Contentarea literacy Kevin Raczynski The Georgia Center for

Content-area literacy Kevin Raczynski The Georgia Center for Assessment The University of Georgia

Agenda 1) Explore examples of text-based questions (K-5) in ELA, Science, SS, and Math 2) Tools for success on these kinds of questions 3) Explore a rubric 4) Score a few student responses, using this rubric 5) Suggestions for feedback 2

My objectives 1) Clear communication stop me if something is fuzzy 2) You leave with a better understanding of textbased literacy activities, in all subject areas 3) You feel even more comfortable teaching these skills 4) That this stuff is usable, day 1 5) That you have some fun! 3

Kindergarten Collaborative text-based activity Incorporates a non-fiction text Reading / writing / speaking and listening all wrapped together 4

A quick word on color coding Topic sentence Specific examples and details Further elaboration Can help students see the importance of being specific. Go Green = Be specific! 5

Start here There are many great words that begin with the letter T. One example is the word tree. Okay, good! Now, let’s draw a picture of a tree. 6

Getting better There are many great words that begin with the letter T. One example is the word tree. Read the story “Winter Trees” as a group. 7

Winter Trees 8

Getting better There are many great words that begin with the letter T. One example is the word tree. Think about the story “Winter Trees. ” Which tree was one of our favorites? 9

Better still There are many great words that begin with the letter T. One example is the word tree. One of our favorites is the White Spruce. Great! Now, what is one cool thing we learned about the White Spruce tree in the story? 10

Better still There are many great words that begin with the letter T. One example is the word tree. One of our favorites is the White Spruce. It has sharp needles. On which page number did we learn this fact? 11

Better still There are many great words that begin with the letter T. One example is the word tree. One of our favorites is the White Spruce. It has sharp needles. We learned this fact on page 8. 12

Grade 1 Collaborative elements text-based activity, with independent Incorporates a fiction text aligned with S. S. standard SS 1 E 4: describe the costs and benefits of personal spending and saving choices. Also math standard CCGPS. 1. OA. 1: use addition and subtraction within 20 to solve word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions. 13

Grade 1 Aligned with several ELA standards for reading literary texts Aligned opinions with several ELA standards for writing Bottom line: this activity brings together S. S. , math, reading, writing, and speaking/listening 14

The text Lexile = 570 (a bit high for first graders) Appropriate, though, for collaboration 15

Excerpt 1 Last Sunday, when I used to be rich, I went to Pearson’s Drug and got bubble gum. And after the gum stopped tasting good, I got more gum. And after that gum stopped tasting good, I got more gum. And even though I told my friend David I’d sell him all the gum in my mouth for a nickel, he still wouldn’t buy it. Good-bye fifteen cents. 16

Close Reading A bit of Sherlocking is in order! 17

Example note grid: can be a handy tool Alexander spent money on Money remaining Do these things seem to make Alexander happy? Use clues from the story. Gum $0. 85 No. The gum keeps losing flavor. He tries to sell the gum to his friend David. 18

Excerpt 2 Last Sunday, when I used to be rich, Cathy around the corner had a garage sale. I positively only went to look. I looked at the half-melted candle. I needed that candle. I looked at a bear with one eye. I needed that bear. I looked at a deck of cards that was perfect except for no seven of clubs and no two of diamonds. I didn’t need that seven or that two. Good-bye twenty cents. 19

Excerpt 2 Last Sunday, when I used to be rich, I used to have a dollar. I do not have a dollar any more. I’ve got this dopey deck of cards. I’ve got this one-eyed bear. I’ve got this melted candle. (A picture shows Alexander frowning). 20

Example note grid: can be a handy tool Alexander spent money on Money remaining Do these things seem to make Alexander happy? Use clues from the story. Gum $0. 85 No. The gum keeps losing flavor. He tries to sell the gum to his friend David. Candle, bear, cards 21

Bringing it all together Pick 1 thing Alexander spends money on that you think he shouldn’t have purchased. Write a letter to Alexander. Explain why you think he would be happier if he didn’t buy this thing. Use clues from the story (this is a gentle introduction to using textual evidence). 22

Grade 2 Collaborative text-based activity, with independent elements Incorporates a fiction (ELA) text 23

Grade 2 Aligned with several ELA standards for reading literary texts Aligned opinions with several ELA standards for writing This activity brings together reading, writing, and speaking/listening 24

The text Lexile = 420 (lower end of grades 2 -3) Potentially suitable for independent reading 25

Close Reading A bit of Sherlocking is in order! 26

Example note grid: can be a handy tool Stuff he wants How much does he want it? How do you know? Use clues from the story. Roast beef Pretty much Sick of eating lima beans for dinner. Gives them to his dog. 27

Bringing it all together Pick 3 things the boy wants. Out of all the things, which one do you think he wants the most? Support your opinion with clues from the story (i. e. , textual evidence).

