Common Core State Standards
Session 5
3-5 English Language Arts
Day 3 – PM Session
1:15-3:15
Participants will increase their knowledge of
planning supportive comprehension instruction:
• vocabulary tasks
• discussion tasks
• reading-to-think tasks
• writing tasks
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Comprehension is both
a journey and a destination
Comprehension is a reader
embarking on a short
expedition through text, in
search of the yet unknown.
destination
The reader traces the author’s
trail, in pursuit of relevant ideas,
and ultimately, the message.
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Comprehension is both
a journey and a destination
The destination is important
but the journey is essential.
destination
It is the journey that escorts the
reader to the final destination
of important conclusions,
knowledge, insights, and
solutions.
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STEP 1: Selecting the Text
• Text drives comprehension instruction.
• Texts are designed for different purposes.
• Select text carefully by analyzing:
– Text structure
– Language demands
– Knowledge demands
– Levels of meaning
Pave the Way
Handout
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STEP 1 PLANNING: Carefully Select Text
Objective
Independent Reading
Text Structure
Language
Knowledge Demands
Levels of Meaning
Purpose & Goal
Independent reading for fluent decoding and
comprehension
Texts with a specific text structure
(cause/effect, comparison, contrast)
Complex texts to challenge student
oral/written language development
Texts with specific new content-area concepts
Texts that contain:
- new, abstract, or complex ideas
- multiple perspectives
- argumentation (i.e., essay)
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COMPREHENSION:
Both a Journey & a Destination
The wrong text with the right lesson doesn’t take you very far.
Lesson Malfunction
The right text with the wrong lesson leads to the same outcome.
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What about those students with
decoding challenges?
Teachers can provide support during instruction:
• Pairing Students: Have students partner with a
stronger reader to read the text together.
• Oral Reading: The teacher could either read the
complex text aloud or provide a text recording while
students read to follow along silently.
• Text-Marking:
Students engage in text-marking while reading complex text.
As a means of informal assessment, the teacher notes where
students place their codes for text-marking codes on the
page; this informs the teacher about specific comprehension
difficulties.
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What about those students with
comprehension challenges?
STEP 1:
Does the text contain a structure familiar to students?
NO
Provide
text structure
instruction
Students having
difficulty with
main idea:
Provide
summarizing
instruction.
YES
Provide
comprehension
monitoring practice &
basic comprehension
instruction
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Provide Text Structure Instruction
Expert Interview
Uncovering Text Structure
Joanna P. Williams, Ph.D.
Teachers College, Columbia University
DOING WHAT WORKS Website
www.doingwhatworks.org
Dr. Joanna Williams discusses the
importance of teaching children
about narrative and informational
text structure and describes some
instructional tools she has used in her
research with teachers. (5:46 min)
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MultiStrategy
Instruction
(Close Reading & CIS)
STEP 1:
Does the text contain a structure familiar to students?
NO
Text
structure
instruction
YES
Summarizing
instruction
Comprehension
monitoring
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Efferent Literacy Instruction
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OBJECTIVE:
To plan & deliver a multi-strategy comprehension
lesson using a short complex text.
GOAL:
To support implementation of comprehension
instruction that challenges student development:
• academic language (both oral and written)
• reading to think
• writing to think
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MATERIALS
Locate 2 handouts:
• Quest for the Tree Kangaroo
(CCSS Text Exemplar)
Handout
• Planning a Comprehension Lesson:
Handout Multi-Strategy Instruction
14
DIRECTIONS:
1. Divide into groups of 10-12 members.
2. Within your group, divide into partners (2-3 people).
3. Partners will work on one specific task:
 Vocabulary Task
2 Handouts
 Discussion Task
2 Handouts
 Reading Task
3 Handouts
 Writing Task
2 Handouts
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VOCABULARY TASK CARD &
Planning Chart
Handout
Partner Work:
• Read and discuss the handout entitled
Vocabulary Instruction. Handout
• Use the handout information as a guide to plan
the vocabulary lesson.
• Record your plans in the Vocabulary Planning
Chart.
Group Work:
• Deliver this vocabulary lesson to your group.
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DISCUSSION TASK CARD &
Planning Chart
Handout
Partner Work:
• Read and discuss the handout entitled
Efferent Discussion. Handout
• Use the handout information as a guide to plan
interactive discussion.
• Record your plans in the Discussion Planning
Chart.
Group Work:
• Deliver the interactive discussion you have
planned to your group.
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READING TASK CARD &
Planning Chart
Handout
Partner Work:
• Read and discuss the following handouts:
(choose 1)
– Efferent Reading Instruction: Text-Marking
Handout
– Question Generation Instruction
Handout
• Use the handout information as a guide to plan the
reading task for the lesson.
• Record your plans in the appropriate planning chart.
Group Work:
• Deliver the reading task you have planned to your
group.
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WRITING TASK CARD &
Planning Chart
Handout
Partner Work:
• Read and discuss the handout entitled
Efferent Writing Instruction. Handout
• Use the handout information as a guide to plan
the writing lesson.
• Record your plans in the planning chart.
Group Work:
• Deliver the writing task you have planned to your
group.
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DIRECTIONS:
1. Divide into groups of 10-12 members.
2. Within your group, divide into partners (2- 4 people)
3. Partners decide which task to work on:
 Vocabulary Task EXAMPLE: Jim, Cindy, & Donna
 Discussion Task EXAMPLE: Barbara & Joel
EXAMPLE: Susan & Karen (text-marking)
 Reading Task
Monica & Linda (question generation)
 Writing Task EXAMPLE: Holly & Patricia
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STEP ONE
WRITING
TASK:
WRITING
TASK:
Predictive
Writing
First Written
Response
to Reading
STEP TWO
Final
Written Response
WRITING TASK
Efferent Discussion
DISCUSSION TASK
Question Generation
READING TASK
Text-Marking
READING TASK
VOCABULARY
TASK
Opening Discussion
DISCUSSION TASK
DELIVERING COMPREHENSION LESSON
STEP THREE
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Text-Marking
READING TASK
VOCABULARY
TASK
Opening Discussion
DISCUSSION TASK
DELIVERING COMPREHENSION LESSON
STEP ONE
WRITING
TASK:
WRITING
TASK:
Predictive
Writing
First Written
Response
to Reading
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Student
Question Generation
READING TASK
DELIVERING COMPREHENSION LESSON
STEP TWO
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Final
Written Response
WRITING TASK
Efferent Discussion
DISCUSSION TASK
DELIVERING COMPREHENSION LESSON
STEP THREE
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DEBRIEFING
So how did it go?
Are we there yet?
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Comprehension:
Journey & Destination
CONGRATULATIONS!
You have completed this
journey with us.
destination
We wish you the best as you
continue this journey in your
classroom, school, and district.
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