ENGLISH I SATURDAY WORKSHOP 1October 18, 2014

Welcome

Anita Alexander

aalexander@acpsd.net

Joe Powell

josephp@acpsd.net

Norms• Limit technology to professional use

• Participate actively in activities

• Respect the opinions of others

• Be willing to share information with other teachers

Outcomes

• Analyze available information about the English I EOC.

• Experience strategies for improving students’ reading skills.

• Evaluate available resources.

Essential Question

• How can we help students become more proficient at reading, writing, and thinking?

Brainstorming

What areas of the English I EOC most challenge your students?

English I EOCEP Test Blueprint

RL RI L W

16 - 20

22 - 25

6 - 10 8 - 10

Field Test Feedback

• foreshadowing• flashback • mood• idioms in context• first person narration • time

Foreshadowing

• Can readers recognize when an author uses foreshadowing?

• Can readers explain how foreshadowing contributes to a text?

Example: Which event from the story foreshadows…

Flashback

• Do readers know when a flashback is taking place?

• Do readers understand why the author chooses to include a flashback in a text?

Example: How does the text mentioning (events before the story) affect your understanding of (something

that takes place later in the selection)?

Mood

• What techniques can an author use to establish mood in a text?

• How does word choice affect the mood in a selection?

Example: What words and phrases does the author use

to…

Idioms in Context

• Can students use context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar idioms and idiomatic expressions?

Example: Joe felt Anita's teasing was really below the belt,

and he couldn't help but cry.

First Person Narrative

• Can readers recognize first person narration?

• Can readers recognize how changing to or from first person narration can affect a text?

Example: How would the selection change if Rainsford narrated the events from his point of view?

Time

• Students performed better on field test items on exams administered during the morning.

• Students needed more than a typical class period to take the EOC.

Reflection

Discuss• How have your thoughts changed in regard to what will challenge your students?

STUDENT DATA 8th Grade 2014 and 7th Grade 2014

Literary Texts – 8th Grade 2014

Shows

Streng

ths

May

Ben

efit

from

Add

itiona

l Act

ivitie

s

Shows

Wea

knes

s

763

505 560

Literary Texts – 7th Grade 2014950

472 472

Info Texts – 8th Grade 2014839

604

385

Info Text – 7th Grade 2014

384

848

662

Turn and Talk

How does this data affect your long-term/general instructional plan for 2014-15?

How does the data align with and/or differ from what you observe in your students?

Vocabulary – 8th Grade 2014

578

818

432

Vocabulary – 7th Grade 2014

630

909

355

Research – 8th Grade 2014 626 623

579

Research – 7th Grade 2014

528

754612

Turn and Talk • How do you address vocabulary and research instruction

in your classroom?

Considerations

• The EOC can have a drama excerpt beginning in 2014-15.

• Vocabulary items appear with literary and informational texts.

• Research items often embedded with literary and informational texts.

• Tone and mood fall under vocabulary for assessment purposes.

RELEASED ITEMS

“Ickes” Speech• Read the speech and complete the assessment items. As

you work through the material, please make note of

specific skills students will need to complete each item.

vocabulary and concepts students will find challenging.

CLOSE READING

Example – Gettysburg Address

Why does Lincoln believe the Union must win the war?

• Cite specific textual evidence that supports your thinking.

• Review the lesson resources on using quotation marks with direct quotes.

Sample Responses - War is bad and ending the war will mean people will stop

being killed. Lincoln is the President. He does not want Americans to die.

- He is the President and the people will not vote for him if he loses. And he supports the troops.

- Lincoln is bad news. He won’t lose. Hit them while they down.

- He says the nation was founded on the belief that all men were created equal. The North has to win to end slavery and start making everyone equal.

Student Challenges• “I didn’t want to plagiarize so I put it into my own words.”

• “So, do you just want me to copy what we read to answer each question?”

• “Last year my teacher always asked how the story reminded us of someone we knew or something that had happened to us.”

• “Can you, like, show me exactly what to do?”

