Going Beyond Understanding

1
Going Beyond Understanding

• Arkansas Reading Association
• How Sweet It Is
• November 21, 2013
• Grades 4-6
• Sponsored by Sundance/Newbridge Publishing
• Judy Smith, presenter
• jasmith_at_sundancepub.com

2
Who Me? Worry?

• Last School Year, various schools volunteered to
  take different parts of PARCC as a practice run.
  Kentucky students took the entire ELA test.
• Results 28 drop in proficiency

3
So What Is Happening?
Critical Thinking
Comprehension
Decoding
Oral Language
4
New Expectations

• Types of Questions
• Selected Response
• Constructed Response
• Performance Tasks
• Level of Questions
• Comprehension
• Analysis
• Inference
• Synthesis
• Evaluation

5
The Confusion Between Complexity and Difficulty

• Which of the following questions would be most
  difficult for you/your group to answer?
• List the 50 U.S. states in alphabetical order.
• List the 50 U.S. states with their state capitals
  in alphabetical order.
• List the 50 U.S. states with their state capitals
  in order of entry into the union.
• What level is each of these three questions?

6
What is Selected Response?

• Assessments in which students will need to choose
  the best answer to the question. PARCC gives
  either four or five possible responses and has
  not used All of the above or None of the
  above as possibilities. Unlike traditional MC,
  the selected response questions trigger critical
  thinking.

7
What Level of Questions Again?

• Analysis The detailed examination of the parts
  of the whole.
• Comprehension The ability to understand the
  meaning of a text.
• Evaluation The ability to make a judgment based
  on criteria.
• Inference The process of drawing a logical
  conclusion based on factual knowledge or
  evidence.
• Synthesis The combining of parts into a whole.

8
What Does That Look Like for a Selected Response
Question?

• 1A. What is one main idea of How Animals Live?
• A. There are many types of animals on the planet.
• B. Animals need water to live.
  Synthesis
• C. There are many ways to sort different animals.
• D. Animals begin their life cycles in many
  different forms.
• 1B. Which sentence from the article best supports
  the answer to part 1A?
• A. Animals get oxygen from air and water.
• B. Animals can be grouped by their traits.
• C. Worms are invertebrates.
  Analysis
• D. All animals grow and change over time.
• E. Almost all animals need water, food, oxygen,
  and shelter to live.
• from Advances in the PARCC ELA/Literacy
  Assessment, August, 2012

9
More SR Examples, Please

• In the brochure Alignment to PARCC, look at
• Second grade examples on page 4
• Fifth grade examples on page 5
• Note that assessments should contain various
  levels of questions!

10
Fifth Grade SR Example fromThe Nelson Mandela
Story (pg. 20-21)

• Of what significance was Mandelas wearing a
  Springbok shirt?
• South Africa was hosting the games, and it was
  important that the president support rugby.
• Black men had never worn the shirt before, and
  the president needed to be the first.
• Mandela was giving the opening speech so he
  needed to look like the team.
• Mandela was telling South Africans that apartheid
  was over and everyone needed to unite as South
  Africans.
• Inference

11
Your Turn To Write a Selected Response

• Using any section of the book The Nelson Mandela
  Story write a question and choices. Make sure
  you write a question that causes the students to
• Analyze
• Infer
• Synthesize
• Evaluate

12
What is Constructed Response?

• Constructed Response Questions are
  assessments in which students must compose
  answers. Constructed responses address
  assessment targets and claims that are of
  greater complexity and require more
• analytical thinking inference, analysis,
  synthesis, evaluation and reasoning.

13
What Does That Look Like for a Constructed
Response Question?

• Drag the words from the word box into the
  correct location on the graphic to show the life
  cycle of a butterfly as described in How Animals
  Live.
  Advances in the PARCC ELA/Literacy Assessment,
  August, 2012

frAdvanin the PARCC ELA/Literacy Assessment, August 444

1
Pupa
Adult
2
4
Egg
Larva
3
14
More CR Examples, Please

• In the brochure Alignment to PARCC, look at
• Second grade examples on page 8, 9
• Fifth grade examples on page 8, 9
• Note that assessments should contain various
  levels of questions!

