An Introduction to the Literacy Design Collaborative

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An Introduction to the Literacy Design
Collaborative

• A framework to move from Common Core to classrooms

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The Literacy Design Collaborative

• An expanding set of classroom, district, state
  and service providers with the will to meet the
  challenge of expecting high levels of secondary
  literacy, head-on.

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The Collaborative

• KY pilot districts Kenton, Jessamine, Daviess,
  Boone, and Fayette
• Pioneering state-wide efforts KY with GA, CO,
  LA, and PA!
• National partners such as the National Writing
  Project, New Visions for Public Schools, Center
  for Teacher Quality and others.

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Outcomes

• After this introduction, you should be ready to
• Identify the Literacy Design Collaboratives work
  as a strategy for achieving the Common Core State
  Standards and equipping students with the
  necessary reading and writing skills to be
  successful in post-secondary education and
  careers.
• Generally describe the main components of the LDC
  framework
• Identify the ways in which LDC draws on the
  expertise and collaboration of participating
  educators.

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Common Core State Standards

• Are a blueprint.

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They Set Clear Goals

• The Common Core State Standards provide a
  consistent, clear understanding of what students
  are expected to learn, so teachers and parents
  know what they need to do to help them. The
  standards are designed to be robust and relevant
  to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and
  skills that our young people need for success in
  college and careers.
• http//www.corestandards.org

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They Define Literacy in Content Areas

• While the English language arts classroom has
  often been seen as the proper site for literacy
  instruction, this document acknowledges that the
  responsibility for teaching such skills must also
  extend to other content areas.
• http//www.corestandards.org

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They Create New Challenges

• Unlike mathematics, secondary literacy is not a
  discipline. It is homeless in that it belongs
  to everyone and no one. Literacy is used in
  secondary classrooms, but it is not taught in a
  systematic way.

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And They Offer Great Opportunity!

• With the Common Core of Standards, many things
  now become possible. Because states will be
  working from the same core, we can create
  broad-based sharing of what works but, at the
  same time, provide local flexibility to decide
  how best to teach the core.
• Vicki Phillips Carina Wong (PDK, February
  2010)

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But We Need to Move

• From blueprint to action!

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Where are We Starting From?

• If students are not proficient when they enter a
  course, what is the chance that teachers will
  stop, drop and teach them to read and write?

Grade 9 Reading Writing
English
U.S. History
Math
Science
PE/Health
World Language
Elective
Elective
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Too Often, the Common Answer is
Grade 9 Reading Writing
English Low Low-Medium
U.S. History Low Low
Math Low Low
Science Low Low
PE/Health Low Low
World Language Low Low
Elective Low Low
Elective (Reading) High Low
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LDC Offers a Different Choice!

• So teachers dont have to
• move from blueprint to action alone.

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The LDC Framework

• Common standards, local choices!

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Tasks

• The tasks students engage in are at the center!

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Template Tasks

• Template tasks are the beginning point for the
  LDC strategy. An LDC template task is a
  fill-in-the-blank assignment or assessment based
  on the common core literacy standards.

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Template Tasks

• The real accountability system is in the tasks
  that students are asked to do.
• Why the emphasis on tasks?
• What was different in the four classrooms was
  what students were actually being asked to do,
  and the degree to which the teacher was able to
  engage students in the work by scaffolding their
  learning up to the complexity of the task she was
  asking them to do.
• Richard Elmore

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Template Task An Example

• After researching ______(informational texts) on
  _________(content), write __________ (essay or
  substitute) that argues your position
  on____________ (content). Support your position
  with evidence from your research. L2 Be sure to
  acknowledge competing views. L3 Give examples
  from past or current events or issues to
  illustrate, clarify, and support your position.

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Template Tasks

• All LDC tasks require students to
• Read, analyze, and comprehend texts as specified
  by the common core
• Write products as specified by the common core
  (focusing on argumentation, informational/explanat
  ory, and narrative)
• Apply common core literacy standards to content
  (ELA, social studies, and/or science)
• The tasks are designed to ensure that students
  receive literacy and content instruction in
  rigorous academic reading and writing tasks that
  prepare them for success in college by the end of
  their high school career.

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Template Tasks

• Teachers use the template tasks to design their
  own teaching, starting by selecting
• content standards to address (for example, state
  science, history, or English standards for the
  class they are teaching)
• texts students will read (or which issues
  students will research)
• the issue students will address in their writing

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Template Tasks

• Teachers use additional plug and play
  flexibility within the template to adjust
• Task level Select level 1, 2, or 3 task
• Reading requirements Vary text complexity,
  genre, length, familiarity, etc.
• Writing demands Vary product, length, etc.
• Pacing requirements Vary workload and time
  allowed to complete

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Heres How it Plays Out

• After researching academic articles on
  censorship, write an editorial that argues your
  position on the use of filters by schools.
  Support your position with evidence from your
  research. L2 Be sure to acknowledge competing
  views. L3 Give examples from past or current
  events or issues to illustrate and clarify your
  position.
• After researching technical and academic articles
  on the use of pesticides in agriculture, write a
  speech that argues your position on its use in
  managing crop production. Support your position
  with evidence from your research. L2 Be sure to
  acknowledge competing views. L3 Give examples
  from past or current events or issues to
  illustrate and clarify your position.

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Take a Shot at It!

• After researching ______(informational texts) on
  _________(content), write __________ (essay or
  substitute) that argues your position
  on____________ (content). Support your position
  with evidence from your research. L2 Be sure to
  acknowledge competing views. L3 Give examples
  from past or current events or issues to
  illustrate, clarify, and support your position.

