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The Times and the Common Core Standards: Reading Strategies for 'Informational Text'

The Times and the Common Core Standards: Reading Strategies for 'Informational Text'
Update | Sept. 2012: We’ll be exploring the new Common Core State Standards, and how teaching with The Times can address them, through a series of blog posts. You can find them all here, in the lesson plan category “Common Core.” Forty-four states and United States territories have adopted the Common Core Standards and, according to this recent Times article, one major change teachers can expect to see is more emphasis on reading “informational,” or nonfiction, texts across subject areas: While English classes will still include healthy amounts of fiction, the standards say that students should be reading more nonfiction texts as they get older, to prepare them for the kinds of material they will read in college and careers. In the fourth grade, students should be reading about the same amount from “literary” and “informational” texts, according to the standards; in the eighth grade, 45 percent should be literary and 55 percent informational, and by 12th grade, the split should be 30/70.

Informational Texts vs. Fiction Ratios in the Opening Ceremony of London’s 2012 Olympics | Used Books in Class Mary Poppins to the rescue:Photo from A Guide to the London 2012 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremoniestheblaze.com The London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony was broadcast at 9pm on 27 July 2012 (EST). As a platoon of Mary Poppins clones decended clutching their iconic umbrellas to vanquish the Lord Voldemort mid-ceremony, I was suddenly struck by an idea. How would the Common Core English Language Arts Standards view this production? The extravanganza developed by world-class directors Danny Boyle, Bradley Hemmings and Jenny Sealey and their teams was an eclectic mix of information and fiction that “celebrated contributions the UK has made to the world through innovation and revolution.” What grade, however, would the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) give London’s Olympic Games Opening Ceremonies? Recommended ratios of informational texts to fiction by grade level. A quick tally of the highlights as they appeared as either fiction or informational text: Like this: Like Loading...

History/Social Studies | Grade 11-12 Key Ideas and Details: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.1Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.2Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.3Evaluate various explanations for actions or events and determine which explanation best accords with textual evidence, acknowledging where the text leaves matters uncertain. Craft and Structure: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.4Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including analyzing how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10). Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity:

Kelly Gallagher – Resources Part of the reason my students have such a hard time reading is because they bring little prior knowledge and background to the written page. They can decode the words, but the words remain meaningless without a foundation of knowledge. To help build my students’ prior knowledge, I assign them an "Article of the Week" every Monday morning. By the end of the school year I want them to have read 35 to 40 articles about what is going on in the world. Below you will find the articles I assigned* this year (2013-2014) to my students. "How Earth Got Its Tectonic Plates/On Saturn's Moon Titan, Scientists Catch Waves in Methane Lakes" by Monte Morin for the Los Angeles Times and by Amina Kahn for the Los Angeles Times, respectively "Hard Evidence: Are We Beating Cancer?" Looking for previous year's Article of the Week assignments?

New Feature: Test Yourself, Critical Thinking For a couple of years now, we’ve asked students to “test themselves” with daily math and English-language questions. We’re excited to announce that starting next month, we’ll be adding a weekly critical thinking question to the mix as well. This week we’ll be testing the idea by publishing one a day, so let us know what you think. First, though, what do we mean by “critical thinking”? All these are, of course, habits of mind for proficient readers, and each is also emphasized by the common core standards for informational text. We hope you’ve noticed that we try to encourage critical thinking on the blog in all kinds of ways every day, through lesson plans, our 6 Q’s About the News feature, Student Opinion questions, Reading Club and more. Our writer for these new questions will be Jessica Lahey, a middle-school teacher who also contributes to The Times’s Motherlode blog and writes about education and parenting on her own blog, Coming of Age in the Middle. Now, on to our first question …

AASL CCSS Crosswalk Skip to main content ALA User Menu Search form A Division of the American Library Association You are at: ALA.org » AASL » Learning Standards & Program Guidelines » Learning Standards & Common Core State Standards Crosswalk Share this page: Share on Facebook Share on Google+ Share on Pinterest Print Learning Standards & Common Core State Standards Crosswalk The following pages include tables that help school librarians learn how the AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner and the Common Core State Standards align. English Language Arts Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, & Technical Subjects Mathematics Lessons submitted as part of the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner Lesson Plan Database contain an automatic crosswalk between AASL learning standards and the Common Core State Standards. © 1996–2015 American Library Association

