1. Statewide System of Support Foundational Services Illinois State Board of Education In Collaboration with Regional Offices of Education/Intermediate Service Centers and the Illinois Center for School Improvement

2. English Language Arts Foundational Services
Peoria Regional Office of Education
Cindy Dollman
Assistant Regional Superintendent
Introductions – all

3. Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS/RtI) Statewide System of Support
Priority
Focus
Foundational
Focus Areas:
Continuous Improvement Process (Rising Star)
Common Core ELA
Common Core Math
Teacher Evaluation
Balanced Assessment

4. The CCSS Shifts Build Toward College and Career Readiness for All Students
Slide 5: The creation and history of the Illinois Shift Kits based and grounded in the alignment of PARCC’s shifts and research:
The Standards formerly identified 6 major shifts associated with Common Core implementation and then clustered them into three main shifts. PARCC has recently focused on three shifts which have incorporated the original shifts and streamlined them to target specific skills and knowledge. Within these overarching shifts, PARCC designed 3 subcategories that support these overarching shifts for a total of 9.

5. What Are the Shifts at the Heart of PARCC Design (and the Standards)?
Complexity: Regular practice with complex text and its academic language.
Engage with Complex
Text
Slides 6, 7 and 8: These slides indicate PARCC’s and Illinois’ 3 major ELA instructional shifts that align to the CCSS. These slides can just be read. (It is important for the facilitator to note that the future slides will show that 3 kits were designed to define the skills necessary for each instructional shift).

6. What Are the Shifts at the Heart of PARCC Design (and the Standards)?
2. Evidence: Reading and writing grounded in evidence from text, literary and informational.
Extract and Employ Evidence
Slides 6, 7 and 8: These slides indicate PARCC’s and Illinois’ 3 major ELA instructional shifts that align to the CCSS. These slides can just be read. (It is important for the facilitator to note that the future slides will show that 3 kits were designed to define the skills necessary for each instructional shift).

7. What Are the Shifts at the Heart of PARCC Design (and the Standards)?
3. Knowledge: Building knowledge through content rich nonfiction.
Build Knowledge
Slides 6, 7 and 8: These slides indicate PARCC’s and Illinois’ 3 major ELA instructional shifts that align to the CCSS. These slides can just be read. (It is important for the facilitator to note that the future slides will show that 3 kits were designed to define the skills necessary for each instructional shift).

8. Nine Specific Advances in the PARCC ELA/Literacy Assessment Demanded by the Three Core Shifts. . .
Slide 9: PARCC developed nine specific advances:
PARCC developed nine specific advances within the three core shifts of the ELA/Literacy demands that aligned to the CCSS. These are woven into the PARCC assessment. It is important for the facilitator to highlight that the PARCC assessment is heavily tied to the CCSS. All tasks are designed with the standards in mind and these shifts in instructional practice are also intended then to be tied heavily to the assessment, to be implemented in concert with one another, and also tie to Danielson. Resources will be presented within the kits to show the connections to all these models.

9. Shift 1: Regular practice with complex text and its academic language
PARCC builds a staircase of text complexity to ensure students are on track each year for college and career reading.
PARCC rewards careful, close reading rather than racing through passages.
PARCC systematically focuses on the words that matter most—not obscure vocabulary, but the academic language that pervades complex texts.
Slide 10: PARCC created nine statements. The first three lines up directly with shift 1, engage with complex text. Illinois then designed three kits from these statements which are bolded in pink: text complexity, close reading and academic vocabulary.

10. The Shift Kits
Slide 19: Facilitators explain upcoming activity and possibly model for participants. A facilitator might share a PowerPoint, handout, books…but they are focusing on the big idea, highlights and how someone else might use the components of the kit for a training.

11. Needs Assessments

12. Text Complexity

13. Text Complexity Model Text complexity is defined by: Qualitative
Quantitative
Quantitative measures – readability and other scores of text complexity often best measured by computer software.
Qualitative
Qualitative measures – levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality and clarity, and knowledge demands often best measured by an attentive human reader.
Reader and Task
Reader and Task considerations – background knowledge of reader, motivation, interests, and complexity generated by tasks assigned often best made by educators employing their professional judgment.
Appendix A defines the 3 components of text complexity. They are:
Qualitative: which measures the levels of meaning, structure, language conventions and clarity as well as knowledge demands.
Quantitative: which measures the readability of the text and is often scored by software
Reader and task considerations take into account the background knowledge of the reader as well as the reader’s motivation, interests and the task given. This third and final component is to be measured by educators using their professional judgment.

14. Quantitative Measures Resources
Grade Band Ranges Chart
Internet databases for quantitative measures (Lexile and ATOS book level)
Step #1 asks educators to determine the quantitative measures of the text being read. When determining the quantitative measure, word length, word frequency, word difficulty, sentence length, text length and cohesion are usually evaluated by a system such as Fry’s Readability, Lexile, Dale-Chall, Flesch-Kincaid, or others.

