Curriculum Shifts in Reading and

WritingWhetstone Elementary School

Literacy NightOctober 2013

Balancing Informational and Literary Text

• Students read a true balance of informational and literary text.• Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts• Strive for 50% informational and 50% literary texts

Knowledge in the Content Areas

• Students build knowledge about the world through reading text rather than the teacher or activities• Students gather information from many sources • Students evaluate the credibility and accuracy of sources• Use investigation of a topic to build knowledge

Staircase of Complexity

• Students read the central, grade appropriate text around which instruction is centered. Teachers create more time and space and support in the curriculum for close reading.• Practice with complex text on a regular basis to build student

capacity to comprehend challenging text independently and proficiently

• Analyze the structure of the text• Navigate the “tricky” parts of the text

Discuss Reading Using EvidenceText Based Answers

• Students engage in rich and rigorous evidence based conversations about text• Ask and answer questions that can only be accessed by reading

the text• Teach students to become experts in citing evidence from the text• Include formal presentations and informal discussions• Evaluate the authors’ use of evidence

Writing From Sources

• Writing emphasizes use of evidence from sources to inform or make an argument• Teach how to respond to ideas, events, facts and arguments

presented in text• Include opportunities to analyze two or more texts• Provide opportunities for students to write routinely over time

Academic Vocabulary

• Students constantly build the transferable vocabulary they need to access grade level complex texts. • Teach meaning of words and how they are used in various

contexts to increase students’ ability to comprehend complex text• Expose students to rich and varied vocabulary to increase their

knowledge base• Provide opportunities for students to use new vocabulary in small

group discussions

Questions or Comments?