15
Fifth Grade CR Example fromThe Nelson Mandela
Story(pg. 14-15)

• 1. Explain at least two ways by which Nelson
  Mandela improved prison life for himself and
  other prisoners.
• Synthesis

16
Your Turn To Write a Constructed Response

• Using any section of the book The Nelson Mandela
  Story, ask the students to do a task. Make sure
  your task causes the students to
• Analyze
• Infer
• Synthesize
• Evaluate

17
What Is A Performance Task?

• Performance Tasks involve multiple steps which
  may include several readings, working with
  graphic organizers, and writing using details and
  proof from the materials. In testing, performance
  tasks are generally allotted up to two hours to
  complete.
• Generally, performance tasks at third grade will
  involve at least one video and at least one
  reading. Part of the discussion will be whole or
  small group. Students are allowed to use their
  notes and are not graded on the quality of the
  notes.
• Generally, performance tasks for fourth grade and
  up will involve at least one video and at least
  two readings. Part of the discussion will be
  whole or small group. Students are allowed to
  use their notes and are not graded on the quality
  of their notes.

18
What Does That Look Like for a Performance Task?

1. View a video section about Nelson Mandela e.g.
   Invictus
2. Read The Nelson Mandela Story and fill in
   graphic organizers his life and accomplishments.
3. Read a newspaper or magazine article about Nelson
   Mandela.
4. Ask the students to answer the question Using
   information from your research, do you agree or
   disagree that Nelson Mandela deserved the Nobel
   Peace Prize?

19
Writing Four Types of Sentences in Informative
Persuasive Writing

1. Introductory sentence using opinion words
2. Text-based sentences in body.
3. Thought-based sentences in body.
4. Concluding sentence.

20
Report to Informative Persuasive Introductory
Sentence

• Topic sentence gives an overview of the topic
  (expository) takes a side of the issue, tells
  what the writer is going to prove (persuasive)
• Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth president of
  the United States. (report)
• Abraham Lincoln, one of the greatest presidents,
  served in the 1860s. (simple paragraph/essay
  one area of proof)to
• 3. Abraham Lincoln, one of the greatest
  presidents, served in the 1860s which tore the
  country apart because of the Civil War. (more
  complex two areas)
• .

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Report to Informative Persuasive Fact-Based
Sentences
Text-Based What It Is
Fact A statement that can be proven by observation, checking a valid reference, talking to an authority
Statistic Information that involves numbers found in a valid reference
Sensory Detail Use of specific detail to explain how something looks, sounds, smells, tastes, or feels e.g. what damage a tornado does
Example An instance of something that is valid and provable e.g. a story of what a rainstorm did to houses in the neighborhood.
Quote Exactly what an authority said about the topic
Illustration An extended example e.g. all the steps a student must take when theyve missed school
22
Report to Informative Persuasive
Thought-Based Sentences

• Comes from putting the pieces together and
  drawing valid conclusions, opinions, analysis,
  evaluation.
• Help students find their thoughts by asking these
  questions about the facts
• So what?
• Why is that important?
• Why did you use that fact?

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Your Turn!

• Use a fact you are currently teaching or one of
  the facts below, and answer one or more of the
  thought-based questions.
• People from all over the world, including
  governments, artists, and sports teams, chose not
  to have links with South Africa.
• The Nelson Mandela Story pg. 16

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Report to Informative Persuasive Concluding
Sentence
Important phrase from introductory sentence
25
Going Beyond Understanding

• Arkansas Reading Association
• How Sweet It Is
• November 21, 2013
• Grades 4-6
• Sponsored by Sundance/Newbridge Publishing
• Judy Smith, presenter
• jasmith_at_sundancepub.com