Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Middle School Department Chair Meeting December 11, 2012 HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT 1

Presenter Information Marisa Hartling Secondary ELA Curriculum Manager Cristina Cruz-Wiley Secondary ELA/ESL Curriculum Specialist Debbie Howard Secondary ELA Curriculum Specialist Charlyn Henderson Secondary ELA TDS 2

Informational Items Professional Development Opportunities – STAAR Workshops- Genre Studies 1/30/13 (see attachment) – STAAR Workshops- Revising and Editing 2/20/13 and 3/2/13 (see attachment) – SpringBoard Writing Trainings (see attachment) – IRA Conference- 4/19/2013 San Antonio, Texas 3

Curriculum Information Curriculum Preview Videos: HISD eLearn- STAAR Update- Victoria Young 4

Instructional Strategies Previewing a Text – Charlyn Henderson Mark It Up – Cristina Cruz-Wiley Advanced Analysis- What, How, and Why – Debbie Howard 5

The Rigors of STAAR Reading Consider the following: In paragraph 1, the description of Anne in the stage directions is intended to evoke feelings of — A fear B doubt C anger D pity What do students need to know or be able to do to answer this question? 6

Model Your Thinking In paragraph 1, the description of Anne in the stage directions is intended to evoke feelings of — 7 Only look here, not the whole selection. This is what I am looking for. I’m only looking in the Stage Directions. If I don’t know what this is I need to look it up. Remember, this story is a play. What do I know about plays? Do I know what this word means? I can tell it’s a verb. I might need to look it up. This is another hard work. What does it mean? Who’s feelings?

Mark It Up This during-reading strategy allows students to actively participate in their reading. Students ‘mark-up’ a text, explicitly documenting their interaction. This strategy contains 3 steps: 1.Number the paragraphs. 2.Circle descriptive words and names of people, places and things. 3.Underline descriptions, figurative language, or other information relevant to the reading purpose. 8

What, How, and Why- Fiction 9 What? What was the text about? How? How did the author write it? Why? Why did the author write it? What is the setting? What is the relationship between the characters? (Protagonist and Antagonist) What is the story about? (Plot Summary) What is the central conflict? What is the resolution? How does the author structure the story? (flashback, foreshadowing, linear narrative) How does the author write it? (Style – word choice, sentence structure, length) How is the story told? (Narrator/Point of View) How does the author create, or utilize, certain literary elements? (dialogue, imagery, mood, tone, figurative language, symbolism) Why did the author write it? (author’s purpose, theme, message, or moral)

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11 What? What was the text about? How? How did the author write it? Why? Why did the author write it? Setting – House owned by an old man who has a caretaker. Plot - The caretaker, (main character and narrator) tells the story of how he becomes fixated on the eye of the old man he cares for. He becomes so crazed by it that he kills the old man and hides him under the floor boards. The police come to check on the house, and the narrator “hears the beating heart” through the floor board and reveals what he’s done. Horror/Fiction Flashback, linear plot structure Poe uses an unreliable narrator and reveals the insanity of the caretaker through the point-of-view. The imagery in the story is what is most prevalent. Poe conveys the internal conflict of the narrator/caretaker with vivid sensory description. Poe reveals a theme of guilt through the imagery of the “beating heart.” Because it is human and always present, it has the ability to be maddeningly constant, especially if it is filled with guilt. Let’s take a closer look

What, How, and Why- Persuasive 12 What? What was the text about? How? How did the author write it? Why? Why did the author write it? What viewpoint or position does the author take in the introduction? What supporting details and evidence does the author use? What counterargument does the author address and what is the refutation? What idea does the author leave you with in the conclusion? How does the author support his or her reasoning? (facts and statistics, firsthand experience or examples, opinions of experts) How does the author structure the argument? (compare/contrast, inductive, deductive) How does the author create appeals to emotion or logic? Why did the author write it? (Author’s Purpose – Call to Action or Convincing you of something)

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14 What? What was the text about? How? How did the author write it? Why? Why did the author write it? In the introduction, MLK demands justice now. MLK concedes when he tells that he knows they’ve been brutally persecuted, but he refutes it when he tells the audience that we must still have dignity and faith. MLK concludes the speech leaving the audience feeling like we must all come together. MLK uses the metaphor cashing the check of freedom. MLK alludes to the Declaration of Independence MLK creates an appeal to emotion when he utilizes emotional words such as brutality and manacles (diction) MLK repeats the phrase “I have a dream” throughout the speech. (anaphora) MLK is trying to convince his audience that freedom is the destiny of the oppressed. Let’s take a closer look

Conclusion Questions Contact Information: Debbie Howard Cristina Cruz-Wiley 15