15. Quantitative Measures Ranges for Text Complexity Grade Bands
Suggested
Lexile Range
Suggested ATOS
Book Level Range**
K-1
100L – 500L*
1.0 – 2.5
2-3
450L – 790L
2.0 – 4.0
4-5
770L – 980L
3.0 – 5.7
6-8
955L – 1155L
4.0 – 8.0
9-10
1080L – 1305L
4.6 – 10.0
11-CCR
1215L – 1355L
4.8 – 12.0
What is a text complexity band?
* The K-1 suggested Lexile range was not identified by the Common Core State Standards and was added by Kansas.
** Taken from Accelerated Reader and the Common Core State Standards, available at the following URL:

16. Lexile ranges realigned to Common Core
Old Lexile Ranges
Realigned Lexile Ranges
Draw participants’ attention to the graphic display of the shift in Lexile ranges.
For example, the facilitator might say,
“Here is a graphic display of the same information. This illustrates just how significant is the shift to greater text complexity as we implement the CCSS.
Let’s look at the third factor in text complexity, Reader and Task Considerations, and then we’ll talk about some resources to help us accomplish this.”

17. Quantitative Measures Resources
Lexile Analyzer:
AR BookFinder:

18. Qualitative Measures Resources
Rubric for Literary Text
Rubric for Informational Text
Qualitative measures involve text structure, language demands and conventions, knowledge demands, as well as levels of meaning and purpose.
Word difficulty and language structure
Dialect
Text structure
Discourse style (e.g., satire, humor)
Genre and characteristic features of the text
Background knowledge and/or degree of familiarity with the content (including historical, geographical or literary references)
Level of reasoning required (e.g. difficulty of themes or ideas in the text, abstract concepts in the text)
Format and layout of the text
Length of the text
(Hess and Biggam, 2004)

19. Qualitative factors of text complexity
Levels of meaning/purpose
Text structure
Language conventionality and clarity
Knowledge Demands: Life Experiences
Knowledge Demands: Cultural/Literary Knowledge
Knowledge Demands: Content/Discipline Knowledge
Explain that the qualitative factors are the challenges resulting from how the ideas are presented in the text and the structure and language of the text itself. In addition, texts are more complex if they require broad or mature life experiences; cultural or literary background knowledge (for instance, to understand allusions); and specific content or domain knowledge.
For instance, the facilitator might say,
“A look at the handout Qualitative Dimensions of Text Complexity shows the range of complexity we would expect to see in texts.
Multiple levels of meaning, such as the abstract meaning conveyed through a literal story line or symbolism, for instance, make a text more challenging to fully comprehend. Subtle or ambiguous themes and those revealed over the entirety of the work raise the level of text complexity. Even more so would be satire, where the intended underlying message is intentionally the opposite of the literal message.
Informational texts with a single, explicitly stated purpose are generally easier to comprehend than those with multiple or implicit purposes.
In literature, subplots, time shifts (flashbacks, flashforwards instead of strictly chronological order), multiple narrative viewpoints, and complex characters have a higher level of complexity than simple, well-marked and conventional story structures.
Complex informational texts are more likely to conform to the conventions of a specific discipline and have complex graphics whose interpretation is essential to understanding the text or which provide an independent source of information within the text.
Texts that rely on figurative, ironic, ambiguous, or archaic language or domain-specific vocabulary are more complex.
Finally, fully comprehending complex texts often requires the readers to draw upon literary, cultural and content knowledge to understand references or allusions; broad life experiences that equip them to grasp and grapple with such themes as moral dilemma or government control; and the ability to conceptualize experiences and entertain perspectives distinctly different from their own.”

20. Qualitative Measures Resources The Qualitative Measures Rubrics
for Literary and Informational Text:
The rubric for literary text and the rubric for informational text allow educators to evaluate the important elements of text that are often missed by computer software that tends to focus on more easily measured factors.
The Chief Council of State School Officers has posted rubrics developed by Kansas to allow educators a way to evaluate qualitative measures that are often missed by computer software programs. Schools can have individuals or teams of educators determine the qualitative measures of a text by using the rubric.

21. Qualitative Measures Resources
Because the factors for literary texts are different from information texts, these two rubrics contain different content. However, the formatting of each document is exactly the same.
And because these factors represent continua rather than discrete stages or levels, numeric values are not associated with these rubrics. Instead, four points along each continuum are identified: high, middle high, middle low, and low.
Educators should keep the following suggestions in mind when using a qualitative rubric.
Teachers may read across the four columns for each row of checkboxes on the rubric, identifying which descriptors best match the text by marking a particular checkbox.
The marked rubric then becomes a GUIDE to educators to continue to evaluate the complexity of a text.
As Appendix A states, “Few, if any, authentic texts will be low or high on all of these measures.” The goal is not for all of the checkmarks to be in a single column; the goal is to accurately reflect these factors of the text.
The marked rubric can then serve as a guide as educators re-evaluate the initial placement of the work into a text complexity band. Such reflection may validate the text’s placement or may suggest that the placement needs to be changed.

