Designing Literacy Embedding Literacy Tasks Into a PBL Unit

Step 1: Click on the Courses tab Step 2: Click on the All Courses tab Step 3: Select ‘New Tech National’ from the School drop down menu Step 4: Click ‘Sign up’ to enroll in the course “Literacy Support Center” Self-enrolling in the Literacy Support Center Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4

Participants will be able to: ￭ Explain why literacy instruction matters across all subject areas ￭ Describe the Literacy Design Collaborative framework ￭ Help students think deeply about content by creating a literacy task that is integrated into a project ￭ Get started with the Literacy Support Center for ongoing professional learning about content-area literacy

Comparing Lexiles Content AreaNew York Regents Estimated Lexile TAKS (Texas) Estimated Lexile English740L910L Social Studies1160L1010L Science1010L1080L Math1240L1090L

MetaMetrics’ High School Text Demand Survey ELAMathScience Social Studies *from "Lexile Text Measures for State or District Adoption Programs"

Small Group Activity 1) Please break into small groups and discuss some ways you are already supporting literacy 2) On the sticky notes provided write down your group’s 2-3 current literacy best practices 3) Place on “Literacy Graffiti Wall”

Why incorporate literacy tasks? Integration of Authentic Literacy Tasks Across Content Areas Need for More Rigorous Thinking Need for Stronger Literacy Skills Need for Individual Accountability Within Projects

Dive Deeper ￭ Push our practice further by beginning with a literacy end in mind ￭ Increase our level of scaffolding for rigorous reading and writing ￭ Include a literacy task in every project or unit

Literacy Design Collaborative Framework ￭ Has fill-in-the-blank templates for literacy tasks that get students thinking deeply about content (the “end”) ￭ Uses scaffolding to help students with the challenging reading and writing they will do

Literacy Design Collaborative Framework Categories  Argumentative  Explanatory/ Informational  Narrative

LDC Subdivisions Modes or Organizational Patterns ￭ Description ￭ Cause and effect ￭ Comparison / Contrast ￭ Procedural-sequential ￭ Problem-solution ￭ Evaluation ￭ Synthesis ￭ Analysis These are types of writing but also the kinds of rigorous thinking we want our students to do

Sample LDC Template Taks Template Task 15 (Explanatory/ Informational Procedural-Sequential) [Insert essential question] After reading/ viewing (informational texts, graphs, etc.), write a/an (essay, report, or substitute) that relates how (content). Support your discussion with evidence from (texts, data, calculations, etc).

Sample LDC Template Tasks After reviewing the scatter plot and the map, write a set of instructions that relate the steps for determining the clean-up costs of any size oil spill on any given continent. Support your instructions with a specific example from the scatter plot, including equations and steps in the process.

Sample LDC Template Tasks After reading directions for and creating a CrossFit plyo box (including figuring out the amount of paint and wood you’ll need), write an easy to understand technical manual that relates the process for other students in Health and PE classes.

Where could YOU integrate a literacy task? 1) Look back at a Project Calendar from the previous year. 2) Is there a place where a literacy task in the format we showed you might have been helpful?

Task Creation Step 1- Use a Template to Create a Literacy Task Start with the end in mind: use a template to create a literacy task that will require students to show their content knowledge.

Assessment Step 2- Design a Rubric Create a rubric for your literacy task. Use language from your school's written communication rubric or from one of the rubrics linked below. You may want to choose one or two writing traits/ elements/ skills to address in your rubric, depending on the main focus of the project. Argumentative Informational Narrative

Scaffolding Step 3- Plan the Scaffolding Even advanced students can benefit from good scaffolding... especially when reading or writing something challenging. You should have at least three scaffolding activities, for three stages: reading, pre-writing, and writing. For now, pick one. Scaffolding Literacy: Starter SetScaffolding Literacy: Starter Set Scaffolding Literacy: Deep DiveScaffolding Literacy: Deep Dive If you'd like scaffolding suggestions to address particular needs, see link below. Literacy Scaffolding by Rubric Criteria

This is just the beginning… Ongoing support from: Literacy Task Quick Guide Online Literacy Support Center Literacy Facilitator

“Literacy Support Center” ￭ Online Literacy Support Center with resources for: ▢ Assessing reading and writing ▢ Designing rigorous literacy tasks ▢ Scaffolding literacy tasks ▢ Differentiating literacy instruction ▢ Echo Discussions – “Water Coolers”

“Literacy is not a luxury, it is a right and a responsibility. If our world is to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century we must harness the energy and creativity of all our citizens.” - President Clinton on International Literacy Day, September 8 th 1994

Let’s Get Started! Literacy Support Center