Middletown Township Public Schools Middle School English Language Arts Guidelines 2015-2016 Our Middle School 6th-8 th Grade English Language Arts is aligned to the Common Core State Standards and the Model Framework that the New Jersey Department of Education created to guide districts as they implement curriculum that will support the work of our teachers and promote student achievement. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS), the next generation of K-12 standards, are both rigorous and internationally benchmarked. They have been designed based on research and evidence to prepare students for college and career readiness in the 21 st century. One set of College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening, and Language have been developed to span grades K-12. The level and the depth and complexity of the indicators increases to align with each grade level. The indicators are listed specifically at the beginning of each section of this guide and infused throughout the grade-level standards. Literacy instruction must include digital and web-based resources. Students need to be exposed to the vast quantity of digital information and communication technologies that are available. Students must be guided to develop literacy skills and strategies that will enable them to responsibly participate in a global environment. All students need to develop an understanding of the nature and impact of technology, engineering, and technological designs, as they relate to our individual and global societies. Technology and digital resources will continue to evolve and we must routinely seek tools and applications that will enhance student learning, creativity and productivity. The structure of the Elementary 6 th -8 th Grade English Language Arts curriculum presents five unit plans for each grade level. The focus and theme of the units are aligned with the Common Core State Standards. The specific content and complexity of activities and student expectations increases across the grade levels. All grade level units include a pacing guide that provides a scope and sequence that guides pacing from September through June. The Common Core Initiative also includes reading and writing anchor standards for Social Studies, History, Science and Technical subjects. They require students to work vigorously with informational text to achieve content specific reading and writing standards. Literacy skills are no longer taught exclusively in English or language arts classes. When students leave high school and enter college or the work force, 80% of the text they will need to work with will be non-fiction or informational. Starting to develop these skills at the elementary level with connections to both the novels students read in class and real world events make learning meaningful and authentic. The Common Core State Standards are written in a way that make them very linear, easy to follow and user friendly. The same Anchor Standards are sustained through all grade levels gaining in rigor and complexity with more advanced grade level indicators as they progress from Kindergarten to 12 th grade. Additional information on the Common Core State Standards may be accessed via the following links: General information for students teachers and parents http://www.corestandards.org/ English Language Arts Standards including Exemplar Text and Sample Tasks - http://www.corestandards.org/ela-literacy/. Additional resources and information on the major ELA shifts, appendixes, and FAQ s http://www.corestandards.org/other-resources/ Instruction must show evidence of major shifts in English Language Arts instruction aligned with the Common Core State Standards that follow:
Major Shifts in English Language Arts & Literacy Instruction Shift 1: Increase Reading of Informational Text Shift 2: Text Complexity Shift 3: Academic Vocabulary Shift 4: Text-based Answers Shift 5: Increase Writing from Sources Shift 6: Literacy Instruction in all Content Areas Classrooms are places where students access the world science, social studies, the arts and literature through informational and literary text. In the elementary, at least 50% of what students read is informational; in middle school, it is 55%, and by the end of high school it is 70%. Increasing the amount of informational text students read in grades K-12 will prepare them to read college and career-ready texts. In order to prepare students for the complexity of college and careerready texts, each grade level requires growth in text complexity. Students read the central, grade-appropriate text around which instruction is centered (See exemplars and sample tasks, Appendix B). Teachers create more time in the curriculum for close and careful reading and provide appropriate and necessary supports to make the central text accessible to students reading below grade level. Students are constantly acquiring the vocabulary they need to be able to access grade-level complex text. By focusing strategically on comprehension of pivotal and commonly found words (such as discourse, generation, theory, and principled ) teachers constantly build students ability to access more complex texts across content areas. (See Appendix A, pages 33-36). Students have rich and rigorous conversations which are dependent upon their reading of a central text. Teachers ensure classroom experiences stay deeply connected to the text and that students develop habits for making evidentiary arguments based on the text, both in conversations as well as in writing, to assess their comprehension of a text. (See Appendix A, page 2). Writing instruction emphasizes the use of evidence to inform or to make an argument, and includes short, focused research projects in grades K-12. Students in grades K-12 develop college and career-ready skills through written arguments that respond to the ideas, events, facts and arguments presented in the texts they listen to and read. Content-area teachers emphasize reading and writing CCSS ELA standards in their planning and instruction for teaching the content. Students learn through reading domain-specific texts in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects and by writing informative/explanatory and argumentative pieces.
