Empowering Parents to Support Literacy Instruction Compiled by Dr. Zackory Kirk, ELA Coordinator Spring 2015

Literacy Starts at home and spreads abroad! The single most significant factor influencing a child’s early educational success is an introduction to books and being read to at home prior to beginning school. National Commission on Reading, 1985 Two-thirds of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of the 4th grade will end up in jail or on welfare. BegintoRead.com In middle-income neighborhoods the ratio of books per child is 13 to 1, in low-income neighborhoods, the ratio is 1 age-appropriate book for every 300 children. Neuman, Susan B. and David K. Dickinson, ed. Handbook of Early Literacy Research, Volume 2. New York, NY: 2006, p. 31.

Henry County Literacy Data

Georgia Milestones General Test Parameters: ELA Criterion-Referenced Total Number of Items: 44 / Total Number of Points: 55 Breakdown by Item Type: –40 Selected Response (worth 1 point each; 10 of which are aligned NRT ) –2 Constructed Response (2 points each) –1 Constructed Response (worth 4 points ) –1 Extended Response (worth 7 points) Norm-Referenced –Total Number of Items: 20 (10 of which contribute to CR score) Embedded Field Test –Total field test items: 6 Total number of items taken by each student: 60

Georgia Milestones Writing at Every Grade – All students will encounter a constructed- response item allowing for narrative prose, in response to text, within first or second section of the test. – Within the writing section of the test, students will read a pair of passages and complete a series of “warm-up” items: o 3 selected-response items asking about the salient features of each passage and comparing/contrasting between the two passages o 1 constructed-response item requiring linking the two passages o 1 writing prompt in which students must cite evidence to support their conclusions, claims, etc. Genres Writing prompts will be informative/exp lanatory or opinion/argum entative depending on the grade level. Students could encounter either genre. Warning: Students who simply rewrite excerpts from the passage(s) to illustrate their point(s) will not receive favorable scores.

Administration Times Content Area/CourseTest Section(s) Minimum Time Per Section(s) Maximum Time Per Section(s) English Language Arts1 and English Language Arts37090 Mathematics1 and Science1 and Social Studies1 and A section may not be stopped until the minimum allotment of time has expired. If students are still productively engaged with the test content, the maximum amount of time, per section, may be given in 10 minute increments. Note: These time limits do not apply to those students who have the accommodation of extended time.

Passage For this item, the students are asked to read a poem entitled, “Healthy Cookies.” The poem is about a girl whose mom purchased a healthy cookie snack in an attempt to replace the daughter’s preferred sugary cookie. The daughter was initially reluctant to try the healthy cookie, but eventually tasted the new cookie and decided it wasn’t that bad.

ELA Task ELACC3RL1, ELACC3W2, ELACC3L1 and ELACC3L2 Explain why the speaker believes that the healthy cookies will taste bad. Write your explanation in a paragraph that includes many supporting details from the text. Answer with complete sentences, and use correct punctuation and grammar.

Rubric ScoreDesignationDescription 4Thoroughly Demonstrated The student demonstrates a thorough understanding of the question and the text by completely explaining why the reader expects the healthy cookies to taste bad using details from the poem as support. The student’s response uses complete sentences and correct punctuation and grammar. 3Clearly Demonstrated The student demonstrates a clear understanding of the question and the text by providing an explanation of why the reader expects the healthy cookies to taste bad and uses some details from the poem as support. The student’s response uses mostly complete sentences and mostly correct punctuation and grammar. 2Basically Demonstrated The student demonstrates a basic understanding of the question and the text by providing a general explanation about why the speaker expects the healthy cookies to taste bad. However, the student offers little support from the poem. The student’s response uses some complete sentences and some correct punctuation and grammar. 1Minimally Demonstrated The student demonstrates a weak understanding of the question and provides a minimal explanation of why the speaker expects the healthy cookies to taste bad OR the student provides no details from the poem for support. The student’s response uses mostly incomplete sentences and mostly incorrect punctuation and grammar. 0Incorrect or Irrelevant The response is incorrect or irrelevant.

