ELA Best Practice #1: READING

Pre-reading activities that focus studentson the big ideas of the text:

Examples:

1. Provide a list of statements and ask students to agree or disagree; then, adjust after reading

2. THIEVVES: Overview the title, heading, introductory paragraph, every first sentence of each paragraph, key vocabulary, visuals, end-of-chapter questions, summary

3. Generate a word bank on the topic before reading

4. Consider the genre: How do we expect the text to be organized?

ELA Best Practice #2: READINGMId-reading activities that clarify:

Examples:

1. GPS: Where are we? Who is there? What are tensions?

2. Annotate: K (I already know this); N (New); ? (Don’t understand) ! (Am surprised) R (I notice repetition)

3. Rx Reread: Cultivate the habit of repairing lapses in comprehension

4. Assessing Tone (see handout)

ELA Best Practice #3: READING

Post-reading activities that consolidate, clarify, and connect:

Examples:

1. Socratic seminars: Teachers ask questions that explore ideas in text and require reasoning, justification, evidence, connections

2. Literature circles: Small, peer-led discussion groups promotingdialogue about literature; may be tightly or loosely structured

3. Title-making: Using important words from the text, students decide on appropriate titles and subtitles for the text

4. Test creation: Students create test questions of various types and for various purposes

ELA Best Practice #4: READINGProgram Design that fosters reading for various purposes

Examples:

1. Balance between whole class assigned reading and books of choice

2. Guided practice in the “four gears” of reading: Gear 1: SkimGear 2: ScanGear 3: ReadGear 4: Study

3. Variety of genres: fiction, literary non-fiction, informational, poetry, drama, journalism, persuasive essays, etc.

ASSESSING TONE: 30 Second Skim

Serious, formal, somber, warning

Comical, informal, silly, whimsical, frivolous

Exciting, action-packed, fast-paced

Soothing, tranquil, slow-paced

How did you know? (situation, audience, purpose)

ELA Best Practice #1: WRITING

Pre-writing activities that generate ideas, create organizational plan, focus the writer toward audience and purpose:

Examples:

1. Semantic maps (see Visual Thesaurus)

2. Formality Dial

3. Outlining

ELA Best Practice #2: WRITING

Opportunities and structures for students to monitor progress,identify strengths and weakness, improve performance

Examples:

1. “Where do I need help?” chart

2. Sentence Frames

3. Rubrics

4. Proofreading Guide

Where do I need help?

Answeringthe question

Organizing myideas

Writing the ConclusionVocabulary Development

Spelling

Getting Started;

Writing the introduction

Capitalizing

Using punctuationWriting neatly andclearly

Sentence Frames for ArgumentationUse this frame to establish common ground on a controversial issue:

When it comes to the topic of ______________________, most of us

would agree that ____________________________. Where this

agreement ends, however, is on the question of _____________________.

Whereas some are convinced that _______________________________.

others maintain that___________________________________________.

My own view is that____________________________________________.

Sentence Frames for Argumentation

Use these frames as you acknowledge that the opposing side has a certain degree to validity:

While at one time it may have been true that__________________,

we can now state that____________________________________.

___________________ makes sense when he/she/they say________

________________, but _____________________________________.

Despite the validity of ______________________’s claim about ____________,

he/she/they miss the mark when it comes to________________________

because___________________________________________________.

When I proofread my pre-final draft, I needto look carefully at these things, which mightbe problems:1. _______________________2. _______________________3. _______________________

_____________’s Proofreading List

ELA Best Practice #3: WRITING

Opportunities to emulate models of good writing

Examples:

1. Use a model sentence as a template: “Find a sentence that you like. Write a similar one.”

2. Consider text for style as well as content; give students the language for describing sentence parts, tone, figurative language

ELA Best Practice #4: WRITING

Developing the mental habit of thinking about the reader’s needs:

Examples:

1. Picture your audience. What are their expectations? What would give you credibility in their eyes?

2. Write same message in different style for a variety of audiences.

ELA Best Practice #5: WRITING

Program Design that fosters writing for various purposes , to various audiences, and under various conditions

Examples:

1. Balance between processed and on-demand writing

2. Balance between student-selected and teacher-assigned topics

3. Class blogs and other authentic experiences for written communication

4. Quick writes, free writes, :”focused” free writes

ELA Best Practice #1: VOCABULARY

Incidental instruction that exposes students to new words

Examples:

1. Rich reading experiences

2. Teacher talk with elevated, scaffolded vocabulary

3. Exposure to eloquent public speakers

ELA Best Practice #2: VOCABULARY

Explicit instruction for useful words encountered in generalacademic discourse:

Examples:

1. Purposeful repetition

2. Depth of processing

3. Revisiting of previously learned words

Complete sentence of at least ____words: Must contain an action verb and a visual image.