24. Reader and Task Considerations Resources
Questions for Professional Reflection
The 3rd step must be determined by the educator. Is the student motivated to read this text? What knowledge and experience do they have about the topic they will be reading about? What is the teacher having the students do with the text as they read?
The Complexity of the Task should be considered as well. What kind of questions are we asking? Are we having our students consider broader thematic implications?…Are the tasks performance-oriented? (i.e. writing, presenting, creating)

25. Reader and Task Considerations Resources
Questions for Professional Reflection on Reader and Task Considerations:
The questions provided in this resource are meant to spur teacher thought and reflection upon the text, students, and any tasks associated with the text.

26. Reader and Task Considerations Resources
The questions included here are largely open-ended questions without single, correct answers, but help educators to think through the implications of using a particular text in the classroom.

28. Students need to engage with:
Grade-appropriate materials for exposure to structures, content, vocabulary
Instructional-level materials that allow them to progress
Easy materials that allow them to practice.
If familiar/interesting, material can be more challenging.
If unfamiliar/uninteresting, material may need to be less challenging.
– More at K-12 Teachers: Building Comprehension in the Common Core
Explain that reading materials for students should encompass a range of levels of difficulty.
For instance, the teacher might say,
“All students need to engage with central text at an age- and grade-appropriate level of text complexity in order for everyone to share in the rich classroom conversations and activities that build comprehension strategies, vocabulary, and content knowledge.
However, students reading below or above grade level also need to engage with texts at their instructional level that will allow them to make progress reading independently.
Also, all students need opportunities to experience the satisfaction and pleasure of easy, fluent reading.
The important thing to remember is the general movement during a given school year is toward texts of higher levels of complexity for everyone.”

29. Close Reading

30. Process Students and teachers understand multiple reads will occur
Independently
By proficient readers including teacher
Vocabulary instruction with a focus on Tier 2 words
Questions will follow Common Core Standards structure
A final review of the process is located here. When designing questions, they should be reflective of the clusters at the grade level you teach.

31. To Implement Close Reading
Use Shorter texts
Read multiple times
Read slowly and deliberately
Annotate the text
Identify patterns: repetition, contradictions, similarities. commonalities
Identify unfamiliar vocabulary words (Tier II Words)
Write about the text using evidence to support student responses

32. Close Reading: Annotate
Number the paragraphs
Chunk the text
Underline and circle
Left margin: What is the author saying?
Right Margin: Dig Deeper into Text
Number the paragraphs: helps children refer to specific paragraphs, sections, or stanzas when citing and referring to the text
Chunk the Text: break text into smaller sections, this avoids the sensation of being overwhelmed, group by natural chunks
Underline and circle WITH PURPOSE: example – claims, imagery, key terms, sources, power verbs, figurative language
Left margin – author saying: summarize each chunk (10 words or less)
Right margin – dig deeper: example – power verb of what the author is doing (ie, comparing); represent with a picture; ask questions

33. Annotate the Text ∞ Connections you have to the text. ? Question !
Symbol
Stands for:
Means: ∞
Connections you have to the text.
You have seen, read, or thought about that before. ?
Question
I don’t understand. I need more information. !
Main Idea
This is the important point the author is trying to get across.
+ (E)
Agree
I agree with the author on this point. (Support with (E)vidence)
- (E)
Disagree
I disagree with the author. I think differently. (Support with (E)vidence)
NEW
New information
This is brand new to my thinking.
Highlight
Word analysis
Structure/figurative language

34. Today, as we go through the presentation, we are going to follow a process created around text dependent questioning and how the CCSS standards are clustered. The first time you read a section of a text, you will focus on key ideas and details, 2nd time reads, questions will be focused around author’s craft and structure and any subsequent reads will focus on integration of knowledge and ideas. Structuring questions and tasks around the skills that are involved in the clusters of CCSS help identify the goals and objectives students will need to discover in a text.
According to the writers of the ELA standards, we are frontloading too much and discussing too much of a text the first time through causing students to have too much support which causes a lack of need and motivation for students to find the vocabulary or main ideas themselves. This has created our gap.
It is appropriate to scaffold and provide direction and support but only after a first read. Allowing students to wonder about a text first is critical in the thought process.

