Common Core Writing

in ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS & SOCIAL STUDIESCommon Core Writing1. Try to organize teachers in groups that are diverse a variety of grade-level and subject-area teachers at each table. 1

Learning

Describe the differences between FCAT and Common Core writing expectationsUnpack FCAT and CCSS prompts to recognize differences

Success Criteria:

Teachers will successfully deconstruct a rubric for a Common Core writing assignment.

1. Review each goal and the success criteria.2Watch the video. Determine how emotional appeals and personal experiences relate to the writing necessary for the FCAT ?

Before showing the video, ask teachers to consider the types of writing taught for FCAT Writing: expository and persuasive.

After watching the clip, ask teachers to consider what Sean Connery says about writing and to determine (as a small group) how emotional appeals and personal experiences relate to writing for the FCAT?

Ask groups to share their answers English/language arts teachers should help the social studies teachers to gain this knowledge since they may not know the expectations of the FCAT writing tests.

3PART ONE: SKIM FCAT WRITING RUBRICWhat skills and abilities are needed most for FCAT writing?

Ask teachers to take out the Florida Writes Rubric (Grades 6-12) handout and the Writing in the Classroom handouts.

Direct the teachers to skim the Florida Writes Rubric (Grades 6-12) handout and determine the skills and abilities that are assessed.

Teachers scan the information and discuss their observations as a small group. Responses are recorded on the Writing in the Classroom on Part One: Analyzing the Rubrics portion of the worksheet under FCAT.

4PART ONE: ANALYZE COMMON CORE WRITING RUBRICStart with the highest score. Determine what skills and abilities are necessary for each level of achievement.

Ask teachers to take out the Argumentation Writing Rubric: Common Core State Standards (Grades 6-12) handout.

Direct teachers to analyze the rubric (as a small group), starting with the highest level of achievement. How do the expectations change as the scores decrease?

Direct teachers to record their observations on the Writing in the Classroom worksheet under Common Core.

5PART TWO:Review FCAT Writing PromptsExamine The Way We Were FCAT prompts.

Ask teachers to turn to the The Way We Were handout. Guide them through prompts related to the kind of writing done for FCAT.

Direct the teachers to skim the FCAT prompts from 2010 to 2012 in grades 8 and 10.

3. At their tables, teachers should be encouraged to discuss the kind of SUPPORT students might use to write these essays. 6PART TWO:ccss Writing PromptsExamine The Way We are Going CCSS prompts.

Ask teachers to turn to the The Way We ARE Going handout and to continue using the Writing in the Classroom handout.

2. Direct the teachers to skim the Common Core aligned prompts and discuss their findings in their small groups.

3. Teachers record their responses in Part Two: Creating Common Core Writing Prompts on the Writing in the Classroom handout.

4. Encourage the students to share the information as a large group.

7

CCSS

RUBRIC

Points to Make About the RubricTeachers can use this rubric or tweak this to make it their own in both English/language arts and social studies.

Give the students rubrics BEFORE they write self-evaluation is a HIGH YIELD strategy. The check mark at the top will be used throughout the year to remind teachers that this information could help them on their evaluation. Highly Effective Teachers allow students to self-evaluate through the learning process.

Finally, the FEATURES of the rubric are very importantDeveloping an argument requires a solid claim backed with evidence the strongest evidence being from textTier two and three vocabulary should be used throughout writing encouraging students to use sophisticated language effectively

8PART THREE: FCAT Writing prompts vs. ccss Writing PromptsHow do the prompts for FCAT differ from the CCSS prompts?

On the back side of the Writing in the Classroom worksheet, teachers will consider all of the information that has been covered: FCAT compare and contrast the features of the FCAT and Common Core writing prompts.

Help teachers come to the conclusion that they should be creating writing prompts for their formative and summative assessments that are aligned to the Common Core.