Need Content? Just Google It! « Common Core I teach in a school that typifies skills-based education. We practice project based learning, utilize the latest technology, and hold to a mission of helping our students acquire “21st century skills.” We work diligently to replace traditional classroom norms with those of corporate culture so that our students will someday thrive in an increasingly competitive global marketplace — a new world demanding innovation, collaboration, and critical thinking. Unfortunately, bowing to the norms of 21st century business interests leaves little room anything else. So, how does my school help build the much-hyped 21st century skills? So, what is the role of content in a 21st century classroom? Apart from being grafted onto “real world” products, content is rarely discussed in the classroom. Emma Bryant

Reading Common Core State Standards Reading Bookmark Common Core Reading Standards- Informational Text K-5 Bookmark Common Core Reading Standards- Literature K-5 Bookmark Common Core Reading Standards-Foundational Skills K-5 Bookmark Common Core Reading Standards - Speaking and Listening Bookmark Common Core Reading Standards- Language Standards K-5 CC K-5 Read Aloud SR GR IR CC Narrative Flipbook K-5 CC Narrative Flipbook 6-12 Support Materials for CCSS in Reading Reading to the Core - Web resource to support Close and Critical Reading using the strategy Guided Highlighted Reading as a scaffold Literacy Leaders - Text Structure Web Resource Text Structure Map - Student Workmap for applying 5 text structure frames Text Structure Chart with Paragraph Frames Paths for Literacy - Close and Critical Reading Common Core Text Exemplars and Close and Critical Reading Below are Close and Critical Reading teaching units that use the exemplary text from the Common Core Appendix B.

Science & Technical Subjects | Grade 11-12 Key Ideas and Details: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.1Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to important distinctions the author makes and to any gaps or inconsistencies in the account. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.2Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; summarize complex concepts, processes, or information presented in a text by paraphrasing them in simpler but still accurate terms. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.3Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks; analyze the specific results based on explanations in the text. Craft and Structure: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.4Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 11-12 texts and topics. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity:

Common Core. ORG Building on the best of existing state standards, the Common Core State Standards provide clear and consistent learning goals to help prepare students for college, career, and life. The standards clearly demonstrate what students are expected to learn at each grade level, so that every parent and teacher can understand and support their learning. The standards are: Research and evidence basedClear, understandable, and consistentAligned with college and career expectationsBased on rigorous content and the application of knowledge through higher-order thinking skillsBuilt upon the strengths and lessons of current state standardsInformed by other top-performing countries to prepare all students for success in our global economy and society According to the best available evidence, the mastery of each standard is essential for success in college, career, and life in today’s global economy. For grades K-8, grade-by-grade standards exist in English language arts/literacy and mathematics.

Common Core Online Network Team Institute Materials: May 13-16, 2013: ELA 9-12 Professional Development Skip to main content Search form Network Team Institute Materials: May 13-16, 2013: ELA 9-12 Professional Development You are here Home » Network Team Institute Materials: May 13-16, 2013: ELA 9-12 Professional Development You may also be interested in these resources Network Team Institute Materials: May 13-16, 2013 Latest Updates Research Redesign Session 1 Research to Build & Present Knowledge The purpose of this session is to introduce a CCSS-aligned research unit and inquiry process, and teach participants how to initiate inquiry. Download Session 1 Research to Build & Present Knowledge Session 2 Teaching Productive Inquiry The purpose of this session is to teach participants how to teach students to conduct productive CCSS-aligned inquiry through assessing sources and revising inquiry questions. Download Session 2 Teaching Productive Inquiry Session 3 Working with Sources Download Session 3 Working with Sources Session 4 Implementing Classroom Research Forming Evidence-Based Claims Created on: Tags:

Common Core State Standards is a real-world approach to learning and teaching. Developed by education experts from 45 states, these K-12 learning standards go deeper into key concepts in math and English language arts. The standards require a practical, real-life application of knowledge that prepares Washington students for success in college, work and life. Common Core provides: Consistent learning expectations for all students.Clear standards that focus on understanding over memorization.Emphasis on the critical topics students need to succeed after high school.Faster testing results with a better, more focused online assessment system. By 2014-15 these standards will be fully implemented and student achievement will be measured by a new assessment system. Get all the materials from past webinars and sign up for upcoming sessions. Washington joined the initiative in 2009 and adopted the standards in July 2011. The transition to Common Core is the collaborative effort of dozens of organizations.

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