1. Reading, Writing, & Research: Strategies for Effective Instructional Practices for the Common Core
Lisa Muller, Assistant Superintendent, Curriculum and School Improvement
Shan Glandon, Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Michelle Sumner, Site Principal, West Intermediate
Goal of workshop:
Share some of the steps JPS has taken to align with the Common Core State Standards for reading, writing, and research and provide some table discussion time to articulate what you currently have in place and to identify next steps that are needed to complete the alignment and implementation process
Jenks Public Schools

2. Writing: Building and Supporting the Foundations Working from an aim
The aim of the JPS pre-kindergarten-12th grade language arts curriculum is to facilitate and support the development of life-long learners who think critically and communicate effectively through written, oral and/or visual expression.
Adopting primary tools that support workshop structure and the writing process
Write Source resources (since 1998)
Using feedback from assessments to identify strengths and areas for growth
Post-assessments (Metritech,
Turn-it-in
Student work samples (collaboration days)
Providing ongoing, focused professional development
Teachers’ College Reading and Writing Project
Staff Development Workshops
Writing:
Building and Supporting the Foundations
Key Points:
Working from and toward a common point of view
Using the year-long curriculum alignment and adoption process to surface the best resources to support teaching and learning. Write Source and it’s subsequent revisions (1998, 2004, 2010) bring a consistency of approach and a common language and support workshop structure.
Assessment resources….
Metritech…
Implemented at 1st-4th, 6th-7th, 9th grades, gives an outside snapshot of our student writers, emphasizes that writers are developed through multiple years of experience, places more emphasis on ideas/development, organization, voice, and word choice, reviewed annually for the appropriateness of the prompts….will be especially important this year based on the 5th and 8th grade field-tested writing prompts
Turn-it-in….
Used at 8th-12th grades as a way to integrate technology into writing, address and grow students’ understanding about plagiarism, and provide avenues for discussion threads about writing
Analysis of student writing …
Supports conferencing with students (recognitions of strengths, next steps), builds consistency of assessment
4. The importance of ongoing professional development….systems focus, demonstrations/modeling for teachers, collaboration and planning opportunities
Jenks Public Schools

3. Writing: Moving to Common Core
Identifying gaps
Writing opinion and argumentation
Studying and creating original poetry
Writing across the curriculum areas
Providing resources
They Say, I Say by Gerald Graff & Cathy Birkenstein (Norton, 2010)
Media collection resources
Providing professional development training
Argumentation: Dr. David Joliffe, University of Arkansas
Writing across the curriculum: Rebecca Bascio, Staff Development Workshops
Collaborating and sharing successful strategies
Point/Counterpoint in Argumentation using the Affinity Diagram
Key Points:
Year-long alignment and adopting process identified these gaps….
Decision of the committee to keep poetry in the continuum of standards and objectives
The need to train teachers in writing argumentation, implemented in AP courses up to this point
The need to discuss what this looks like in other subject areas and to train teachers in the three modes of writing
Providing each teacher with a copy of They Say, I Say (6th-12th grades); having media specialists enhance their poetry collections.
Professional Development: Two key experiences
An example from 6th grade
Jenks Public Schools

4. Writing: Moving to Common Core
Table Discussions:
Aligning to Common Core writing expectations
What is currently in place?
What are next steps?
An opportunity for participants to use the discussion graphic organizer to discuss “currently in place” strategies and next steps related to writing.
Jenks Public Schools

5. Reading: Building and Supporting the Foundations Jenks Public Schools
Working from an aim
The aim of the JPS pre-kindergarten-12th grade reading reading and literature curriculum is to develop strategic, lifelong readers, who successfully read for a variety of purposes.
Adopting primary tools that support workshop structure, the reading process, and foundations for reading
Comprehension Toolkit
Fountas and Pinnell Word Study
“Just right” reading selections
McDougal Littell Literature
Using feedback from assessments to identify strengths and areas for growth
STAR reading (K-12th Grade)
Running records
Student work samples (collaboration days)
Providing ongoing, focused professional development
Teachers’ College Reading and Writing Project
Staff Development Workshops
Stephanie Harvey Consulting
Harding Institute (7th-12th grade)
Reading:
Building and Supporting the Foundations
Key Points:
Working from and toward a common point of view
Using the year-long curriculum alignment and adoption process to surface the best resources to support teaching and learning. These resources bring a consistency of approach and a common language and support workshop structure. The “just right” reading selections provided guided reading resources at teacher’s fingertips.
Assessment resources….
STAR Reading….Implemented across the district….adds one piece of information to the body of assessment evidence gathered for a students
Running Records…added last year to round out the body of information about a student
Analysis of student work samples…Supports conferencing with students (recognitions of strengths, next steps), builds consistency of assessment
4. The importance of ongoing professional development….systems focus, demonstrations/modeling for teachers, collaboration and planning opportunities
Jenks Public Schools

