening and speaking skills It embeds . In fact, the Common Core outlines literacy standards within Social Studies and the Sciences – as well as ELA This is very different than many of the state/district content standards.

They Create New Challenges Unlike mathematics, secondary literacy is not a discipline. It is “homeless” in that it belongs to everyone and no one. Literacy is used in secondary classrooms, but it is not taught in a systematic way. Example Talking Points: So, this is a major shift In many secondary schools—literacy may be used in classrooms, but it is not taught in a systematic way.

And They Offer Great Opportunity! With the Common Core of Standards, many things now become possible. Because states will be working from the same core, we can create broad-based sharing of what works but, at the same time, provide local flexibility to decide how best to teach the core. – Vicki Phillips & Carina Wong (PDK, February 2010) Example Talking Points: And they offer great opportunity – both flexibility in local decision making in the content of what to teach and how to best teach it, as well as an opportunity for sharing across districts and states through shared expectations

From blueprint to action! But We Need to Move … From blueprint to action! Example Talking Points: Now we need to move from the common core to practice!

LDC Offers a Different Choice! So teachers don’t have to ‘move from blueprint to action’ alone. Example Talking Points: The literacy design collaborative offers a different choice to help move from common core standards to teaching reading and writing at the secondary level in multiple subjects It provides a framework, emerging tools and more and more partners so that teachers don’t have to “to go at it alone”

Template Tasks Template tasks are the beginning point for the LDC strategy. An LDC template task is a fill-in-the-blank assignment or assessment based on the common core literacy standards. Example Talking Points: Template tasks are fill-in-the blank “shells” based on the Common Core State Standards They are not pre-developed tasks but templates that educators can use to “plug and play,” or “fill in the blank” to create high quality assignments or assessments. The templates are designed so that the tasks will develop students’ reading and writing skills in context of learning social studies, science, ELA and other subjects They are already “pre-aligned” to the Common Core Reading and Writing Anchor Standards – with specific standards selected for the different groups of template tasks

Template Task: An Example After researching ______(informational texts) on _________(content), write __________ (essay or substitute) that argues your position on____________ (content). Support your position with evidence from your research. L2 Be sure to acknowledge competing views. L3 Give examples from past or current events or issues to illustrate, clarify, and support your position. Example Talking Points: Here’s what a template task looks like – a “shell” that allows teachers to create a quality assignment or assessment You’ll notice that the template task—all template tasks—, in fact, require students to (review slide)… Read, analyze, and comprehend texts as specified by the common core Write products as specified by the common core (focusing on argumentation, informational/explanatory, and narrative) Apply common core literacy standards to content (ELA, social studies, and/or science) The connection of reading and writing in one task is critical. Recent research suggests this connection is key to developing students’ cognitive skills and that practicing/improving one skill improves the other (Writing to Read, 2010).

Template Tasks All LDC tasks require students to: Read, analyze, and comprehend texts as specified by the common core Write products as specified by the common core (focusing on argumentation, informational/explanatory, and narrative) Apply common core literacy standards to content (ELA, social studies, and/or science) The tasks are designed to ensure that students receive literacy and content instruction in rigorous academic reading and writing tasks that prepare them for success in college by the end of their high school career. Example Talking Points: You’ll notice that the template task—all template tasks—, in fact, require students to (review slide)… The connection of reading and writing in one task is critical. Recent research suggests this connection is key to developing students’ cognitive skills and that practicing/improving one skill improves the other (Writing to Read, 2010).

Template Tasks Teachers use the template tasks to design their own teaching, starting by selecting: content standards to address (for example, state science, history, or English standards for the class they are teaching) texts students will read (or which issues students will research) the issue students will address in their writing Example Talking Points: You’ll also notice that templates are flexible – teachers select The content standards they will address The texts students will read The issues or topics students will delve into and grapple with

Template Tasks Teachers use additional “plug and play” flexibility within the template to adjust: Task level: Select level 1, 2, or 3 task Reading requirements: Vary text complexity, genre, length, familiarity, etc. Writing demands: Vary product, length, etc. Pacing requirements: Vary workload and time allowed to complete Example Talking Points: And, there are many areas where the level of difficulty can be adjusted over time – starting easier in the beginning and increasing as students’ skills develop The task level The text complexity The writing demands The pacing requirements This allows for scaffolding over time – based on curriculum maps, where students are and where students need to “go”

Here’s How it Plays Out… After researching academic articles on censorship, write an editorial that argues your position on the use of filters by schools. Support your position with evidence from your research. L2 Be sure to acknowledge competing views. L3 Give examples from past or current events or issues to illustrate and clarify your position. After researching technical and academic articles on the use of pesticides in agriculture, write a speech that argues your position on its use in managing crop production. Support your position with evidence from your research. L2 Be sure to acknowledge competing views. L3 Give examples from past or current events or issues to illustrate and clarify your position. Note to presenter: You may want to stop here for questions… Example Talking Points: Here’s what the template looks like when used to create a task in a social studies course And, again, the same example template used to create a science task

Modules Support a system for literacy instruction. Module templates support practitioners in developing instruction to use over about 2-4 weeks. They support teachers in designing instruction – their choice – focused on guiding students in completing a single literacy task linked to content. Example Talking Points: (Read slide) Modules help teachers ensure the reading, writing, and thinking skills students need to complete the task are intentionally taught, along with the content that is so important to each discipline.

Enough of this…Let’s see how this works! Example Talking Points: The purpose of the module template is that it offers practitioners a common format and language for capturing, implementing, and sharing complete instructional plans related to developing students’ reading and writing skills. Practitioners are free to create their own individual modules from “scratch.” Or, they can get a head start by choosing from an expanding collection of partner-developed modules, making adjustments whenever they choose. Like the template task design, the template module provides teachers with support while giving them freedom to make choices. The LDC module is composed of 4 section (read slide)