Instructional Interventions• Clarify instructions and procedures

• Model desired product

• Engage students in regular and routine close reading tasks

• Provide descriptive feedback - “To improve this response you could…”

Three Assignments Later…One event that happened during the Great Depression was that many people had lost the homes.  As it showed in the pictures, many people lived in little tents or shacks. These tents held the families of people who had lost there jobs due to the stock market crash.  Another event that happened was that many teenagers left their families and went off to find jobs. These kids were known as "rail riders". As mentioned in Life During the Great Depression, many kids left their homes because they either felt like a burden to their families or were ashamed of their poverty and unemployment. Another event that happened was that many husbands left their wives and families behind. As mentioned in America in the 1930s,many husbands would just abandon their families because they would become so frustrated with the fact of having bleak chances to get a job or just because of the lack in self-respect they had for themselves. Children were also affected by the Great Depression. Many kids suffered from malnutrition because their families couldn't provided things such as milk, fresh vegetables, eggs, etc.  Many kids died due to the fact that their bodies couldn't fight off the disease.

FrameworkEngagement Analysis Query

read through whole text for content

What does the text say?

What is the author telling me?

read through targeted portions for

craft

How does the text work?

How does the author play with language and structure to enhance

meaning?

read through partial sections for context

What does the text mean?

What does the author want me to know,

understand, or do?

read through all or some for

connections

Why does it matter? How does it affect me/my world view?

Times of Tragedy

Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster

- President Ronald Reagan

Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial

- President Bill Clinton

Background Information

Reagan’s Speech

Shared Reading

Process1. Follow along as I reread selected portions of

the speech.

2. Locate two examples of Reagan using first person plural pronouns.

3. Respond to the following question: What is the effect of Reagan’s use of plural pronouns?

- Include the examples in your response.

Reflection

• How did rereading portions of the text assist you with understanding Reagan’s message?

Collaborative Work

Process1. View the background information video.

2. Experience President Clinton’s speech about the event.

3. Work collaboratively to complete the close reading exercise for the speech.

Background Information

Clinton’s Speech

Independent Work

Respond to the following question

How are Reagan and Clinton’s speeches similar in style, structure, and purpose?

Make sure your response

1. includes specific examples from each text

2. explains how the examples support your

thinking

Break

Reflection

1. Look over the model lesson

2. Consider how the close reading approach modeled in the lesson can support students with becoming more proficient readers, writers, and thinkers

3. Partner with a new participant to discuss the need to engage students in routine close reading practice model the thinking necessary to analyze and evaluate

texts release responsibility gradually to students

ADDITIONAL PRACTICE ITEMS

Process

1. Work collaboratively to plan how you could use close reading to assist students with understanding the text

2. Consider how you can assist students with being successful while avoiding “teaching them the questions and answers”

3. Present an overview of your approach (use provided anchor chart paper)

Compass Points

  otice

uggest

njoy

What do you…

onder

Next Session• Complete the reflective guide prior to the meeting.

Reflection and Feedback

Your survey (and check) are in the mail.

Begin

Session II Slides

METACOGNITION Classroom culture – Removing the stigma associated with not knowing

Culture- Encourage students to identity confusions within the classroom culture- Ask them what is confusing- Recognize difficulties

Culture- Integrate reflection into the graded course work

- Encourage reflection by giving it value- Ask students to share what they found challenging about a task and how they overcame it

Culture - Model metacognitive processes for students

- Use read alouds/think alouds to model the mental processes of a reader

- Call attention to what confuses you and how you seek resolution

- Work through a task and model the thinking needed to complete it

STRATEGIES

Pre-assessments

Encouraging Students to Examine Their Current Thinking: “What do I already know about this topic that could guide my learning?”

The Muddiest Point

Giving Students Practice in Identifying Confusions: “What was most confusing to me about the material explored in class today?”

Retrospective Journal

Pushing Students to Recognize Conceptual Change: “Before reading this essay I though the Gettysburg Address was… Now I think the speech is ….” or “How is my thinking changing (or not changing) over time?”

Reflective Journal