“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”

~Albert Einstein

The implementation of the ELA Common Core State Standards requires pedagogical shifts for educators. You might be asking yourself, what are the changes? How will they affect my approach to teaching?  We are here to help! Read on for an overview of the three major shifts in English Language Arts CCSS, along with tips and tools that will help you get started.

How are the new ELA Common Core Standards different?

Understanding the three major shifts will help you see a big picture of how the standards will change teaching approaches:

1. A balance between literature and informational text.

i.      K-5  50%/50%

ii.      6-8  45%/55%

iii.      9-12 30%/70%

1. Complexity of text is gradually increased throughout the grades in a staircase fashion, beginning in Grade 2.
2. Reading, writing, and speaking strands are based on students using evidence from text in both literature and informational text.

*According to the Student Achievement Partners
www.achievethecore.org

1. Balancing Literature with Informational Text:

The CCSS purpose of incorporating an increase in informational text is to construct background knowledge and to develop vocabulary so students are able to read and comprehend the complex variety of text that they will confront in their future grades and later in their daily lives.

• Informational text includes texts in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects.
• CCSS defines Literary Non- Fiction in 6-12 as biographies; memoirs; speeches; opinion pieces; essays about art, literature, journalism, etc.; historical, scientific or other technical writing written for broad audiences.

2. Text Complexity:

The Common Core State standards are arranged in a staircase of text complexity in order for students to achieve college and career readiness.

Tips for teaching text complexity:

1. Provide consistent opportunities to access text with core vocabulary (word families).
2. Conduct explicit vocabulary instruction directly related to content and literature.
3. Provide opportunities to increase reading stamina.
4. Use texts that develop interest or foster interests.

-Freddy Hiebert, Ph.D.

3. Evidence from Text in Reading, Writing, and Speaking, Literary and Informational:

The Common Core State Standards put a focus on students being able to:

• answer questions about text beyond prior knowledge and focused more on text-dependent questions that require inferences to be made.
• incorporate evidence from texts in their writing to support their thoughts, analysis and to justify claims.
• develop habits of providing evidentiary arguments in speaking and writing.

Tools

There are many Common Core Resources being made available each day.  Here are a few to get you started:

http://textproject.org is a source for providing readers with the right kinds of texts, with a specific focus on text complexity

http://engageny.org/teachers has Common Core resources and information for teachers and principals.

http://www.ccsso.org/Resources/Digital_Resources/Common_Core_Implementation_video_Series.htmlThe Hunt Institute has a collection of CCSS videos.

https://www.teachingchannel.org The Teaching Channel has videos, lesson ideas and discussions for teachers on every subject.