Title: Teaching for Understanding: Delawares ELA Statewide Recommended Curriculum
1Teaching for UnderstandingDelawares ELA
Statewide Recommended Curriculum
- Juley Harper
- ELA Education Associate
2In the beginning
- New Directions Curriculum Framework Content
Standards and Performance Indicators were adopted
in 1995 (Curriculum Framework) - Original Performance Indicators were written for
grade clusters (K-3), NOT for individual grades - The original cut scores were set in 1999 for the
Reading, Writing and Math DSTP - Performance Level Descriptors (PLDs) were created
(well below the standard, below the standard,
meets the standard, exceeds the standard,
distinguished)
3Since then
- NCLB led to an external standards review (04-05)
by McREL and Achieve - Reviews indicated that DE Content Standards were
well written, but needed to be MORE
RIGOROUS,DEFINED, CLARIFIED, and SCAFFOLDED - Design teams for each area of the curriculum were
formed - ELA Design Team wrote Grade-Level Expectations,
model UbD units clarifications documents, model
syllabi/course descriptions, and model
assessments
4Summary of Tasks Completed in ELA
- ELA Design Team Formed
- Grade-level Expectations (GLEs)
- Alignment of GLEs
- Clarifications Document
- Model UbD units
- Model Syllabi/Course Descriptions
- Model Assessments
5ELA Design Team
- Chair
- Juley Harper (DOE)
- Design Team Members
- Ann Lewis (Laurel) Cary Bradenberger (NCCVT)
- Becky Sharp (Polytech) Elizabeth Tiffany (IR)
- Aleta Thompson (Cape) Debbie OBrien (Lake)
- Bonnie Albertson (UD) Denise Allen (DOE)
- Julia Webster (DOE) Patti Masten (Milford)
- Cathy Cofrancesco (Cape) Debbie Buffington (IR)
- Debbie Fetzer (Red Clay) Suzanne Keenan (Appo)
- Deanne McCredie (UD) Sandy Meyers (DOE)
- Kate Siegel (DOE) June Wicks (Smyrna)
- Courtney Kaczka (Appo) Allison Salvia (CR)
6What are the DE ELA Content Standards?
- Standard 1 (Writing Standard)- Students will use
written and oral English appropriate for various
purposes and audiences. - Standard 2 (Reading Standard)- Students will
construct, examine, and extend the meaning of
literary, informative, and technical texts
through listening, reading and viewing. - Standard 3 (Research Standard)- Students will
access, organize and evaluate information gained
through listening, reading, and viewing. - Standard 4 (Literary Standard)- Students will use
literary knowledge accessed through print and
visual media to connect self to society and
culture.
7Has ELA Standard 1 Changed?
- Added articulation of appropriate audiences
forms - Emphasized importance of text-to self,
text-to-text, and text-to-world connections - Increased acknowledgement of the symbiotic
relationship between reading writing
- Standard 1- Writing Standard
8Has ELA Standard 2 Changed?
- Increased emphasis on critical literacy lens
- Increased emphasis on non-fiction texts
- Added text structure
- Emphasized importance of text-to-self,
text-to-text, text-to-world connections - Aligned standard to Reading First Standards
- Increased acknowledgement of symbiotic
relationship between reading writing
- Standard 2- Reading Standard
9Has ELA Standard 3 Changed?
- Standard 3- Research Standard
- Aligned research standards to Information
Literacy Standards - Aligned research standards to Technology Literacy
Standards - Aligned research standards to 21st Century Skills
10Has ELA Standard 4 Changed?
- Standard4-Reading (Literary) Standard
- Increased emphasis on critical literacy lens
- Increased emphasis on fiction/literary texts
- Increased emphasis on cross-cultural genre
studies - Emphasized importance of text-to-self,
text-to-text, text-to-world connections - Aligned standards to Reading First Standards
- Increased acknowledgement of the symbiotic
relationship between reading and writing
11What are Grade-level Expectations?
- A Grade-level Expectation (GLE) is a statement
that defines what all students should know or be
able to do at the end of a given grade level.
12What Grade-level Expectations are NOT
- Curriculum
- Inclusive of everything that should be covered in
a grade
13What are the purposes of the GLEs?
- To meet requirements of NCLB
- To guide the development of curriculum,
instruction and assessment in DE schools - To provide uniformity in core content taught
across DE
14What ELA Alignment has been completed?