One approach: work collaboratively Pick 3 things the boy wants. Write a sentence naming these things.

Getting better The boy in the story definitely wants a dog, but he also wants to go to the lake and to eat roast beef rather than lima beans. Great. Now, which of these things do you think he wants the most?

Even better The boy in the story definitely wants a dog, but he also wants to go to the lake and to eat roast beef rather than lima beans. Out of all of these things, he wants a dog the most. Great. What clues from the story helped you make this decision?

Really solid! The boy in the story definitely wants a dog, but he also wants to go to the lake and to eat roast beef rather than lima beans. Out of all of these things, he wants a dog the most. He mentions wanting the dog several times, but he mentions the other things only once.

Grade 3 Collaborative text-based activity, with independent Incorporates a non-fiction (Sci. ) text elements Aligned with S 3 L 1. Students will investigate the habitats of different organisms and the dependence of organisms on their habitat. Adapted See from a PARCC prototype parcconline. org for other examples 33

Grade 3 Aligned with several ELA standards for reading informational texts Aligned with several ELA standards for informational writing. This activity brings together reading, writing, and speaking/listening 34

The text “How Animals Live” Leveled at the high-end of the Grade 3 band 35

Example note grid: can be a handy tool Habitat Frog’s features How the frog’s features help it live in this habitat 36

Bringing it all together Read the following paragraph. How does a frog’s habitat change as it gets older? How does one of its features change to help it live in the new habitat?

Excerpt from How Animals Live by Lisa Aram A Frog’s Life Cycle Frogs go through many changes. They start life in the water as eggs. Tadpoles hatch from the eggs. They breathe with gills and live underwater. The tadpole grows lungs and legs, and turns into an adult. Most adult frogs live near water. source: http: //www. parcconline. org/sites/parcc/files/passage 3. pdf

One approach: work collaboratively Read “A Frog’s Life” carefully. How does a frog’s habitat change as it gets older?

Getting better As it gets older, a frog moves from living underwater to living near water. Great. Now, how does one of its features change when it moves into this new habitat?

Better still As it gets older, a frog moves from living underwater to living near water. It goes from having gills to having lungs. Great. Now, why do you think the frog develops lungs at this point in its life?

Really solid! As it gets older, a frog moves from living underwater to living near water. It goes from having gills to having lungs. Gills are good for breathing underwater, but lungs are good when living on land near water.

Grade 4 Collaborative text-based activity, with more independent elements Incorporates a non-fiction (Sci. ) text Aligned with S 4 L 2. “Students will identify factors that affect the survival or extinction of organisms…” 43

Grade 4 Aligned with several ELA standards for reading informational texts Aligned writing. with several ELA standards for opinion This activity brings together reading, writing, and speaking/listening 44

The text “Meet the Bats” Leveled at the middle of the Grade 4 band. 45

Close Reading A bit of Sherlocking is in order! 46

Example note grid: can be a handy tool At this stage, consider collaborating on the headings for the grid. 47

Excerpt from text Ø “Bats are rodents. They’re like mice with wings. False. Bats are not rodents. In fact, they’re most closely related to primates. That group includes monkeys, apes, and humans. ” Ø “Bats are dirty. False. Bats are very clean animals. They spend much of their time grooming themselves, twisting and turning to get at hard-to-reach places. ” Ø “Bats commonly infect people with diseases, especially rabies. False. Like dogs, raccoons, and people, bats can catch rabies. But they rarely pass on the disease or any disease to people. Fewer than 20 people in North America have died of any bat-related disease in the last 40 years!” 48

Excerpt from text Ø “Most people would never kick a stray cat or swat at a lost bird. But let a bat take a wrong turn into their living room and watch out!” Ø Most people will look for a “broom or tennis racket to be used in ‘self-defense. ’” 49

Bringing it all together Out of all the misconceptions (wrong ideas) people have about bats, pick 1 that seems to be a really big misconception. How might people act on this misconception in a way that is harmful to bats? Use clues from “Meet the Bats” to support your answer. 50

Add another piece: full essay question In the passage you just read, the author says that humans are a bat‘s main predator. One reason for this is that some humans are afraid of bats because they “have so many wrong ideas about” them. Write an opinion essay that explores two main points: 1) Out of all the misconceptions (wrong ideas) people have about bats, pick 1 that seems to be a really big misconception. How might people act on this misconception in a way that is harmful to bats? Use clues from “Meet the Bats” to support your answer. 2) Who or what would benefit if people were less afraid of bats? Give clear reasons to support your answer. Develop your reasons with facts and evidence from “Meet the Bats. ” 51