35. Sample Process for Informational Text
Key Ideas and Details
State what the text says explicitly and support it with
evidence.
Identify the central idea and theme(s).
Analyze relationships, concepts, or events.
Craft and Structure
Interpret words and phrases.
Analyze features and structures of text.
Discuss purposes and points of view.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Evaluate the different medias.
Integrate information from several sources to address related
themes and concepts.
As a final review for informational text, these are the clusters and their topics of discussion. Refer to the activity worksheets to assist with the process as well.

36. This chart was found on Pinterest
This chart was found on Pinterest. It was created by a Race to the Top Network Team from Jefferson-Lewis-Hamilton-Herkimer-Oneida in New York. This gives the who, what, where, when and why close reading strategy should be employed and types of how the student and teacher text selections and preparations should be considered.

37. Connections
Text to Self
Text to Itself
Text to Text
Text to World

38. Identifying Theme
Was the outcome of the story good or bad? Explain why.
What lesson does the main character learn?
What lesson did you learn from the story?

39. There is a purpose for each text.
Author’s Purpose
There is a purpose for each text.
Author’s purpose:
Entertain
Explain
Inform
Persuade

40. Inferences

41. Concluding Activities for Close Reading
Number one sentence
Number one word
Note to author

42. Academic Vocabulary

43. ELA Common Core Vocabulary Standards
Reading Strand
Reading Anchor Standard #4
Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
Language Strand
Language Anchor Standard #4
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials as appropriate.
Language Anchor Standard #6
Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when encountering an unknown term important to comprehension or expression.
This slide provides educators with how vocabulary is addressed in the CCSS.
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44. Research Behind Vocabulary Instruction
Effective vocabulary instruction has to start early, in preschool, and continue throughout the school years (Nagy, 2005).
Teaching vocabulary helps develop phonological awareness (Nagy, 2005) and reading comprehension (Beck, Perfetti, & McKeown, 1982).
Vocabulary instruction needs to be long-term and comprehensive (Nagy, 2005) for ELs (Carlo, August, & Snow, 2005; Calderón et al., 2005).
This slide provides educators with the research on vocabulary instruction.
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45. More Research….
Command of a large vocabulary frequently sets high-achieving students apart from less successful ones (Montgomery, 2000).
The average 6-year-old has a vocabulary of approximately 8000 words, and learns more per year (Senechal & Cornell, 1993).
Vocabulary in kindergarten and first grade is a significant predictor of reading comprehension in the middle and secondary grades (Cunningham, 2005; Cunningham & Stanovich, 1997) or reading difficulties (Chall & Dale, 1995; Denton et al. 2011).
This slides provides educators with research on vocabulary instruction.
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46. Academic Vocabulary
Isabel L. Beck, Margaret McKeown and Linda Kucan (2002, 2008) have outlined a useful model for conceptualizing categories of words readers encounter in texts and for understanding the instructional and learning challenges that words in each category present. They describe three levels, or tiers, of words in terms of the words’ commonality (more or less frequently occurring) and applicability (broader to narrower).
Common Core State Standards, Appendix A, page 33
Appendix A cites the research from Isabel Beck, Margaret McKeown and Linda Kucan who created a model to categorize words readers encounter.
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47. Academic Vocabulary
… is not unique to a particular discipline and as a result are not the clear responsibility of a particular content area teacher. What is more, many Tier Two words are far less well defined by contextual clues in the texts in which they appear and are far less likely to be defined explicitly within a text than are Tier Three words. Yet Tier Two words are frequently encountered in complex written texts and are particularly powerful because of their wide applicability to many sorts of reading. Teachers thus need to be alert to the presence of Tier Two words and determine which ones need careful attention.
Common Core State Standards (English Language Arts, Appendix A)
Appendix A in the CCSS provides a great deal of information on academic vocabulary. Have participants read the slide silently. Ask participants to share with a partner what type of words are “academic terms”.
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48. Three tiers of words Domain-specific words General academic words
Words of everyday speech
Explain that this three-tiered model of vocabulary categorizes words based on their frequency in texts (more to less frequently occurring) and applicability (broader to narrower) as you progress up the triangle.
For instance, the facilitator might say,
“The Common Core State Standards refer to a model that describes three tiers of words, categorized by their frequency in texts (more to less frequently occurring) and applicability (broader to narrower) from bottom to top.
Tier 1 (at the bottom) consists of the basic words that most students at a particular grade level will know. These are the everyday words of conversation, and most of them are learned from the speech of peers and adults around them. They are not considered a challenge to the average native speaker and comprise the bulk of words students know.
Tier 2 (in the middle) consists of general academic words and is our focus today. These are the words that have utility across a wide range of topics and in many curriculum areas. Students will encounter and learn most of these words through reading text, rather than in conversation, and through explicit classroom instruction. They are especially important because building a strong academic vocabulary is key to comprehending academic text.
Tier 3 (at the top) consists of the highly specific disciplinary vocabulary that lack generalization – low-frequency words needed to understand the concept under study.”