- Content Alignment -coding the level of difficulty
of GLEs - Vertical Alignment -comparing grade levels to
check for progression of rigor - Additional Alignment- aligning with NCTE
standards, IRA standards, Reading First, NAEP,
College Board, National Media and Technology
Standards
15Review WRITING GLEs-Standard 1
- Read the Writing Grade-level Expectations for the
grade level(s) you teach. (ex. Gd.9 Reading reads
gd. 9 GLEs) - Read the Writing GLEs for the grade before ex.
(gd. 8) and after (gd. 10) the grade level(s) you
teach. - Note any differences between the grades.
- (Differences will be underlined)
16Review READING GLEs-Standards 2 4
- Read the Reading Grade-level Expectations for
the grade level(s) you teach. (ex. Gd.10 ELA
reads gd. 10 GLEs) - Read the Reading GLEs for the grade before ex.
(gd. 9) and after (gd. 11) the grade level(s) you
teach. - Note any differences between the grades.
- (Differences will be underlined)
17ELA Grade-level Expectations Treasure Hunt
Directions-Navigate through the GLEs to find the
answers asked for in the items on the Treasure
Hunt.
18What are the Components of the DRC?
- Standards clarifications
- Enduring understandings
- Essential questions
- Model instructional units
- Model grade-level assessments
- Model grade-level syllabi
- ALL COMPONENTS ARE ALIGNED WITH CONTENT
STANDARDS AND GLEs
19What are the goals of the ELA DRC?
- Rigorous Big Idea ELA instruction anchored on the
Enduring Understandings, Essential Questions, and
Transfer Challenge - Alignment of curriculum, instruction, and
assessment
20What is a Clarifications Document?
- It defines and extends the meaning of the four
ELA standards for educators - It provides suggestions, examples, and
non-examples of what teaching and learning at the
level of the standards looks like in a classroom
21What are Model Instructional Units?
- They are based on a Backward Design (UbD)
framework - They focus on a major topic
- They typically last from a few days to a few
weeks - They are divided into THREE stages
- Desired Results
- Assessment Evidence
- Learning Activities
22What will these Units look like?
Stage 1 - Desired Results
- Currently, the Design team is developing model
units to connect standards with classroom
instruction
Other Evidence
Performance Task(s)
Rubrics/Scoring Criteria/Checklists
Learning Activities, mindful of design elements
23Typical Error in Unit/Lesson Design
- Identify the content to be taught
- Brainstorm activities
-
- then,
- Come up with an assessment and assume it is
related to the standard
24Scenario to Consider
- Scenario The school year is about to begin. You
have been hired to teach 10th Grade ELA. You
want to get started. What do you do FIRST? - A. You examine the novel that has been provided
for you and begin daily planning around its
chapters. - B. You get out your favorite lessons and begin
the planning process. - C. You rely on time-honored activities and plan
around these. - D. You determine the targeted goals.
- Correct answer is D!
25Where can I find Model Units?
- In the near future model units will be available
on the ELAwebsite - Useful website
- www.ubdexchange.org
- User name ubddemo
- Password ubddemo
26What are Model Grade-level Assessments?
- Assessments are embedded in model units
- There are TWO kinds of Grade-level assessments
27Formative Assessments
- On-going
- Guides teaching and learning
- Often designed by teachers or school districts
- Examples quizzes, oral questioning, prompts,
observations, reviews of draft work, Item
Samplers, DIBELS
28Summative Assessments
- End of unit, complex challenge
- Requires a transfer of knowledge and skills to
effectively perform or create a product to reveal
ones understanding - Examples performance tasks, end of unit
projects, DSTP
29What are Model Grade-level Syllabi?
- They are
- A focused plan written for teachers/educators
- Written for a year or semester
- Based on the content standards and Grade-level
Expectations - A compilation of a variety of texts,
methodologies, performance tasks, content
descriptions - NOT a detailed schedule for the student
- NOT a week by week lesson plan for the teacher
30Next Steps
- Provide Professional Development for districts on
DRC - Develop and implement all DE educators in UbD
- Develop DRC web page
- Develop parent and community brochures
- Distribute DRC newsletter
- Pilot, review and jury UbD model units
- Write model UbD syllabi
31QUESTIONS?
32For further information...
- Contacts
- grant_at_authenticeducation.org
- jharper_at_doe.k12.de.us
- Check out Big Ideas, an online newsletter, with
monthly resources on every aspect of good design
- www.bigideas.org
- www.ubdexchange.org
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