CEP 822
Chronological from beginning of the semester
Common Core Writing and Reading Program: Intro
As more states across the nation make the shift to Common Core standards, the rigor increases and the expectations of higher level thinking skills required for proficiency far surpasses what students have been required for proficiency. Being an upper elementary teacher, I am eager to see the effects on students having been held to these standards all along, but what does that mean for those students in upper elementary who have barely gained exposure to what we are now asking. Going through their elementary career, students have not been asked to write informational texts and their time of free writing has nearly vanished. How do we adopt a reading and writing program in upper elementary that will make up for the shortcomings of these students while allowing for them to move at their readiness level and be successful with the new standards? What would that reading and writing program look like? So to begin exploring these options, the real question is, what are the best practices and methodology for upper elementary students in Common Core State Standards to be successful in reading and writing?
During the 2011 – 2012 school year, I was hired as a Fourth Grade Reading teacher, and that was it. Our school had separated reading and writing for my group of students. I was handed the SRA Open Court curriculum and was informed that our Science and Social Studies teacher would also teach writing, but had not curriculum or standards to abide by. I was then given the option to veer away from Open Court and go where I saw fit as long as the standards were met for the North Carolina Standard Course of Study and that the students proved proficient on the End of Grade Test. This lack of curricular structure, led me to discuss the options with other teachers. Every teacher in our building was doing something different for their reading and writing instruction. The only consistency was that we all had the Open Court materials, some of them, and that we were aware of Reading A-Z as a program that was available. Continuing through the year, I saw the disconnect among grade levels as well as a lack of communication between all reading and writing teachers. In the past, writing had been tested, but was recently dropped and merely a writing sample is kept in each student’s portfolio. Through this research, I hope to find a program that will enable our teachers to have consistency and routine in their instruction to better prepare students for the level of writing required for reading comprehension through Common Core.
In doing so, I plan to present the data to our school Principal to review for the upcoming 2012 – 2013 school year. By piloting this program, there may be an opportunity for our district leaders to review our work with the program and potentially implement them across the district. However, for full district adoption, I will need to keep in mind the cost of the programs I review, as well as the training required for teachers to understand the materials and implementation of the program. Therefore, this will not only guide my instruction in the fall, but potentially also within my school and district to benefit all students to be successful.
Initially, I looked to leaders within my school and two individuals who presented at our professional development conference. After extensive discussions, I have decided to review work and research done by Lucy Caulkins, Gail Boushey and Joan Moser – The 2Sister of the Daily Five and Café, Dr. Robert Marzano, and Debbie Diller to name a few. There have been additional researchers whom have conducted research upon these programs, but through this study I hope to review their work as well as discussing with teachers who have implemented these programs and seen results to reach my final conclusion. It was the consensus, that students must comprehend more informational texts and use higher order thinking skills, being able to explain their thinking through writing to meet Common Core State Standards. This is an ongoing issue and debate within classrooms across the country. When reviewing the Six Shifts of the Common Core State Standards, there are now required standards for writing that have not been in place prior to adopting the standards. For example, one shift has gone from writing a persuasive text to an argumentative text, not just your opinion, but have the evidence to support that side of the argument (North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, 2012). This is just one sample of increasing the rigor of the expectations on students and their writing abilities. As the document, English Language Arts Unpacking Standards, continues, it makes it more evident that our reading and writing programs cannot remain the same, especially when they were nonexistent to begin with. If students are raised to higher standards, we must be able to use the curriculum to help them meet and exceed those standards.
Works Cited
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. (2012). English Language Arts Unpacking Standards. Retrieved from http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/docs/acre/standards/common-core-tools/unpacking/ela/4.pdf
During the 2011 – 2012 school year, I was hired as a Fourth Grade Reading teacher, and that was it. Our school had separated reading and writing for my group of students. I was handed the SRA Open Court curriculum and was informed that our Science and Social Studies teacher would also teach writing, but had not curriculum or standards to abide by. I was then given the option to veer away from Open Court and go where I saw fit as long as the standards were met for the North Carolina Standard Course of Study and that the students proved proficient on the End of Grade Test. This lack of curricular structure, led me to discuss the options with other teachers. Every teacher in our building was doing something different for their reading and writing instruction. The only consistency was that we all had the Open Court materials, some of them, and that we were aware of Reading A-Z as a program that was available. Continuing through the year, I saw the disconnect among grade levels as well as a lack of communication between all reading and writing teachers. In the past, writing had been tested, but was recently dropped and merely a writing sample is kept in each student’s portfolio. Through this research, I hope to find a program that will enable our teachers to have consistency and routine in their instruction to better prepare students for the level of writing required for reading comprehension through Common Core.
In doing so, I plan to present the data to our school Principal to review for the upcoming 2012 – 2013 school year. By piloting this program, there may be an opportunity for our district leaders to review our work with the program and potentially implement them across the district. However, for full district adoption, I will need to keep in mind the cost of the programs I review, as well as the training required for teachers to understand the materials and implementation of the program. Therefore, this will not only guide my instruction in the fall, but potentially also within my school and district to benefit all students to be successful.
