Capacities of Literate Individuals

Literacy

August 19, 2011Cecil County Public Schools

Outcome for Activity 1

Participants will explore the concept of literacy as defined by the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (ELA) & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects.

ELA Educator Effectiveness Academy, Summer 2011 © Maryland State Department of Education

Word Map

What is it not? What is it? What is it like?

What are not examples? What are examples?

The Word

LiterateLiterate

ELA Educator Effectiveness Academy, Summer 2011 © Maryland State Department of Education

1988, E.D. Hirsch“The chief function of literacy is to make us masters of the standard

instrument of knowledge and communication, Standard Written English, thereby enabling us to read and write.”

1991, Judith LangerLiteracy can be understood as “the ability to think and reason like a

literate person, within a particular society.”

2005, Gayle Gregory and Lin KuzmichLiteracy has “four competencies”: functional literacy, content

literacy, technical literacy, innovative literacy.

Thoughts on Literacy

ELA Educator Effectiveness Academy, Summer 2011 © Maryland State Department of Education

PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) Literacy is “the ability to understand and use those written language

forms required by society and/or valued by the individual.”

PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) Literacy is “the ability to understand, reflect on, and use written

texts in order to achieve one’s goals and participate effectively in society.”

from IRA’s PISA/PIRLS Task Force, 2005

ELA Educator Effectiveness Academy, Summer 2011 © Maryland State Department of Education

Thoughts on Literacy

Reading for Understanding: Toward an R&D Program in Reading Comprehension (RAND Reading Study Group 2002)

“Reading comprehension [is] the process of simultaneously extracting and constructing meaning through interaction and involvement with written language. It consists of three elements: the reader, the text, and the activity or purpose for reading.” (p. 11)

Thoughts on Literacy

ELA Educator Effectiveness Academy, Summer 2011 © Maryland State Department of Education

Technology is redefining the nature of reading, writing,

and communication and creating “new literacies” that require new social practices, skills, and strategies have become central to full civic, economic, and personal

participation change rapidly as technology changes are multiple, multimodal, and multifaceted

International Reading Association

from IRA’s 2009 Advocacy Manual

ELA Educator Effectiveness Academy, Summer 2011 © Maryland State Department of Education

Develop proficiency with the tools of technology Build relationships with others to pose and solve problems

collaboratively and cross-culturally Design and share information for global communities to meet a

variety of purposes Manage, analyze and synthesize multiple streams of

simultaneous information Create, critique, analyze, and evaluate multi-media texts Attend to the ethical responsibilities required by these complex

environments

Adopted by the NCTE Executive Committee, February 15, 2008

ELA Educator Effectiveness Academy, Summer 2011 © Maryland State Department of Education

NCTE Definition of 21st Century Literacies

Why Text Complexity Matters

Lexile ScoreLexile Score Grade Equivalent Grade Equivalent RangeRange

CD-DVD InstructionsCD-DVD Instructions 10801080 8 - 128 - 12

USA TodayUSA Today 11001100 8 - 128 - 12

College TextbooksCollege Textbooks 12151215 12 +12 +

Baltimore Sun Baltimore Sun 12501250 12 +12 +

W4 FormsW4 Forms 12601260 12 +12 +

Applications for Student LoansApplications for Student Loans 12701270 12 +12 +

Washington Post Washington Post 13501350 12 +12 +

*Scores listed are averages (*Scores listed are averages (RememberRemember: Lexile score is only one element : Lexile score is only one element of text complexity, but this chart provides a snapshot of the increase in of text complexity, but this chart provides a snapshot of the increase in text complexity society has seen over the past 50 years.)text complexity society has seen over the past 50 years.)

Lexile ScoreLexile Score Grade Equivalent Grade Equivalent RangeRange

CD-DVD InstructionsCD-DVD Instructions 10801080 8 - 128 - 12

USA TodayUSA Today 11001100 8 - 128 - 12

College TextbooksCollege Textbooks 12151215 12 +12 +

Baltimore Sun Baltimore Sun 12501250 12 +12 +

W4 FormsW4 Forms 12601260 12 +12 +

Applications for Student LoansApplications for Student Loans 12701270 12 +12 +

Washington Post Washington Post 13501350 12 +12 +

*Scores listed are averages (*Scores listed are averages (RememberRemember: Lexile score is only one element : Lexile score is only one element of text complexity, but this chart provides a snapshot of the increase in of text complexity, but this chart provides a snapshot of the increase in text complexity society has seen over the past 50 years.)text complexity society has seen over the past 50 years.)ELA

Hmmm…. What do I think?

1. Review your group’s definition of the word “literate” in light of our discussion. Is there anything you would like to add, delete, or emphasize?

2. Refine and repost your group’s definition of “literate.”

ELA Educator Effectiveness Academy, Summer 2011 © Maryland State Department of Education

Common Core State Standards (CCSS)1. They demonstrate independence.

2. They build strong content knowledge.

3. They respond to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose, and discipline.

4. They comprehend as well as critique.

5. They value evidence.

6. They use technology and digital media strategically and capably.

7. They come to understand other perspectives and cultures.

Common Core State Standards for ELA & Literacy, Spring 2010

ELA Educator Effectiveness Academy, Summer 2011 © Maryland State Department of Education

Capacities of Literate Individuals

CCSS for Literacy in History/Social Studies,Science, and Technical Subjects

ELA Educator Effectiveness Academy Summer 2011 © Maryland State Department of Education

Literacy crosses all content areas.Cross-disciplinary literacy (6-12)

Reading Writing

History/SS ScienceTechnical Subjects

History/SS ScienceTechnical Subjects

What’s the Big Idea?