Grade 5 Collaborative text-based activity, with more independent elements Incorporates a non-fiction (mathematics) text Aligned with MCC 5. MD. 5: Apply the formulas V = l × w × h and V = b × h for rectangular prisms to find volumes of right rectangular prisms with whole number edge lengths in the context of solving real world and mathematical problems. 52

Grade 5 Aligned with the standards for mathematical practice as well, namely… 3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others This activity brings together reading, writing, and speaking/listening 53

Bringing it all together Consider the rectangular prism above. Michael thinks the volume is 22 cubic centimeters. Do you agree? Why or why not?

One approach: work collaboratively Do you agree with Michael?

Getting better No. Okay. Let’s consider why. How did Michael seem to calculate the volume?

Even better No. He added the three sides together and got 22. Excellent. How should Michael calculate the volume?

Really solid! No. He added the three sides together and got 22. Instead, he should multiply the three sides to get 288 cubic cm.

Rubrics Modeled after PARCC’s for grades 3 -5 http: //www. parcconline. org/samples/item-taskprototypes These can help you score your students’ responses using criteria very similar to those professional scorers will use. 59

Rubric for content 3 points 2 points 1 point Your answer was correct or supported correct but not by the text. supported with details from the text or from what we learned. You developed your answer by choosing or, the best details from the text or or from what we We need to work on from what we learned. Think: your answer, but learned. were these the best some of the details? Could I be you included were more specific? on the right track. Your explanation of these details was specific. Your explanation was on the right track but could be more specific. 0 points Oh no! You forgot to provide a response. Or your response did not answer the question. Let’s work together on this one! 60

Rubric for conventions Rock solid! Good stuff! Sentences are Most sentences correct or almost are correct. all correct. Subjects and verbs agree. Pronouns are clear. Spelling and punctuation are terrific. Getting there! Slow down, partner! Mix of correct and incorrect sentences. Most sentences are incorrect. Subjects and verbs mostly agree. Subjects and verbs agree, but sometimes they argue! Subjects and verbs mostly argue! Pronouns are mostly clear. Check some of your pronouns for clarity. Spelling and punctuation are mostly correct. There is a mix of correct and incorrect spelling and punctuation. 61

Take it for a spin? 62

Excerpt from How Animals Live by Lisa Aram A Frog’s Life Cycle Frogs go through many changes. They start life in the water as eggs. Tadpoles hatch from the eggs. They breathe with gills and live underwater. The tadpole grows lungs and legs, and turns into an adult. Most adult frogs live near water. source: http: //www. parcconline. org/sites/parcc/files/passage 3. pdf

Bringing it all together Read the following paragraph. How does a frog’s habitat change as it gets older? How does one of its features change to help it live in the new habitat?

Response 1 As it gets older, a frog moves from living underwater to living near water. It goes from having gills to having lungs. Gills are good for breathing underwater. Lungs are good when living on land near water.

Response 2 The frog goes from living underwater to living on land. It gets razor sharp teeth so that it can eat easier on land.

Response 2 The frog goes from living underwater to living on land. It gets razor sharp teeth so that it can eat easier on land. Where did you find this detail in the text?

Response 3 The frog goes from living underwater to living on land. One of the changes is it gets lungs.

Response 3 The frog goes from living underwater to living on land. One of the changes is it gets lungs. What might be a good piece of feedback to give here?

Response 4 Frogs are my favorite animal. Did you know that some frogs are blue?

Resources Additional examples of CCGPS-aligned questions Online Assessment System (http: //www. georgiaoas. org) PARCC (parcconline. org) Smarter Balanced (http: //www. smarterbalanced. org) Engage. NY (https: //www. engageny. org) Kentucky DOE (http: //education. ky. gov/AA/items/Pages/default. aspx) Aligned with ELA and Math standards Selected-response questions Constructed-response questions 71

Resources Find a book: lexile. org Type in a subject and find a text in the appropriate grade-level band Really handy when finding appropriate texts for science and s. s. topics 72

Resources The Georgia Center for Assessment at UGA http: //gca. coe. uga. edu 2014/15 service offerings include: a) CCGPS Formative Literacy Assessments Students read informational text and write an opinion essay based on what they read c) Scoring services are available; feedback from a professional scorer d) Customizable professional learning 73

Keep in touch! Kevin Raczynski Director of Professional Learning The Georgia Center for Assessment at UGA 706. 542. 5063 kraczyns@uga. edu 74