49. Three tiers of words
Tier 3 – Highly specialized, subject-specific; low occurrences in texts; lacking generalization
E.g., oligarchy, euphemism, hydraulic, neurotransmitters
Tier 2 –Abstract, general academic (across content areas); encountered in written language; high utility across instructional areas
E.g., principle, relative, innovation, function, potential, style
Tier 1 – Basic, concrete, encountered in conversation/ oral vocabulary; words most student will know at a particular grade level
E.g., injury, apologize, education, serious, nation
Explain the three tiers of words.
For instance, the facilitator might say,
“Tier 1 words are not usually a challenge to the average native speaker, though English language learners will have to attend carefully to them. They are the words that most students can be expected to know at a given grade level. Many, perhaps most, of these words are acquired through conversation and without deliberate effort.
Tier 2 words, in contrast, are far more likely to appear in written texts than in everyday speech. They appear in all sorts of texts, from technical to literary, are highly generalizable, and consequently have high utility both for reading and writing. They often represent subtle or precise ways to label things or convey known ideas or concepts. Unlike Tier 1 words, they usually require a more deliberate effort to acquire.
Tier 3 words are specific to a domain or field of study and are key to understanding a new concept within a text or content area. Because they are closely tied to the content knowledge of the discipline, they are far more frequent in informational text than in literature. Recognized as new and ‘hard’ words for most readers (particularly student readers), they are often explicitly defined by the author of a text, used repeatedly throughout the text, and otherwise heavily scaffolded (for instance, made a part of a glossary). They are typically explicitly taught as part of the unit of study.

50. Why are “academic words” important?
Are critical to understanding academic texts
Appear in all sorts of texts and are highly generalizable
Require deliberate effort to learn, unlike Tier 1 words
Are far more likely to appear in written texts than in speech.
Often represent subtle or precise ways to say otherwise relatively simple things
Are seldom heavily scaffolded by authors or teachers, unlike Tier 3 words
Explain that it is important to explicitly teach key academic words because students are unlikely to pick them up from spoken language, in contrast to Tier 1 words; and authors are unlikely to define them within the text or include them in a glossary, in contrast to Tier 3 words.
For instance, the facilitator might say,
“Because Tier 3 words are obviously unfamiliar to most students, contain the ideas necessary to a new topic, and are recognized as both important and specific to the subject area in which they are instructing students, teachers often define Tier 3 words prior to students encountering them in a text, and then reinforce their acquisition throughout a lesson. Unfortunately, this is not typically the case with Tier 2 words, which by definition are not unique to a particular discipline and as a result are not the clear responsibility of a particular content area teacher.
What is more, many Tier 2 words are far less well defined by contextual clues in the texts in which they appear and are far less likely to be defined explicitly within a text than are Tier 3 words. Yet Tier Two words are frequently encountered in complex written texts and are particularly powerful because of their wide applicability to many sorts of reading.
The Catch 22 is that since most of these words are acquired through reading, struggling readers don’t acquire them at the same rate as proficient readers. Then, their lack of knowledge of these words, in turn, discourages them even more from reading grade-appropriate material.
So, teachers need to be alert to the presence of key Tier 2 words and determine which ones need careful attention.”

51. Careful selection of words to teach
In school settings, students can be explicitly taught a deep understanding of about 300 words each year.
Divided by the range of content students need to know (e.g., math, science, history, literature), of these 300–350 words, roughly 60 words can be taught within one subject area each year.
It is reasonable to teach thoroughly about eight to ten words per week.
-- more at K-12 Teachers: Building Comprehension in the Common Core
Explain that because relatively few vocabulary words will be taught explicitly in a year, the words need to be carefully selected.
For instance, the facilitator might say,
“Students can learn and retain a deep understanding of relatively few words in a school setting. In addition, instructional time is precious, so carefully selection of which general academic words to invest in is doubly important.”

52. Criteria for selecting words to teach
Importance of the word for understanding the text
What does the word choice bring to the meaning of the text? (E.g., precision, specificity?)
General utility of the word
Is it a word that students are likely to see often in other texts? Are there multiple meanings?
Will it be of use to students in their own writing?
Students’ prior knowledge of the word and the concept(s) to which it relates
How does the word relate to other words, ideas, or experiences that the students know or have been learning?
Are there opportunities for grouping words together to enhance understanding of a concept?
-- more at K-12 Teachers: Building Comprehension in the Common Core
Explain that these criteria can help teachers select academic words to include in explicit instruction.
For instance, the facilitator might say,
“So many words – so little time! Here are several criteria to help teachers select high-value words on which to focus instructional time.
The first consideration is the importance or centrality of the word to understanding a text under study. What does it convey that another, similar word would not? Precision? Specificity? A nuanced description?
For instance, the piece about fractals excerpted in Slide 6 has many academic words one could teach in addition to the domain-specific words. So, the teacher will want to select the general terms that are most central to this particular text. Words like structure, pattern, generate, and infinite are more important to understanding this text than are "IBM fellow" or conceived.
The second consideration is how useful this word will be to the readers or writers as they approach other texts and other contexts. Is it a word likely to appear frequently across content areas and subjects? Does it have multiple meanings, and are students likely to encounter it used differently than it is here? For instance, the word structure refers here to the arrangement of parts of physical objects in nature, but we can predict that students will encounter it as it is applied to the organization of any complex system. Students are likely to encounter the concept of structure across the curriculum -- in language and literature, biological and physical sciences, social sciences.”
The third consideration is whether the word holds the instructional promise of rich connections, both to the students’ experiences and prior knowledge and to other key concepts or groups of words. It might in this case be an opportunity to look at roots and prefixes, for instance, using students’ knowledge of construct to extend to construe, Reconstruction, obstruct, and others.”