Initially, I looked to leaders within my school and two individuals who presented at our professional development conference. After extensive discussions, I have decided to review work and research done by Lucy Caulkins, Gail Boushey and Joan Moser – The 2Sister of the Daily Five and Café, Dr. Robert Marzano, and Debbie Diller to name a few. There have been additional researchers whom have conducted research upon these programs, but through this study I hope to review their work as well as discussing with teachers who have implemented these programs and seen results to reach my final conclusion. It was the consensus, that students must comprehend more informational texts and use higher order thinking skills, being able to explain their thinking through writing to meet Common Core State Standards. This is an ongoing issue and debate within classrooms across the country. When reviewing the Six Shifts of the Common Core State Standards, there are now required standards for writing that have not been in place prior to adopting the standards. For example, one shift has gone from writing a persuasive text to an argumentative text, not just your opinion, but have the evidence to support that side of the argument (North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, 2012). This is just one sample of increasing the rigor of the expectations on students and their writing abilities. As the document, English Language Arts Unpacking Standards, continues, it makes it more evident that our reading and writing programs cannot remain the same, especially when they were nonexistent to begin with. If students are raised to higher standards, we must be able to use the curriculum to help them meet and exceed those standards.
Works Cited
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. (2012). English Language Arts Unpacking Standards. Retrieved from http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/docs/acre/standards/common-core-tools/unpacking/ela/4.pdf
Annotated Bibliography
Literature Review
Counting Plan
Two cups of coffee, two halves of plain bagel, two tablespoons of cream cheese, eight hours of sleep, and one happy morning. I often think of counting things on a regular basis, as strange as that seems. I tend to think quantitatively about the frequency of things, for example, yesterday I had the hiccups three times and sneeze seven today. There are so many numbers that rule our daily routines and affect our lives that we rarely think about. I think it is safe to say that the most commonly counted item for adults are calories, whether they are consumed or spent and for children how many songs are on their ipod or levels achieved on a video game. I think it says a lot about a person, if you asked them one quantity from their day or life, what would they say?
In the teacher world, my focus is completely different. How many of my students say please or thank you? How long does it take the average student to go to the bathroom and at what length of time should I be concerned? How many students are present today? How many copies do I make of this assignment? How many pages did they read for homework? My daily life is consumed by numbers at school, and I am only a reading teacher. The increasing amount of data driven instruction adds to those numbers, how many students mastered the concept? How many words did they read in a minute? What is their AR level and how many points is that book worth? It is truly shocking when you think about the countless numbers we encounter regularly.
I would like my counting plan to tie into my research topic. How many minutes are students given to write (or read) in one day? This count will be collected as a poll from all teachers anonymously. In that poll I would also ask the subject they teach. Moving to Common Core Standard Course of Study, literacy should be present in every classroom regardless of the subject. Students may read nonfiction texts and respond to them, they should read and write word problems in math, they should be able to explain and justify their answers, they should be able to explain the process they followed to reach that solution, etc.
I would like to count this because research states that students should spend at least 90 minutes a day in literacy. I am afraid that although they are getting a 90 minute literacy block (in some grades), that instructional time is being somewhat lost and the 90 minutes are not preserved. Another concern may be the honesty of the teachers completing the poll. Using the information, I would be able to support other teachers to incorporate reading and writing in their lessons, or encourage teachers to find other ways to allow students additional literacy time.
By including literacy in all classrooms, reading and writing become interdisciplinary and will make up for the instructional minutes lost in Language Arts class. These results may also support the need for additional time spent reading and writing or homework, to insure that 90 minutes are spent daily. The connection of literacy between the classroom and home is also supported by the research I found. Literacy cannot stop at the end of the school day, they need to see the continuation of reading and writing in all aspects of their life. To truly be proficient according to Common Core, students need to see the ties of literacy across all subjects and dedicate the time to practicing those skills. Through this counting plan, it would confirm or deny the need for additional efforts in all classes to allow for literacy to take place, and may even prove that this may be an immediate concern. If proven that very little time is dedicated daily, then it would further emphasize the need for writing workshop in all Language Arts classroom, and may change the way that my school looks at literacy and our curriculum. Additionally, this could lead to action research through which a team of teachers really evaluates and practices a variety of ways through which literacy can be used in other subjects (math, science, social studies, even the specials classes – art and music). This counting plan may lead a realization and confirmation that there is not enough time truly utilized for literacy in the day.
In the teacher world, my focus is completely different. How many of my students say please or thank you? How long does it take the average student to go to the bathroom and at what length of time should I be concerned? How many students are present today? How many copies do I make of this assignment? How many pages did they read for homework? My daily life is consumed by numbers at school, and I am only a reading teacher. The increasing amount of data driven instruction adds to those numbers, how many students mastered the concept? How many words did they read in a minute? What is their AR level and how many points is that book worth? It is truly shocking when you think about the countless numbers we encounter regularly.