At your table, come to consensus on the most important idea about literacy that you have gained from this activity.

Unit Organizer

Effective Instructional Practices – Literacy

Implications for Instruction

Work in small groups to review capacities of the literate learner

Sort: match the capacities with the definitions

Capacities for Literacy

Definitions

Students Who are College and Career Ready

in Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, and Language

The descriptions that follow are not standards themselves but instead offer a portrait of students who meet the standards set out in this document. As students advance through the grades and master the standards in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language, they are able to exhibit with increasing fullness and regularity these capacities of the literate individual.

They demonstrate independence. Students can, without significant scaffolding, comprehend and evaluate complex texts across a range of types and disciplines, and they can construct effective arguments and convey intricate or multifaceted information. Likewise, students are able independently to discern a speaker’s key points, request clarification, and ask relevant questions. They build on others’ ideas, articulate their own ideas, and confirm they have been understood. Without prompting, they demonstrate command of standard English and acquire and use a wide-ranging vocabulary. More broadly, they become self-directed learners, effectively seeking out and using resources to assist them, including teachers, peers, and print and digital reference materials. They build strong content knowledge. Students establish a base of knowledge across a wide range of subject matter by engaging with works of quality and substance. They become proficient in new areas through research and study. They read purposefully and listen attentively to gain both general knowledge and discipline-specific expertise. They refine and share their knowledge through writing and speaking. They respond to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose, and discipline. Students adapt their communication in relation to audience, task, purpose, and discipline. They set and adjust purpose for reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language use as warranted by the task. They appreciate nuances, such as how the composition of an audience should affect tone when speaking and how the connotations of words affect meaning. They also know that different disciplines call for different types of evidence (e.g., documentary evidence in history, experimental evidence in science).

They comprehend as well as critique. Students are engaged and open-minded—but discerning—readers and listeners. They work diligently to understand precisely what an author or speaker is saying, but they also question an author’s or speaker’s assumptions and premises and assess the veracity of claims and the soundness of reasoning. They value evidence. Students cite specific evidence when offering an oral or written interpretation of a text. They use relevant evidence when supporting their own points in writing and speaking, making their reasoning clear to the reader or listener, and they constructively evaluate others’ use of evidence. They use technology and digital media strategically and capably. Students employ technology thoughtfully to enhance their reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language use. They tailor their searches online to acquire useful information efficiently, and they integrate what they learn using technology with what they learn offline. They are familiar with the strengths and limitations of various technological tools and mediums and can select and use those best suited to their communication goals. They come to understand other perspectives and cultures. Students appreciate that the twenty-first-century classroom and workplace are settings in which people from often widely divergent cultures and who represent diverse experiences and perspectives must learn and work together. Students actively seek to understand other perspectives and cultures through reading and listening, and they are able to communicate effectively with people of varied backgrounds. They evaluate other points of view critically and constructively. Through reading great classic and contemporary works of literature representative of a variety of periods, cultures, and worldviews, students can vicariously inhabit worlds and have experiences much different than their own.

Gallery Walk

Consider/discuss for each capacity:

What are we doing now?

Best Practices: What should this capacity look like instructionally?

KUDo

Know..Understand...Be Able to Do?

Teacher: _________________ Grade:_____ Subject: _____________________

Know Understand Do Timeline for implementation Key terms: College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards, Trans-disciplinary, Performance Tasks, Framework (mdk12.org) Structure: Strand Cluster Anchor Standard grade level or grade-band standard The three types of Writing (Opinion/Argument, Informational/Expository, Narrative – used only in English Language Arts - ELA) That writing will be a focus this year and will be one of the first steps in implementation That text complexity is a key idea that involves qualitative measures, quantitative measures, and matching reader and task (not just lexile) The Capacities of a Literate Individual That the Framework clarifies how the CCSS will be implemented in Maryland; the Framework is directly aligned with the CCSS Reading and Writing Clusters are identical for ELA and History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Studies

That the CCSS are part of Maryland’s Race to the Top (RTTT) grant That CCSS and RTTT have instructional implications for literacy across content areas That there are connections between ELA, Math and STEM (capacities of Literate Individuals -> Standards for Mathematical Practices -> Standards for STEM practices)

That rigor and text complexity are essential components of literacy instruction That reading and writing will be increasingly integrated across content areas.

Identify and discuss current instructional practices and strategies to see if they support developing the capacities of literacy. Discuss and implement other best instructional practices not currently being used. Be able to read and understand the CCSS document and MD Framework document Put an increased emphasis on reading and writing across content areas Begin identifying texts and resources that increase the complexity of reading across grade levels and contents Experiment with opinion/argumentative writing Continue to ask students to explain “why” and offer opinions in their responses Communicate across grade levels and across disciplines relative to expectations Experiment with integrating the CCSS into what we already have/do

Focus Concept: Introduction to Literacy and the Common Core State Standards (CCSS)

By the end of the 2011-2012 school year, teachers should …

Time for Personal Reflection

Think about your own instructional practices, strategies, techniques…..

What will you continue?

What will you start/experiment with (a best practice)?

What will you stop (not a best practice)?