The Middle School 6-8 English Language Arts curriculum presents five unit plans for each grade level. The focus and theme of the units are aligned with the Common Core State Standards. The specific content and complexity of activities and student expectations increases across the grade levels. Each unit includes the following: Summary List of CCSS that are aligned with the unit Essential Questions Enduring Understandings Instructional Outcomes Suggested Instructional Strategies Suggested Student Learning Activities Suggested Evidence/Assessment Methods Suggested Materials/Resources Online Resources Model of Instruction Student learning is based on a balanced literacy model of instruction and includes skill based lessons in reading, writing, word study and speaking & listening. Students are engaged in both direct and indirect instruction in whole group and small group settings. Classroom libraries and literacy centers provide opportunities for shared and individual learning experiences and help students develop a deep appreciation for quality literature. Teachers scaffold instruction to align with the needs of individual students to support growth, independence and achievement in reading and writing. Thematic novels, authentic literature and quality non-fiction/informational text are embedded throughout the curriculum with a core emphasis on making inter-disciplinary connections and drawing evidence from text. READING Reading instruction follows a workshop model and usually begins with a 15-20 minute minilesson that allows the teacher to model a specific targeted skill or strategy. Teachers will often use authentic literature to demonstrate the strategy that will be the focus of the lesson. Following the whole group instruction, students move into guided reading groups where they use leveled literature that is just right and aligned to their independent reading level as indicated by the DRA2 and furthered informed by District and State assessments. During guided reading the teacher will conference with students in small groups or individually to develop reading and comprehension strategies. This allows teachers to develop an understanding of each student s needs, monitor progress, take anecdotal notes and provide interventions and enrichment. Teachers provide the support needed for students to develop reading stamina and strong reading comprehension skills and to make text to self, text to text and text to world connections.
DRA2 Assessments The Development Reading Assessment (DRA2) will be administered to middle school students according to the following guidelines: All students receiving special education services or in the I&RS process to address and remediate academic concerns be formatively assessed twice a year in the fall and spring. 2015-2016 DRA2 Administration Timelines Assessment Due Date (& Entered in Google Doc) DRA2 Winter 2015 February 18, 2016 DRA2 Spring 2016 May 20, 2016 DRA2 Focus for Instruction and Word Analysis Teachers will use the Focus for Instruction to align necessary interventions to individual student needs as they develop the following literacy skills: Reading Engagement Oral Reading Fluency Comprehension DRA Levels All students will work with literature and non-fiction informational text that is closely aligned to their independent reading level. Students will move to higher leveled books whenever necessary as their reading skills advance. GRADE LEVEL DRA2 GRADE LEVEL BENCHMARKS FOR STUDENT INDEPENDENT READING LEVELS FOR 2013-2014 On Grade Level Scores SIXTH Beginning of the school year 50 End of the school year 60 SEVENTH Beginning of the school year 60 End of the school year 70 EIGHTH Beginning of the school year 70 At the middle school level students move along a continuum during the school year to develop deeper levels of comprehension. End of the school year 80 *Teachers will monitor how students are advancing along this continuum by implementing higher level comprehension questions that evaluate student understanding of increasingly complex text.
VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT & SPELLING Vocabulary instruction is both explicit and implicit. Teachers provide students with terms and definitions that are appropriate to grade and reading level. Students will learn to use new words in grade level text for the purpose of reading, writing, spelling, and speaking in all content areas. Students are encouraged to monitor their comprehension by identifying unfamiliar vocabulary in both assigned and independent reading. Research shows that the best way to address spelling is at the individual level with each student through conferencing and editing. Traditional spelling tests are not encouraged as research done over the past twenty years indicates they have little if any impact on a student s ability to spell. Instead, spelling should be evaluated using a rubric during the holistic scoring of a written piece as it is being prepared for publishing. Vocabulary researchers Isabel Beck, Margaret McKeown, and Linda Kucan argue that work knowledge must be constructed as networks of personal connections and useful associations. Students need to learn multiple facets about a word s meaning and practice using the word in a variety of context so they can integrate the word into their existing background knowledge. The Common Core State Standards Require Students to Develop Academic Vocabulary Definition: Tiered Vocabulary is an organizational framework for categorizing words and suggests implications for instruction. (The three-tier framework was developed by Isabel Beck and Margaret McKeown) Tier 1: Common, Known Words Examples: big, small, house, table, family Tier I words are basic, everyday words that are a part of most children s vocabulary. These are words used every day in conversation, and most of them are learned by hearing family, peers, and teachers use them when speaking. These words are especially important for English language learners who may not be familiar with them. Tier 2: High-Frequency Words (aka Cross-Curricular Vocabulary Examples: justify, explain, expand, predict, summarize, maintain Tier 2 words include frequently occurring words that appear in various contexts and topics and play an important role in verbal functioning across a variety of content areas. These are general academic words and have high utility across a wide range of topics and contexts.