I would like my counting plan to tie into my research topic. How many minutes are students given to write (or read) in one day? This count will be collected as a poll from all teachers anonymously. In that poll I would also ask the subject they teach. Moving to Common Core Standard Course of Study, literacy should be present in every classroom regardless of the subject. Students may read nonfiction texts and respond to them, they should read and write word problems in math, they should be able to explain and justify their answers, they should be able to explain the process they followed to reach that solution, etc.
I would like to count this because research states that students should spend at least 90 minutes a day in literacy. I am afraid that although they are getting a 90 minute literacy block (in some grades), that instructional time is being somewhat lost and the 90 minutes are not preserved. Another concern may be the honesty of the teachers completing the poll. Using the information, I would be able to support other teachers to incorporate reading and writing in their lessons, or encourage teachers to find other ways to allow students additional literacy time.
By including literacy in all classrooms, reading and writing become interdisciplinary and will make up for the instructional minutes lost in Language Arts class. These results may also support the need for additional time spent reading and writing or homework, to insure that 90 minutes are spent daily. The connection of literacy between the classroom and home is also supported by the research I found. Literacy cannot stop at the end of the school day, they need to see the continuation of reading and writing in all aspects of their life. To truly be proficient according to Common Core, students need to see the ties of literacy across all subjects and dedicate the time to practicing those skills. Through this counting plan, it would confirm or deny the need for additional efforts in all classes to allow for literacy to take place, and may even prove that this may be an immediate concern. If proven that very little time is dedicated daily, then it would further emphasize the need for writing workshop in all Language Arts classroom, and may change the way that my school looks at literacy and our curriculum. Additionally, this could lead to action research through which a team of teachers really evaluates and practices a variety of ways through which literacy can be used in other subjects (math, science, social studies, even the specials classes – art and music). This counting plan may lead a realization and confirmation that there is not enough time truly utilized for literacy in the day.
Workshop Research Cliffnotes
(1) Your research question
What are the best practices and methodology for upper elementary students in Common Core State Standards to be successful in reading and writing?
(2) The intended population you wish to study (examples may include my 3rd grade students, my fellow teachers, my school's curricula/standards, etc.).
My population will be focused this fall on my 4th grade students, but will also look into the practices of other teachers within out school. We are just now switching to Common Core and I am curious to see how reading and writing instruction changes to reflect the changes in the standards. I will implement workshops in my classroom and use the results to show growth versus my instruction last year.
(3) What you plan on measuring in your study (student learning, teacher attitudes, history of an educational practice, usage of technology, etc.).
I will measure student learning in regards to their ability to read and write. The basis for the change in curriculum and practices is based upon the educational research and theories that have been published in the past.
(4) How you plan on acquiring the data for your study (a test, a survey, historical documents, etc.).
I will collect writing samples from the beginning of the year, as well as previous year's writing samples from their student portfolios. I will use research based measures for data improvement such as Reading 3D and rubrics to show the students' growth. I plan to survey teachers on their practices, while following my counting plan, to find out how much time is truly dedicated to literacy each day in every class.
(5) Which general form of design you intend to employ
This study will primarily be qualitative, although I feel that there should be some quantitative data used, for reading I would use data and I would survey teachers and students to get their take on the workshops. As for qualitative, this may involve a variety of data collection. For example, through interactive, I would observe the collective classroom as a social group and the conversations had through ethnographic research, but also may have a specific case study of students in my classroom and possibly others. Ideally, I would achieve a triangulation design for research, so that there is less subjectivity in the qualitative findings.
What are the best practices and methodology for upper elementary students in Common Core State Standards to be successful in reading and writing?
(2) The intended population you wish to study (examples may include my 3rd grade students, my fellow teachers, my school's curricula/standards, etc.).
My population will be focused this fall on my 4th grade students, but will also look into the practices of other teachers within out school. We are just now switching to Common Core and I am curious to see how reading and writing instruction changes to reflect the changes in the standards. I will implement workshops in my classroom and use the results to show growth versus my instruction last year.
(3) What you plan on measuring in your study (student learning, teacher attitudes, history of an educational practice, usage of technology, etc.).
I will measure student learning in regards to their ability to read and write. The basis for the change in curriculum and practices is based upon the educational research and theories that have been published in the past.
(4) How you plan on acquiring the data for your study (a test, a survey, historical documents, etc.).
I will collect writing samples from the beginning of the year, as well as previous year's writing samples from their student portfolios. I will use research based measures for data improvement such as Reading 3D and rubrics to show the students' growth. I plan to survey teachers on their practices, while following my counting plan, to find out how much time is truly dedicated to literacy each day in every class.
(5) Which general form of design you intend to employ
This study will primarily be qualitative, although I feel that there should be some quantitative data used, for reading I would use data and I would survey teachers and students to get their take on the workshops. As for qualitative, this may involve a variety of data collection. For example, through interactive, I would observe the collective classroom as a social group and the conversations had through ethnographic research, but also may have a specific case study of students in my classroom and possibly others. Ideally, I would achieve a triangulation design for research, so that there is less subjectivity in the qualitative findings.