Teachers should recognize that CCSS prompts:require students to create a claimrequire students to find text-based evidence and cite that evidencerequire students to explain or create commentary for the evidence

9Whats Whats Responding with bias or opinionCiting Text Evidence to Support ClaimLittle or No Background Knowledge About TopicClose Reading Multiple SourcesDeveloping a ClaimText Based Questions with DOKsInvented Statistics and Anecdotal EvidenceNEWSO LAST SEASON

LACC.68.RI.1.1LACC.68.RI.1.2LACC.68.RI.1.3LACC.68.RI.2.5LACC.68.RI.2.6LACC.68.RI.3.7

LACC.68.W.2.6LACC.68.W.3.7LACC.68.W.3.8LACC.68.W.3.9LACC.68.W.1.1LACC.68.W.1.2LACC.68.W.4.10Write routinely for a range of tasks, purposes and audiences. Thesis Statements Reliant on Personal ExperiencesThis is for middle grade teachers. Hide the high school version of this slide.

Review each point on this slide with the teachers. If the teachers brought their placemats/standards, this is a great opportunity to see how the standards tie into each of the Whats New items.10Whats Whats Responding with bias or opinionCiting Text Evidence to Support ClaimLittle or No Background Knowledge About TopicClose Reading Multiple SourcesDeveloping a ClaimText Based Questions with DOKsInvented Statistics and Anecdotal EvidenceNEWSO LAST SEASON

LACC.910.RI.1.1LACC.910.RI.1.2LACC.910.RI.1.3LACC.910.RI.2.5LACC.910.RI.2.6LACC.910.RI.3.7

LACC.910.W.2.6LACC.910.W.3.7LACC.910.W.3.8LACC.910.W.3.9LACC.910.W.1.1LACC.910.W.1.2LACC.910.W.4.10Write routinely for a range of tasks, purposes and audiences. Thesis Statements Reliant on Personal ExperiencesThis is for high school teachers. Hide the middle school version of this slide.

Review each point on this slide with the teachers. If the teachers brought their placemats/standards, this is a great opportunity to see how the standards tie into each of the Whats New items.

11Dont Forget! Informative, Explanatory, & narrative Writing are still important!LACC.68.WHST.2.3Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. LACC.68.W.1.2Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.INFORMATIONAL/EXPLANATORY WRITING STANDARDSNARRATIVE WRITING STANDARDSThis is for middle school teachers. Hide the high school version of this slide.

Review the Informational/Explanatory and Narrative writing standards.

Points that should be made:Common Core writing standards will now include claim-based writing (also known as evidence-based writing).For secondary students, there is still a need to learn the skills and abilities related to Informative/Explanatory and Narrative Writing.All teachers should review their CCSS placemats for the EXACT standards included in their course descriptions.

12Dont Forget! Informative, Explanatory, & narrative Writing are still important!LACC.910.WHST.2.3Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. LACC.910.W.1.2Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. INFORMATIONAL/EXPLANATORY WRITING STANDARDSNARRATIVE WRITING STANDARDSThis is for high school teachers. Hide the middle school version of this slide.

Review the Informational/Explanatory and Narrative writing standards.

Points that should be made:Common Core writing standards will now include claim-based writing (also known as evidence-based writing).For secondary students, there is still a need to learn the skills and abilities related to Informative/Explanatory and Narrative Writing.All teachers should review their CCSS placemats for the EXACT standards included in their course descriptions.

13Reflect on Writing in English and Social Studies

1. Finally, allow the teachers to discuss the implications of todays training for their individual courses. They will share the information on the next slide.14

Consider how you will integrate claim-based writing into your instruction. Select student samples to bring to next months late start/early release to assess using a CCSS rubric.Click once -- To prepare for next months training, ask teachers to share their thoughts on how Common Core writing standards will affect their instruction.

Click again Finally, encourage teachers to create prompts and rubrics for their classes. As they collect student samples over the next few weeks, ask them to bring the samples (a variety of Pro, Semi-Pro, Novice, and Pre-Novice is encouraged) to next months late start/early release. 15