53. Categorize vocabulary
Tier 3 words
Important to the concept under study
Unlikely to appear in texts on other subjects
Tier 2 words
Unfamiliar to most students at this level
Likely to appear in texts on other subjects
May have multiple meanings
Can be grouped with other known ideas, words for instruction
A few Tier 1 words
Familiar to most students at this level, but likely to require attention for English language learners
Invite participants to work with partners or in small groups to identify Tier 3 and Tier 2 words, as well as a few Tier 1 words that may require additional instruction for non-native speakers.
For instance, the facilitator might say,
“Let’s take a look at a the words in several of the selections from the CCSS document. Working with partners or small groups, read the last excerpt, from Innumeracy, and one or two others and select some words you would assign to the three tiers.”

54. Select Tier 2 words to teach
The word is central to understanding the text.
The word choice and nuance are significant.
Students are likely to see this word frequently.
Students will be able to use this word when writing in response to the text.
It is a more mature or precise label for concepts students already have under control.
The word lends itself to teaching a web of words and concepts around it.
Explain that most reading selections will have far too many Tier 2 words to teach in depth, so strategic planning of which words to include is critical.
For instance, the facilitator might say,
“So now let’s look at the words you identified as Tier 2 words. As you can tell by these excerpts, grade-appropriate complex text will contain more Tier 2 words than students can learn to comprehend deeply at one time. Consequently, it is critical that teachers plan strategically -- first, what texts to include, and then second, what Tier 2 words to study in depth.
That leaves the question of what to do about the words one does not teach in depth. One suggestion is to use synonyms, brief definitions, or graphics so students can move past the word relatively quickly and still comprehend the passage. For instance, knowing what the term fulcrum refers to is critical to understanding the Archimedes reference, and students familiar with the term lever may have forgotten the companion term fulcrum. However, a brief reference to it or simple graphic might be sufficient to remind students.”
Using these short versions of the criteria for selecting Tier 2 words, winnow down your lists to the few you might select to teach in depth. Remember, you are looking at excerpts of larger works the students would be reading – full of even more Tier 2 words. Additionally, consider that every content area teacher will be selecting words to teach, as well. So, you will probably need to pare down your list to just a few really critical words. ”
[Allow 5 minutes for partners to work.]

55. Why are “academic words” important?
They are critical to understanding academic texts.
They appear in all sorts of texts.
They require deliberate effort to learn, unlike Tier 1 words.
They are far more likely to appear in written texts than in speech.
They often represent subtle or precise ways to say otherwise relatively simple things.
They are seldom heavily scaffolded by authors or teachers, unlike Tier 3 words.
Common Core State Standards, Appendix A, page 33
Have participants read through the bullet points that explain why academic words are important.
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56. Choosing words Jose avoided playing the ukulele.
Which word would you choose to pre-teach?
Which word?
Ask participants what word in the sentence is explicitly taught by most teachers? Many participants may say “ukulele”. While this “tier 3” word can be quickly defined, the academic word that needs explicit instruction is “avoided”.

57. Avoided Why? Verbs are where the action is Why not ukulele?
Teach avoid, avoided, avoids,….
Likely to see it again in grade-level text
Likely to see it on assessments
We are going to start calling these useful words “Tier 2 words”
Why not ukulele?
Rarely seen in print
Rarely used in stories or conversation or content-area information
Discuss with participants the reason why “avoided” should be explicitly taught.

58. How do I determine that a word is TIER 2?
Is this a generally useful word?
Does the word relate to other words and ideas that students know or have been learning?
Is the word useful in helping students understand text?
If you answer yes to all three questions, it is a tier 2 word. If not, it is probably a tier 3 word.
This slide provides educators with a possible strategy that teachers can use to determine Tier 2 words.

