Skip to main content

Nevada Core Advocates Convening, Day 1

The Nevada Core Advocates gathered at UNR the weekend of June 3rd for two days of professional learning focused on the Common Core. The first day explored the Instructional Shifts and on day two  participants worked through content and materials to support the Nevada Core Advocates campaign (for ELA/Literacy, the campaign is: "K-3 teachers will use a critical eye to examine how existing resources build foundational skills so they are able to fully engage with the more complex text required by the standards beginning in 2nd grade").

Aaron Grossman and I facilitated the day one ELA/Literacy sessions, starting with a review of the ELA/Literacy Instructional Shifts, the research underpinning the shifts, and implications they have for instruction.  Participants then explored what these shifts look like in K-2 materials, with an analysis of the RAP lesson for The Spider and The Fly and a review of the K-2 ELA Instructional Practice Guides. We ended the day as participants met in their campaign groups so they might preview some of the work they and their colleagues will do to support the Common Core in Nevada.

Materials used during the Day 1 session are available in this folder and linked below. If you are a Nevada Core Advocate and looking for the full set of convening materials (including answer keys), please leave a comment below and I can get them to you.

NV Core Advocates ELA Day 1 Deck
NV Core Advocates ELA Day 1 folder

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

'Focusing on the Core for All' - Session 1 for Science

Options Area science educators gathered this morning for their first session of   'Focusing on the Core for All' , the Options NVACS professional learning cycle for the 2015-2016 school year. This group includes teachers from Options Area schools, Implementation Specialists from MTSS and Student Support Services departments, Student Support Services area administrators, and Options Area school site principals, each of whom has chosen a content focus for the year (English Language Arts, History-Social Studies, Science, or Mathematics). The professional learning cycle for this year builds on that of past years (namely, the   High School Core Task Project   and   Shifting Instruction to the Core ) and is focused on  supporting teachers, implementation specialists, and administrators in the Options Area to expand and deepen alignment of instruction, materials, and programs  Common Core Standards  and  Instructional Shifts  so that all students are prepared for college and career.

Shifting Instruction to the Core, ELA Session II: Writing to Sources

English Language Arts teachers and their administrators gathered this morning for the second session of Shifting Instruction to the Core. Participants continued their focus   Instructional Shift 2  and  Core Action 2  from their  previous session , this time with an emphasis on writing to sources. The session included a reflection on teacher's classroom use of Keep It or Junk It , a review of Core Action Two and Argumentative Writing, a careful annotation of "The Writing Revolution" , engagement in a lesson model for ranking evidence, and time to apply the lesson to their future lessons. Materials for the session are linked below. Presentation deck in  PDF Reflection Note Taker College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing ELA Writing Standards Grades 9-10 Instructional Practice Guides for ELA/Literacy   ELA/Literacy  Instructional Shifts Excerpted copy of "The Writing Revolution"  Annotation Guide : Annotating for Claim-Reasoning-Evidence

The Importance of Curriculum, Part One

I have curriculum on the brain this summer. Most of my current work is focused on curriculum; reviewing it, curating it, or exploring it in some way. Simultaneously, there is an increasing amount of scholarship in the field on the importance of curriculum. Much of this work answers the questions; does curriculum really matter? And if it does, what can we do about it? Educators in the field, academics, publishers and supportive organizations are recognizing that quality curricular materials can support equity in our schools, be a significant force for reform, and act as a key ingredient in high performing classrooms. Of recent note is the Aspen Institute's report, "Practice What You Teach" , which provides relevant research, profiles of curricular implementation, and key recommendations. EducationNext has a great post by Chester Finn titled " Education Becomes a Reform Strategy ". The latest research report by StandardWork, " Curriculum Research: What We K