Urban Institute – Session 2 The mediocre teacher tells The good teacher explains The superior teacher demonstrates The great teacher inspires ~ William Arthur Ward

Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for ALL Students  The Sunshine State Standards are the centerpiece of a reform effort in Florida to align curriculum, instruction and assessment.  They identify what students should know and be able to do to for the 21st century and are both content standards and performance standards.

What Do You Think? What obstacles do you think keep many urban schools from “reaching the standards”?

Cross out all of the items on your list which you have no control over. Now, what’s left?

Standards Are… Learning goals. A focus for curriculum, assessment and instruction. What students should know and be able to do.

LA 6163 Subject Area: (Language Arts) GradesStrand (1 – Reading Process) StandardBenchmark Number Strand 1: Reading Process Standard 6: The student multiple strategies to develop grade appropriate vocabulary. LA : The student will use context clues to determine meanings of unfamiliar words.

 1. Reading Process  2. Literary Analysis  3. Writing Process  4. Writing Applications  5. Communication  6. Information and Media Literacy  1. Reading Process  2. Literary Analysis  3. Writing Process  4. Writing Applications  5. Communication  6. Information and Media Literacy

Standard vs. Benchmark LA Standard The student uses a variety of strategies to comprehend grade-level text. Benchmark The student will analyze the author’s purpose (e.g. persuade, inform, entertain, explain) and perspective in a variety of texts and understand how they affect meaning. Content Performance

 Ensures that student performance matches the intent of the standard and the level of the assessment items.  Focuses on complexity of content standards in order to successfully complete an assessment or task.  The outcome (product) is the focus of the depth of understanding.

How Do We Unpack? The student will analyze the author’s purpose (e.g. persuade, inform, entertain, explain) and perspective in a variety of texts and understand how they affect meaning. Skills (Verb) RecallSkills/ConceptsStrategicThinkingExtendedThinking Analyze X Understand XX A quick look at Webb’s

Standard: The student uses a variety of strategies to comprehend grade level text. Benchmark: LA The student will analyze the author’s purpose (e.g. persuade, inform, entertain, explain) and perspective in a variety of texts and understand how they affect meaning. What is the Benchmark asking the students to do? What prerequisite skills will the students need to be successful? What might an assessment item on this Benchmark look like (at what level will the student need to perform)? Analyze the author’s purpose and perspective Understand the how it affects meaning in text Author’s reasons for writing Signal Words/phrases for purpose Point of View Impact of Point of View Think about the conflict in the selection and the author’s purpose for the story. Develop a newspaper article that presents the story in a factual way based on the fictional selection. Pretend you are a character in the selection. Write a letter to the Editor expressing how you feel about a problem or situation.

Your Turn Unpack the following two standards and compare the results: LA The student will compare and contrast elements in multiple texts LA The student will write persuasive text (e.g., advertisement, speech, essay, public service announcement) that establishes and develops a controlling idea using appropriate supporting arguments and detailed evidence

Standard: The student uses a variety of strategies to comprehend grade level text. LA The student will compare and contrast elements in multiple texts LA The student will write persuasive text (e.g., advertisement, speech, essay, public service announcement) that establishes and develops a controlling idea using appropriate supporting arguments and detailed evidence. What is the Benchmark asking the students to do? What prerequisite skills will the students need to be successful? What might an assessment item on this Benchmark look like (at what level will the student need to perform)?

Final Thought I saw as a teacher how, if you take that spark of learning that those children have and you ignite it, you can take a child from any background to a lifetime of creativity and accomplishment. ~ Paul Wellstone