59. How Many Words?
In school settings, students can be explicitly taught a deep understanding of about 300 words each year.
Divided by the range of content students need to know (e.g., math, science, history, literature), of these 300–350 words, roughly 60 words can be taught within one subject area each year.
It is reasonable to teach thoroughly about eight to ten words per week. (Chall, 1996)
Marzano, Beck as well as Chall all agree that it is reasonable to teach approximately 5-10 words per week.
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60. Explicit instruction checklist
Set a purpose for learning
Learn that in science phenomena are observable events or facts, no matter how common, while in general use, it refers only to remarkable occurrences or people.
Identify critical details that define the new concept
Science – can be perceived by the senses
General use – exceptional, outstanding, unusual, extraordinary
Use highly specific examples and non-examples
Science – combustion, gravity, respiration, light/ philosophy, sadness
General use – a genius, a record-setting athletic performance/ gravity
Connect new concepts to previously learned material
-- more at Oregon K-12 Literacy Framework
Explain that explicit instruction is one of the nine Effective Teacher Delivery Features in the Oregon K-12 Literacy Framework. Planning should include the elements listed.
Invite participants to fill in the planning checklist (included on page 3 of the Text Exemplar handout) for one of the general academic words they identified earlier.
For instance, the facilitator might say,
“The Oregon K-12 Literacy Framework also includes a section on Effective Teacher Delivery Features, one of which is explicit instruction. Advance planning includes these elements; instruction includes modeling and other systematic, explicit approaches. Let’s take a look at elements to include in advance planning for explicit instruction of academic vocabulary.
It begins by setting the purpose for learning, identifying for students what the learning objective is and why it is important. [briefly discuss example]
The critical details that define the concept being learned are identified and thoroughly addressed. [discuss example]
Highly specific examples and non-examples limit the range of interpretations students might reach. Examples of concepts are carefully selected and the number and range of examples illustrating the dimensions of a target concept (as well as closely related concepts) are carefully planned beforehand. [discuss example]
Current learning objectives are expressly connected to previously learned material. Obviously, this will be much easier if potential connections are included well in advance as units are planned, texts selected, and learning activities identified.
On the last page of the Text Exemplar handout, you will find the checklist. With a partner or two, please take a few minutes to add the elements for one of the Tier 2 words you identified." [Allow a few minutes to work. Invite participants to share some examples.]

61. Vocabulary instruction in both
Meaning of specific words
Provide student-friendly definition(s)
Read the word in text
Discuss examples and non-examples of the word
Create semantic maps
Teach multiple meanings
Link new words to words students already know
(CCSS Language Standard 5)
Word-learning strategies
By using contextual cues
By using their existing knowledge of words and word parts
(CCSS Language Standard 4)
-- more at Oregon K-12 Literacy Framework
Explain that vocabulary instruction should include both instruction on the meaning of words as well as instruction in word-learning strategies.
For instance, the facilitator might say,
“Selecting words to invest our time in is followed, of course, by the instruction itself. Vocabulary instruction should include, over time if not in every lesson, instruction both in the meaning of specific words and in word-learning strategies.
In teaching the meaning of specific words, this slide lists several powerful procedures to include during initial instruction. Many of these are included in Language Standard 5. There is, additionally, one emphasis in the standards that is not reflected in this slide: When using synonyms to teach the meaning of a word and to link it to other known words, it is important to also discuss the nuances, the ‘shades of meaning,’ that distinguish them. For instance, what is the impact of the term intractable versus another term, such as stubborn. Or vastness instead of enormity.
When we look at Language Standard 4, we see that using knowledge of affixes and roots and using context as clues to meaning continues from grade 5 all the way through the 11-CCR level, since they continue to be strategies relevant to all mature readers. The last group of words in the prior slide would provide a good opportunity to focus on prefixes conveying smallness, for example.”

