ENGAGINGTHE CORE

Presented by

Ken Newsom Title I Supervisor Richland Parish

A report from one district’s approach to

Common Core implementation

Planning for Change

As we began planning for the transition to Common Core, we considered our district needs:

1. Alignment of curriculum and instruction

2. Rigor in classroom instruction3. Consistency in district curricula 4. Feasibility in access and cost

First Steps…

We selected Engage New York as a recommended resource because:

1. Common Core aligned2. K-12 math and ELA curricula3. Free and available online4. Developed by

commoncore.org

Curriculum models include:1. year-long scope and

sequence documents2. module overview

documents3. performance tasks4. lesson plans5. lesson plan supporting

materials

EngageNY math

Some of the features we really like…

EngageNY math

provides Curriculum Maps for grade clusters K-5 6-8 9-12

K-5 curriculum map

6-8 curriculum map

9-12 curriculum map

K-5 Instructional Minutes

Foundational Standards

Terminology

Lesson format

The arrangement of lessons

in

EngageNewYork Math

K-5 lessons feature:

1. Fluency practice2. Concept development 3. Application problems 4. Student debrief

* lesson objective review* exit ticket

60 minutes in

length

Fluency Practice primarily two types:Sprints:

fast-paced activitiesdesigned to develop fluencyfun, adrenaline-rich activities reinforce foundational learning

RDW activity:readdraw and labelwrite a number sentencewrite a word sentence

Concept Development

consists of multiple practice problemsteacher prompts guide students

Problem Setstudents apply conceptsRDW approach to solve problems

Application Problems

problems give students the opportunity to apply new concepts

students are encouraged to share work and compare approaches

Student Debriefintended to invite reflection and active

processing of the total lesson experience

generally a review of student solutions to the problem set

teacher questions lead the discussion

Exit ticket allows assessment of student understanding

Grade 6-10 lessons feature:

Classwork examples (concept development) exercises (problem set)Closing lesson summary

exit ticket 45 minute lessons

Tri-State Math Rubric

evaluates lesson quality via four components:

alignment to the rigor of the CCSSkey areas of focus in the CCSSinstructional supportsassessment

Tri-State math rubric

Tri-State math rubric

EngageNY ELA Like math, the ELA

curriculum is arrangedinto three grade clusters

K-2 3-5 6-12

EngageNY ELA K-2 curriculum made up of three components:Listening and Learning strand – teaches listening

comprehension and vocabularySkills strand– teaches reading and writingGuided Reading – additional DI literacy time

Grades 3-12 curricula include:Six modules that focus on reading, writing, listening, and speaking in response to high-quality texts

EngageNY ELA

Some of the features we really like…

Thematic Units

Both EngageNY and the Louisiana ELA Scope and Sequence present thematic units constructed around a central text and supported by multiple related texts that share the common theme.

These literary works are thematically

grouped in order to engage students in a variety of rigorous writing opportunities

Curriculum Plans

Curriculum Maps

Recommended Texts

K-2 Curricula

Daily, 60 minute lessonsReading anthologies providedCore vocabulary lists for each lessonThree types of comprehension questions- Literal – text dependent- Inferential – think critically - Evaluative – making judgments Student performance task assessmentsAbove and BeyondSupplemental Guide

Grades 3-12 Lesson Format

60 minute lessons

1. OpeningA. Quick WriteB. Unpacking Learning Targets

2. Work Time3. Closing and Assessment

A. ReviewB. Exit Ticket

4. Homework

Developing Core Proficiencies Program

Integrated literacy units for grades 6-12

The units model instruction and provide necessary materials

The units are composed of four (or more) three-week stand-alone units

1. Reading Closely for Textual Details2. Making Evidence-based Claims3. Researching to Deepen Understanding4. Building Evidence-based Arguments

Some sound practices we’ve adopted/adapted from

EngageNewYork

ELA

Close Reading

Cold readsTeacher read alouds Reading for the 5WHReading for unfamiliar vocabularyReading for gistingReading to gather textual

evidence

Text-based Writing in ELA

Students have regular opportunities to use evidence gathered through close reading activities to produce text-based responses to rigorous writing prompts

Performance Task Assessments

These assessments give students the chance to apply their knowledge and demonstrate their deep understanding of a unit’s theme through writing

Expanding

the EngageNY ELA strategies

beyond the ELA classroom

Text-based Writing in science and social studies

In WFSGs, ELA teachers are training other core- subject teachers to utilize close–reading and text-based writing activities to improve reading comprehension and writing skills

Using Rubrics to Score Text-based Writing

ELA teachers work together using a rubric to practice scoring text-based writing consistently

ELA teachers bring samples of their students’ text-based writing to WFSG meetings to work with other teachers in using a rubric to practice scoring text-based writing consistently

Teachers begin using the rubric to evaluate text-based writing in their own courses.

All teachers continue to bring text-based writing samples to WFSGs to practice consistent scoring

Text-Based Writing Rubric

What teachers like…

“The way it breaks down the writing assignments is SO nice. I'm actually a pretty decent writing teacher because of EngageNY.”

“Students enjoy working in groups to peer teach and share!! EngageNY teaches by repetition. Students learn steps to solve problems. The RDW approach is very productive in math.”

“It is very rigorous. I am not sure the LEAP will go that deep. Lol.”

more likes…

“My students are becoming better at citing evidence in their constructed response answers. The activities are rigorous and really allow the students to “dig deep” in order to gain a better understanding of the reading material.”

“I have seen improvement in vocabulary skills and retention of information because of the close-read worksheets that accompany each story. Their skills in finding the answers to the text-related questions are also improving.”

“I have seen great improvement in my weaker students' writing ability because how they have them write is so straight forward. No room for fluff, just quotes and explanations.”

And another…

“Math - didn't like it at first because we jumped right into some stuff that they really didn't get, BUT after I figured out where we were going, I really like it. The kids are thinking and figuring out different ways to solve problems. They don't always get those application word problems correct, but they get some of it. That's saying a lot for 6 year olds who didn't do this last year!”

What teachers don’t like…

“The articles we have to print are sometimes five pages. This means five pages for each student. That's a lot of time at the copy machine.”

“It's almost too rigorous. My strugglers often feel overwhelmed.”

“Some of the literary works may not be suitable for students in the bible belt.”

“This curriculum does not allow time for DI with students.”

More dislikes…

“The major weaknesses of the curriculum are the length of the modules and the pace.”

“My only issue is still getting it all in within the time frame.”

“It requires more time with my students so staying on their pace is not possible.”

“The biggest concern I have with EngageNY is the timeline!!!”

“It drags out the novels for too long!”

EngageNY Strengths

Common Core alignmentRigorous activitiesAvailability/ease of accessCost effectiveness as a

resource

EngageNY Concerns

Student learning gapsUnrealistic instructional timelinesSome controversial subject matterPrinting costs of student materialsTeacher content knowledge gaps

In Summary

EngageNY is an excellent resource.It presents “best-practice” strategies.It shows teachers what rigor looks like.Students enjoy the engagement in learning.EngageNY lessons align with the majority of

the Compass rubric components.Good teachers will embrace its best

strategies and become better teachers.

LinksEngageNY math portal:http://www.engageny.org/mathematicsEngageNY ELA portal:http://www.engageny.org/mathematicsNY Rubric for text-based writing:http://www.engageny.org/sites/default/files/resource/attachments/regentsela-b-4-part-3-rubric.pdfTri-State Rubrics for evaluating CCSS lesson

quality:

http://www.engageny.org/resource/tri-state-quality-review-rubric-and-rating-process