Target Word:

Visual:Draw or find a picture:

My guess: Glossary Definition:

Vocabulary Chart:

Definition in my own words:

ELA Best Practice #3: VOCABULARY

Explicit instruction on literary words encountered in poetry andfiction: Examples:

1. Don’t expect context to provide full meaning

2. Focus on words that bear key meaning s to the literature

3. Focus on words likely to be encountered again

4. Connect words to characterization

ELA Best Practice #4: VOCABULARYProgram Design that fosters an interest in words and an understanding of the development of the English language

Examples:

1. Analysis: Latin and Greek components

2. Morphology

3. Connections to other languages (esp. Spanish)

4. Words with interesting stories: boycott, nostalgia, sardonic; Other connections: sarcastic-caustic

5. Arrays of degree of a given concept

Morphology ChartNOUNS:They will fit into this frame: The_____.

VERBS:They will fit into this frame: To____ orCan____orIs____

ADJECTIVES:They will fit into this frame:

The ________truck

ADVERBS:They will fit into this frame:

Do it ___________.

Noun-Making Suffixes

Verb-Making Suffixes Adjective-making suffixes

-ment-ness-ation, sion-ity-ism-hood-itude-ence-ance-ide

-ate-ify-ize

-acious,icious-y-ous, ious-ant-able, ible-er; est

Morphology Kit

Adverb-making suffix:

-ly

5

This “Morphology Kit”is a great way toexpand vocabularybecause mostof the wordscreated bythese suffixesexpress abstractideas.

How can students benefit from a vocabulary list?

Classify Build Analyze Morph Synthesize

Studentsthink of waysin which thewords ontheir lists canbe classified(sorted,arranged,organized)

Studentsbuild wordsinto phrases;

phrases intosimplesentences;

simple sentencesinto complexsentences

Students breakwords downinto prefixes,roots, suffixes

(Word Study)

Studentsmanipulate thewords intodifferent partsof speech byadding endings

Students usetheir words togenerate ideasfor a writingpiece:

Purposes:

To inform,To entertain,To persuade,To socialize

Words with High Leverage Value:

INTERMITTENT

REFLECT

SUBTRACT

COMPLIANCE

CORRESPONDENT

PROPELLER

TRANSPORTATION

DESTRUCTIVE

PERSPECTIVE

intermittenttransmitadmitcommitremitsubmitmissiveadmissiblesubmissivecommissionmissionpermission

ELA Best Practice #1: GRAMMARPlace grammar instruction in the heart of the writing process, not as an “add-on.”

(see chart)

GRAMMAR IN THE HEART OF THE WRITING PROCESS:

Pre-writingexperience:(non-sentenceform)

Drafting Revising Editing Publication

Sharpen your nounsMinimize your modifiersReplace BE verbs and weak verbs with strong action verbsAchieve parallel structureCombine sentences: create complex sentences use appositives use absolutesExpand and shrink noun phrases. Turn clausesinto modifying phrases. Decide where to place modifiers for desired effect.

Point of

intervention for

substantial language

improvement

Point of intervention for surfaceerror correction

ELA Best Practice #2: GRAMMAR

Analyze and emulate the strengths found in student writing and literature.

Example:

Notice what you like; find out what the structures that you likeare called; apply these structures to your own language

(Notice, Name, Apply)

ELA Best Practice #3: GRAMMAR

Teach students to hear and see the patterns of Standard English.

Examples:

1. “I don’t have any….” chant

2. A was an apple pie. B bit it; C clawed it; D dropped it; E engulfed it; F found it; G gnawed it…

ELA Best Practice #4: GRAMMAR

Program Design that uses authentic language (rather than worksheets); that respects language variation; that understandslanguage change; that connects language to characterization;that develops “the language of the language”

Seeing Grammar With New Eyes

VisualsManipulativesRole-PlayProblem-solvingWordplayInquiryRespect for Language Change and VariationInductive Reasoning

High Level of Student Engagement

Grammar is a system of making sentences out of parts.

The parts have to match (agree): Number (singular or plural) Gender (masculine, feminine, neutral) Case (subjective, objective, possessive) Tense (past, present, future; progressive perfect)

The two main parts of language are nouns and verbs.Everything else either modifies nouns or verbs or joins words,phrases, and clauses.

ELA Best Practice #1: SPEECHProgram Design that fosters speaking for various purposes , to various audiencesExamples:1. Literature circles2. Exhibitions explained by individuals, partners, or groups3. Choral reading4. Improvisation5. Formal presentations6. Recitations of memorized literature7. Role-play8. Debates, panel discussions9. Students in the role of teacher