62. Context Clue Steps For Teachers For Students
Identify the unknown word.
Look for the words that give hints about its meaning in the sentence.
If you need more cues, read the sentences before and after the one with the word in it.
Infer the word’s meaning based on what you found.
Then model it…. “As Tom stepped out of the tent, the moist grass soaked his shoes and he wondered if it had rained.” Say aloud…. “The grass is moist. It soaks Tom’s shoes. Tom thinks it rained. Rain makes things wet. Moist must mean…..” “Now try ‘wet’ in place of moist to see if it makes sense.”
CCSS Anchor Standard #4 address context clues. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials as appropriate.
Adapted from Vocabulary Instruction Module developed for Reading Excellence Act. Graves (2002)
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63. The SLAP Strategy ✔Say the word ✔Look for clues
✔Ask yourself what the word might mean;
think of a word that expresses that meaning
✔Put the word in the passage in place of the
unfamiliar word. Does it make sense?
This slide provides educators with one strategy that students can use to determine meanings of words in a text.
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64. Trying out the SLAP strategy
He tried to open the box with no luck. He couldn’t find the key, so he decided to use a smidget. ✔ Say the word. ✔ Look for clues. ✔ Ask your self what the meaning might be. ✔ Put word in the passage; does it make sense?
Have participants use this SLAP strategy with the provided sentence. Discuss with participants the importance of modeling this strategy multiple times for students to see before having students do the task independently.
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65. I In this presentation, we will look at a variety of strategies to teach academic vocabulary……
While there are many research-based vocabulary strategies, in this presentation the presenter chose only two research-based strategies to demonstrate to teachers. The first one is Isabel Beck, Margaret McKeown and Linda Kucan’s method from Bringing Words to Life. The second one is Robert Marzano’s and Debra Pickering’s, Building Academic Vocabulary.
Isabel Beck, Margaret Mckeown & Linda Kucan
Robert Marzano & Debra Pickering
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66. Step by Step Vocabulary Instruction For Tier 2 words
Read the story/text
Contextualize the word
Have the children say the word
Provide student friendly definition
5. Give an example in another context
The next two slides show the steps Isabel Beck gives in her book Bringing Words to Life to teach academic vocabulary.
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67. Steps continued….
6. Engage children in interacting with words.
a. Respond with actions
b. Answering questions/giving reasons
c. Identifying examples and nonexamples
7. Have students repeat the word again.
8. Review and use the new words.
(Adapted from Bringing Words to Life by Isabel Beck, Margaret McKeown, Linda Kucan, 2000)
After the presenter goes through each step, have participants get in groups based on similar grade levels. Allow each group to choose a text. (Set out a variety of picture books, newspaper articles, internet articles, textbooks, etc…)
Have each group use the steps provided and script a modeling lesson that a teacher may use in the classroom. Ask for volunteers to share with the rest of the group the lesson they constructed. Provide each group with one copy of Handout #1 so they can organize their presentation.
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68. Marzano’s Building Academic Vocabulary
Introduce participants to Robert Marzano and Debra Pickering’s Building Academic Vocabulary manual.
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69. EIGHT RESEARCH-BASED CHARACTERISTICS
OF EFFECTIVE VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION
Effective vocabulary instruction does not rely on definitions.
Students must represent their knowledge of words in linguistic and nonlinguistic ways.
Effective vocabulary instruction involves the gradual shaping of word meanings through multiple exposures.
Teaching word parts enhances students’ understanding of terms.
Different types of words require different types of instruction.
Students should discuss the terms they are learning.
Students should play with words.
Instruction should focus on terms that have a high probability of enhancing academic success.
(Adapted from Building Academic Vocabulary by Robert Marzano and Debra Pickering, 2005)
This slide reveals the eight findings from the years of vocabulary research. Robert Marzano and Debra Pickering took the eight findings and developed a six step process for teaching academic vocabulary.

70. A Six-Step Process for Teaching New Terms
Step 1: Provide a description, explanation, or example of the new term.
Step 2: Ask students to restate the description, explanation, or example in their own words
Step 3: Ask students to construct a picture, symbol, or graphic representing the term or phrase
Pass out handout #1. Read through each of the six steps on the next two slides as participants follow along. This handout provides additional information on the six steps as well as a graphic organizer sample.
Adapted from Building Academic Vocabulary by Robert Marzano and Debra Pickering, 2005

71. A Six-Step Process for Teaching New Terms
Step 4: Engage students periodically in activities that help them add to their knowledge of the terms in their notebooks
Step 5: Periodically ask students to discuss the terms with one another
Step 6: Involve students periodically in games that allow them to play with terms
Adapted from Building Academic Vocabulary by Robert Marzano and Debra Pickering, 2005

72. Students use a Graphic Organizer to Record The Information
This is a sample graphic organizer from the book Building Academic Vocabulary. This graphic organizer is a good model for one that a classroom teacher could use. Teachers can use any graphic organizer, but it is important to incorporate the six steps in the process.
Adapted from Building Academic Vocabulary by Robert Marzano and Debra Pickering, 2005

73. Implications for Instruction
Teach fewer words
Focus on important Tier 2 (high utility, cross-domain words) to know & remember
Simply provide Tier 3 (domain-specific, technical) words with definition

74. Next Steps… Planning
Participants will then have time to plan as individual ROEs or collaboratively.
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75. Training Considerations
Grade level groupings
Appropriate tasks
Timing of Trainings
Educator experience in the new standards (Content and Practice)

76. Planning for Training
Take some time to plan the structure of the training for your area.
How will participants be grouped? (Grade bands? Courses?)
How will time frames be organized?

77. Generating Questions
How will I facilitate conversations around the scope and sequences?
How will I facilitate conversations around the Unit Maps?
How will I facilitate conversations around Assessment and Lesson resources?
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79. Peoria Regional Office of Education
Thank You
Peoria Regional Office of Education
Cindy Dollman, Assistant Reg. Supt.
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