Exemplar Response One thing the speaker thinks will make the healthy cookies taste bad is the ingredients list on the box. These include “Vitamins and fiber, with no sugar to be found…” The speaker likes sweet snacks such as “Choco-Wonder-Treats and goo-filled Tasty Rings." Since she likes sweet snacks she does not expect cookies that do not have sugar to taste good. Also she thinks that cookies that are low fat and have no preservatives will "taste like wood!”. Note: Other exemplary responses could include a different reason that the healthy cookies might taste bad. The student must provide a clear explanation supported by evidence and specifics from the poem. The student clearly explains why the reader expects the healthy cookies to taste bad. This explanation is supported with direct evidence from poem. Remember: There can be multiple correct responses for constructed-response items, just as there can be more than one way at arriving at a correct answer.

Student Response Score 3 The speaker thinks that the cookies will taste bad because they are healthy cookies.The reason the speaker thinks that the cookies taste bad is because they have healthy stuff in it. The girl thinks they might taste bad is because she likes junk food.the girl says in the middle of the poem that the cookies where good.At the end of the poem the girl said, "No more junk food." The student response provides an explanation of why the speaker expects the healthy cookies to taste bad (because they are healthy cookies). The student provides some details from the poem that support the explanation (she likes junk food…At the end of the poem she said, ‘No more junk food’). The student uses complete sentences as well as correct punctuation and grammar in most of the writing.

Student Response Score 2 She thinks the healthy cookies will taste bad because they don't have a lot of sugar and it has a lot of vitamins in the cookies. The girl is used to unhealthy cookies not healthy cookies. If she would try them she might would like them. The student provides a general explanation of why the speaker expects the healthy cookies to taste bad (they don’t have a lot of sugar and it has a lot of vitamins in the cookies), but offers little support from the poem. The student uses complete sentences as well as correct punctuation and grammar in most of the writing.

My Example 14 Read “Taylor Swift, Platinum Party of One.” 26/taylor-swift-platinum-party-of-one Then, respond to the following question: Why was Taylor Swift’s album 1989 one of only two albums to go platinum in 2014? Support your answer with details from the passage.

A framework for crafting the response Restate  Taylor Swift’s album 1989 was one of only two albums to go platinum in 2014 because… Answer  …she worked very hard to promote it. Cite evidence  For example, Swift took to Twitter and retweeted a picture of a fan buying the album; she invited select fans via Twitter to a listening party at her house. Explain  All of this creates “hype around 1989,” likely leading to more sales. 15

My Example Read “Taylor Swift, Platinum Party of One.” platinum-party-of-one Then, respond to the following question: Why was Taylor Swift’s album 1989 one of only two albums to go platinum in 2014? Support your answer with details from the passage. 17

A framework for crafting the response Restate  Taylor Swift’s album 1989 was one of only two albums to go platinum in 2014 because… Answer  …she worked very hard to promote it. Cite evidence  For example, Swift took to Twitter and retweeted a picture of a fan buying the album; she invited select fans via Twitter to a listening party at her house. Explain  All of this creates “hype around 1989,” likely leading to more sales. 18

Partner up with in cluster groups. Group One- (Reading Struggles) Group Two- (Writing Struggles) Group Three- (Homework Help) Group Four- (Comprehension Struggles) A Literacy Task

The Key: Model Good Reading Read aloud - example Let them see you read Show children how to define the purpose for reading and to ask questions during reading Show how there’s always more information to read about a subject

Literacy in the Home CvBP2E4

Literacy in the Home Treasure Hunt Creating Family Timelines Postcards from the Trail Cooking and Creating in the Kitchen

Venn Diagram Similarities and Differences The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf The True Story of the Three Little Pigs Similar Different

Story Map Main Characters Setting Problem of the story A story event Another story event How the problem is solved The ending

K What I know W What I want to Know L What I learned KWL Chart

Parent’s Role in Reading Provide support Read and have your child read – get them thinking and talking Help them find interesting sources of reading Visit the library and other places – give them background knowledge Don’t make reading time at home a chore: be positive - “Now we get to read” instead of “You have to get your reading done.” Read, read, read…

There really is an APP for that!