6. Reading: Moving to Common Core
Identifying gaps
Incorporating more informational reading at the secondary level
Increasing comparisons and discussions across texts
Modeling strategies for reading across curriculum areas
Building more effective literacy blocks
Providing resources
“Just right” reading resources
Media collection resources
Collaboration time
Providing professional development training
Teachers College Reading and Writing Project:
Jill DeGoede:
Reading across the curriculum: Rebecca Bascio, Staff Development Workshops
Harding Institute:
Key points….
The four areas that are the focus of our collaboration discussions and planning and professional development
Media specialists….enhancing access to “just right” reading through catalog searching information and organization of the resources in the library.
Purchase of leveled readers for each classroom teacher, kindergarten-4th grade
Late start collaboration days available PK-12th grade.
3. Ongoing focused professional development
Jenks Public Schools

7. Reading: Moving to Common Core
Building more effective literacy blocks
Establishing a common expectation for the literacy block: 90 minutes
Establishing a common language for all teachers and learners
Providing choice and access to a wide variety of reading materials
Implementing flexible media schedules
Supporting independent reading at child’s fluency level
Providing time for actual reading
Reading across the curriculum
Helping students engage in “talk with peers” about reading and writing
Involving students in guided reading groups; conferencing with students
Incorporating shared-reading experiences and read-aloud time with teacher modeling
Providing time for every child to write about something personally meaningful.
One of the key areas of focus in reading as been the work around establishing literacy blocks and integrating research-based practices into the block.
Educators have been given the directive to use sound theory, research and data-based decisions to provide effective reading instruction for students. This demands careful and thoughtful review of the literature as well as an analysis of our student population to identify students at risk of failure in reading and to determine effective research based strategies to improve student achievement.
As we conducted the research (which for us meant to re-search - review again and again the meta-analysis studies), we discovered through the work of Richard Allington that “little scientific research exists that demonstrates any package or program works consistently and reliably…none of the ‘proven programs’ that generated so much excitement a decade ago has withstood the independent research review”. The National Reading Panel also concluded that “little research was available to support the use of technology (e.g., computers) in teaching reading”.
Once we recognized that no one method or set of materials would provide the necessary tools to increase reading achievement for all students, we quit looking for the quick fixes or the silver bullet to increase achievement for all readers and turned to empirical data that supports best practice reading strategies.
Jenks Public Schools

8. Reading: Moving to Common Core
Table Discussions:
Aligning to Common Core reading expectations
What is currently in place?
What are next steps?
An opportunity for participants to use the discussion graphic organizer to discuss “currently in place” strategies and next steps related to reading.
Jenks Public Schools

9. Research: Building and Supporting the Foundations
Engaging media specialists
Collection development i.e., text sets
On-line searching continuum of skills
Inquiry training participation
Providing ongoing, focused professional development
Inquiry training with Katie Muhtaris and Lynette Emmons (Stephanie Harvey Consulting)
Book studies:
Why Are School Buses Always Yellow?, by John Barell (Corwin Press, 2008)
Collaboration and Comprehension: Inquiry Circles in Action, by Stephanie Harvey and Harvey Daniels (Heinemann, 2009)
Research:
Building and Supporting the Foundations
Key Points:
Text sets….collections of a variety of texts (fiction, non-fiction, Internet-based, poetry around various topics)
Online continuum of skills based on Alan November’s book, Web Literacy for Educators
Participation in the inquiry training offered by the district
2. Power of training and book discussion groups.
Jenks Public Schools

10. Writing, Reading and Research:
Unit/Area of Study
Essential Understandings
Multiple Resources Studied during the Unit
5-9 short texts (3rd-5th grades) + 1 extended text
3-5 short texts (6th-12th) + 1 extended text
Text Resources
Reading Targets
Writing to Learn Strategies (Ways students will record thinking about the texts):
Writing, Reading and Research:
A Planning Template
Key Points:
Planning tool developed from the PARCC model frameworks.
Jenks Public Schools

11. Writing, Reading and Research:
Extended Writing Experience
Is this the unit for an extended writing task? Yes No
If so, which mode will you use?
Argument/Opinion Information/Expository Narrative
How will you pace the writing? What mini-lessons will you teach/model for writing, revision, and grammar?
Technology Experience (s)
Technology Target (s)
Inquiry Focus (an opportunity to incorporate research objectives): What essential understanding is the focus of the inquiry?
Writing, Reading and Research:
A Planning Template
Jenks Public Schools

12. Research: Moving to Common Core
Table Discussions:
Aligning to Common Core research expectations
What is currently in place?
What are next steps?
An opportunity for participants to use the discussion graphic organizer to discuss “currently in place” strategies and next steps related to research and the planning template.
Jenks Public Schools

13. Writing, Reading and Research:
What further questions may we answer?
Writing, Reading and Research:
Aligning to the Common Core State Standards
Jenks Public Schools