Another way to think of Tier 2 vocabulary is as cross-curricular terms. For example, the term justify and predict frequently appear in Science, Social Studies, and English texts. Tier 3: Low-Frequency, Domain-Specific words Examples: isotope, tectonic plates, carcinogens, mitosis, lithosphere Tier 3 words are domain specific vocabulary. Words in this category are low frequency, specialized words that appear in specific fields or content areas. We anticipate that students will be unfamiliar with Tier 3 words. Beck suggests teaching these words as the need arises for comprehension in specific content areas. http://www.learningunlimitedllc.com/ The Common Core indicates the importance of targeting specific instruction on Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary words to help students develop deep understandings that cannot be acquired through independent reading. Since Tier 3 words are typically targeted in content-specific instruction, it's particularly important and challenging to identify and target Tier 2 words, as these terms will appear across all disciplines. The task at hand, then, appears to be identifying the Tier 2 words and finding effective instructional strategies to support acquisition of those words. http://d97cooltools.blogspot.com/2012/09/commoncoreunpackingacademicvocabulary.html Using Word Walls Classrooms prominently display word walls containing organized collections of words that align with instructional goals. Word walls provide students with quick and easy access to vocabulary relevant to the work they are doing in class. Word walls grow, change and evolve throughout the year and are aligned with the instruction taking place in each classroom. Word walls are not limited to Language Arts Literacy and are also used to provide students with visual evidence of words they are using in context in Math, Science and Social Studies. Word walls are perennially works in progress that can interactively engage students when used as instructional tools. Using Anchor Charts to Make Thinking Visible www.engageny.org/sites/default/files/resource/.../anchor_charts.pdf Anchor charts build a culture of literacy in the classroom, as teachers and students make thinking visible by recording content, strategies, processes, cues, and guidelines during the learning process. Posting anchor charts keeps relevant and current learning accessible to students to remind them of prior learning and to enable them to make connections as new learning happens. Students refer to the charts and use them as tools as they answer questions, expand ideas, or contribute to discussions and problem-solving in class. Building Anchor Charts Teachers model building anchor charts as they work with students to debrief strategies modeled in a minilesson. Students add ideas to an anchor chart as they apply new learning, discover interesting ideas, or develop useful strategies for problem-solving or skill application. Teachers and students add to anchor charts as they debrief student work time, recording important facts, useful strategies, steps in a process, or quality criteria. Students create anchor charts during small group and independent work to share with the rest of the class.
WRITING Our writing instruction allows teachers to guide students to become young authors. Teachers coach students and encourage them to take ownership of their writing. Spelling, grammar and punctuation instruction is embedded in each student s writing. Students focus on the authentic and ongoing process of writing instead of a written product. When students write, they are encouraged to build upon what they know and make connections to the world around them. The Writers Workshop model of process writing instruction begins with a brief mini-lesson during which the teacher models an explicit writing skill often using mentor text to exemplify how real authors write. Following the mini-lesson students participate in guided practice of the skill modeled in the mini-lesson. Students work individually, with partners or in small groups as the teacher moves about the room conferencing with students to refine their writing. Students move along a continuum as they revise, edit, share, publish and celebrate each piece of writing. As we align our curriculum with the new Common Core State Standards students will be required to support their writing with text-based evidence. They will need to draw on background/foundational knowledge and include analysis of informational text in their writing. List of Required Writing Experiences for Individual Student LAL Portfolios Writing Workshop Guidelines 2015-2016 (Writing assignments are aligned with the CCSS, the NJ DOE Model Framework, and the PARCC Assessment) Sixth Grade Dates Writing Resources On Demand Publication September Launching Writer s Workshop Setting up expectations and procedures. Focus is on routine of writing process. Grade 6: Unit 1 Bend 1 Launching September/October Unit 1: - Crafting Powerful Life Stories November/ December Research-Based Information Writing Unit 3: Research- Based Information Writing- Books, Websites, & Presentations 9/8/15 (Possible data for SGO) Use publication from September as your preassessment. 10/19/15 12/21/15 by: Week of 9/28/15 by: 10/26/15 by: 12/21/15 Information: Digital Presentation