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Connections Across Grade Content Areas

• After researching ______ (informational texts) on
  ______ (content), write ____ (essay or
  substitute) that argues your position on ______
  (content). Support your position with evidence
  from your research.

ALIGNMENT across grades
DISTRIBUTION across content areas
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LDC Template Task Collection

• The first collection with more to come!

Argumentation Informational or Explanatory Narrative
Definition N/A ELA, social studies, science N/A
Description N/A ELA, social studies, science ELA, social studies
Procedural-Sequential N/A social studies, science ELA, social studies
Synthesis N/A ELA, social studies, science N/A
Analysis ELA, social studies, science ELA, social studies, science N/A
Comparison ELA, social studies, science ELA, social studies, science N/A
Evaluation ELA, social studies, science N/A N/A
Problem/Solution social studies, science N/A N/A
Cause/Effect social studies, science science, social studies N/A
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Modules

• Modules wrap a teaching plan around the task.

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Modules

• Support a system for literacy instruction.
• Module templates support practitioners in
  developing instruction to use over about 2-4
  weeks. They support teachers in designing
  instruction their choice focused on guiding
  students in completing a single literacy task
  linked to content.

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LDC Module Template
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Module Section 1 What Task?
What task sets clear, measurable goals for
learning?

• Practitioners select template
• Common Core Standards are hard-wired in
• Practitioners add state/local content standards
• Practitioners plug and play to build teaching
  task
• Template Task connected to common rubric

Task 2 Template (Argumentation/Analysis L1, L2,
L3) Insert essential question After reading
_____ (literature or informational texts), write
an _________(essay or substitute) that addresses
the question and support your position with
evidence from the text(s). L2 Be sure to
acknowledge competing views. L3 Give examples
from past or current events or issues to
illustrate and clarify your position.
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Module Section 2 What Skills?
What skills do students need to successfully
complete the task?

• Practitioners select template
• Common Core Standards are hard-wired in
• Practitioners add state/local content standards
• Practitioners plug and play to build teaching
  task
• Template Task connected to common rubric

Task 2 Template (Argumentation/Analysis L1, L2,
L3) Insert essential question After reading
_____ (literature or informational texts), write
an _________(essay or substitute) that addresses
the question and support your position with
evidence from the text(s). L2 Be sure to
acknowledge competing views. L3 Give examples
from past or current events or issues to
illustrate and clarify your position.
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Module Section 3 What Instruction?
How will students be taught to succeed on the
teaching task?

• Practitioners establish the instructional plan
  or instructional ladder to teach students the
  skills necessary to succeed on the task
• Plan includes mini-tasks, scoring, instructional
  strategies

• Skills Cluster 2 Reading Process
• Skill Essential Vocabulary Ability to apply
  strategies for developing an understanding of a
  text by locating words/phrases that identify key
  concepts and facts
• Mini-Task In your notebook, identify key words
  or phrases as you read and define them
  denotatively and connotatively in context of the
  passage in the work you are reading. Add terms we
  identified as the language of the discipline.
• Scoring Guide Meets
• Selects appropriate text(s) for task
• Creates a first draft of a bibliography (if
  applicable).
• Writes in readable prose.

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Module Section 4 What Results?
How good is good enough?

• Practitioners share sample student work
• Practitioners select to create classroom
  assessments by using same template task
• Assessment connected to common rubric used for
  teaching task

Under construction!
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Modules

• Modules are designed for teachers to share
• With teachers in other schools, districts, and
  states
• Everywhere common core standards are being used
• LDC is developing systems for
• Jurying work submitted by participating teachers
  to identify great modules
• Sharing those great modules electronically across
  the country

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Courses
Courses can combine varied modules and varied
other kinds of teaching in systematic approaches
to building student skills.
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LDC Course Options

• How might you situate modules.
• In science, history, English and other courses
• Interdisciplinary units or courses (e.g, English
  and Social Studies)
• Combining the core subjects with electives (e.g.,
  English plus art or science plus health)
• With reading and writing skills as the main focus
  (e.g., English composition or literacy blocks)

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LDC Course Options

• Imagine how you might sequence two or more
  modules
• In a unit on _____(the Civil War, earth science,
  or the novel- pick one)
• During a term or semester in ____(English,
  science, or history pick one)
• In an interdisciplinary unit or
  course______(English/arts or science/social
  studies)

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LDC Course Options
How might you distribute kinds of modules By
type Argumentation, Informational or
Explanatory, or Narrative By template task
level 1, 2 or 3 By level of writing difficulty
and/or reading difficulty By product to evidence
of learning (e.g., essay, report, article, memo,
proposal, etc.)
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Where Are We Starting From
If students are not proficient when they enter a
course, what is the chance that teachers will
stop, drop and teach them to read and write?
Grade 9 Reading Writing
English Low Low-Medium
U.S. History Low Low
Math Low Low
Science Low Low
PE/Health Low Low
World Language Low Low
Elective Low Low
Elective (Reading) High Low
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Where Can We Go?
Reading and writing to develop student success in
multiple subjects over multiple years. Think
about a semester like this
Grade 9 Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4
English Task 2 Task 11
U.S. History Task 2 Task 11
Math
Science Task 2 Task 17
PE/Health Task 17
World Language Task 1
Elective Task 12
Elective
Now think of replacing grades 6-12 with 28
Quarters like that!
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The Skys the Limit
On what we can build. Together.
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What are Educators Saying?
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Imagine the Possibilities!
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By Working Together
The Literacy Design Collaborative