January/ February Literary Essay- From Character to Compare/Contrast Unit 2: Literary Essay- From Character to Compare/Contrast 12/14/15 by: 2/8/16 Post: Week of 2/8/16 Opinion: Literary Essay February/ March Documentaries: Bringing History to Life If Then (88-105) 2/1/16 by: Week 3/21/16 3/21/16 Information: Research Report April Journalism Grade 5: If Then (68-78) 3/14/16 4/25/16 by: 4/25/16 Opinion: Article May/June Historical Fiction: Weaving Together Fact and Fiction If Then (59-74) 4/18/16 by: 6/13/16 6/13/16 Historical Fiction
Seventh Grade Dates Writing Resources On Demand Publication September Launching Writer s Workshop Setting up expectations and procedures. Focus is on routine of writing process. Grade 6: Unit 1 Bend 1 Launching 9/8/15 (Possible data for SGO) Week of 9/28/15 October Writing Realistic Fiction- Symbolism, Syntax and Truth Unit 1: Writing Realistic Fiction- Symbolism, Syntax and Truth 9/21/15 10/26/15 10/26/15 Realistic Fiction November/ December Writing Information Books on Topics of Expertise If Then (2-16) 10/19/15 12/21/15 12/21/15 Information: Voice-Filled Information Book January/ February Literary Essay: A Mini- Unit on Analyzing Complex Texts for Meaning, Craft, and TOne If Then (106-120) 12/14/15 Post: 2/8/16 2/8/16 Opinion: Literary Essay February/ March Writing About Reading: From Reader s Notebook to Companion Books Unit 2: Writing About Reading: From Reader s Notebook to Companion Books 2/1/16 3/21/16 Week 3/21/16 Information: Companion Book April The Art of Argument: Research Based Essays Unit 3: The Art of Argument: Research Based 3/14/16 4/25/16
Essays Focus: Bends I & II 4/25/16 Opinion: Research Based Essay May/June Memoir: Writing to Reflect on Experience and Suggest Thematic Connections If Then (44-58) 4/18/16 6/13/16 Memoir
Eighth Grade Dates Writing Resources On Demand Publication September Launching Writer s Workshop Setting up expectations and procedures. Focus is on routine of writing process. Grade 6: Unit 1 Bend 1 Launching October Investigative Journalism Unit 1: Investigative Journalism 9/8/15 (Possible data for SGO) 9/21/15 10/26/15 9/28/15 10/26/15 Article November/ December Enhancing Topics of Expertise Resources will be provided 10/19/15 12/21/15 Have students research. Discuss searching strategies & website reliability. 12/21/15 Information: Article January/ February Literary Essay: Analyzing Craft and Theme Unit 2: Literary Essay: Analyzing Craft and Theme 12/14/15 2/8/16 Focus: Bends I & III Post: 2/8/16 Opinion: Literary Essay- Thematic & Comparative February/ March Position Papers: Research and Argument Unit 3: Position Papers- Research and Argument 2/1/16 Week 3/21/16 3/21/16 Information: Letter April Literary Essay: Analyzing Craft Unit 2: Literary Essay: Analyzing Craft and Theme 3/14/16 4/25/16 Focus: Bends II Opinion: Literary Essay- Author s
4/25/16 Craft May/June Fantasy: Writing within Literary Tradition If Then.. (121-133) 4/18/16 6/13/16 6/13/16 Focus for Additional Writing Tasks to Align with CCSS Throughout the course of the year students should also be engaged in a variety of writing experiences and exposed to various genres and forms that may or may not be brought through the publication process. Each and every writing task offers an opportunity to refine writing skills, whether formal or informal. Examples include, book critiques/reviews, journal writing, opinion pieces, reflections, short responses, using textual evidence to summarize, compare and contrast informational text and short research based writing PROGRESS MONITORING A record of student progress to monitor individual student growth will be completed for all students. Sample Below
Middletown s Alignment to the Common Core State Standards Our English Language Arts for Grades 6 th -8 th is aligned to the Common Core State Standards. These standards are very rigorous with an overarching goal of making sure our students are ready for college and careers. The curriculum also relies upon the New Jersey Model Framework to guide the pacing of the standards throughout the school year. The Common Core Initiative includes reading and writing anchor standards for Social Studies, History, Science and Technical subjects. They require students to work vigorously with informational text to achieve content specific reading and writing standards. Literacy skills are no longer taught exclusively in English or language arts classes. When students leave high school and enter college or the work force 80% of the text they will need to work with will be non-fiction or informational. Starting to develop these skills at the elementary level with connections to both the novels students read in class and real world events make learning meaningful and authentic. The Common Core State Standards are written in a way that make them very linear, easy to follow and user friendly. The same Anchor Standards are sustained through all grade levels gaining in rigor and complexity with more advanced grade level indicators as they progress from Kindergarten to 12 th grade. While K-5 students will naturally have cross curricular implementation of the ELA standards, in 6 th -12 th grade there are additions that include ELA standards for History, Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects that are all linked to the Anchor Standards. STANDARDIZED TESTING SCHEDULE for 2015-2016 PARCC Test Dates (Please note there will be only one testing window.) Grades 6 th 8 th April 20 April 27, 2016 NJASK 8 th Grade Science May 25, 2016 WEBSITES For more information on the ELA COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS INITIATIVE (CCSS) http://www.corestandards.org/ela-literacy For more information on the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) http://www.parcconline.org/