A Strategy for Connecting Teachers,
Iowa Core, & Changing Instruction
IA ASCD Curriculum
Academy
April 2013
Kevin Vidergar
Director of Teaching & Learning
North Polk CSD
Today’s Learning Goals
1. Understand one strategy for
engaging grade level teams in
learning more deeply about the Iowa
Core literacy standards &
benchmarks.
2. Consider how you might implement
a similar strategy at your school or
district.
2
I can…
Success Criteria
 describe the 6 shifts that must occur in the teaching
of English Language Arts (ELA).
 plan a similar approach for working with teachers in
my building or district.
 recognize how this strategy can be used to develop
and support teacher leadership.
 identify the advantages & disadvantages of using this
strategy for engaging teachers.
 identify several useful resources for engaging
teachers in learning about the Iowa Core (Iowa Core
= CCSS).
3
4
Initiative Fatigue in Action
Recognize
this
Person?
5
6
7
How to engage teachers in
deep learning of the Iowa Core
Literacy Standards, create an
understanding that their
teaching must change, and
maintain or build their
confidence in their capacity to
actually change their
8
Theory of Change
If…
• teachers are engaged in half-day
sessions spread throughout the
school year, and
• focus on the 6 shifts in literacy, and
• develop scope and sequences, and
• receive coaching and
encouragement,
• while working as a grade level team,
9
Theory of Change
Then…
• teachers will increase their efficacy in
teaching the Iowa Core by becoming
more skilled with their ability to plan
instruction and confident to follow
through and actually change their
teaching.
10
Structure
6 half-days spread monthly throughout
the school year.
• 8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. –
4:00 p.m. sessions
• Provide breakfast and lunch
11
What does a
typical half-day
session look
like?
Shifts…
13
ELA Major Shifts
1. Text-based
Answers
2. Staircase of text
complexity
3. Balance of fiction
& nonfiction
4. Writing from
sources
5. Academic
vocabulary
6. Building
knowledge
across
disciplines
From: A Guide To The Shifts In The ELA Common Core State Standards,
2012, Delaware
14
Expected Products
 Scope & sequence for writing
 Scope & sequence for citing sources
 Scope & sequence for speaking and
listening
Additional items added by the team…
15
Expected Products
Additional items added by the team included…
 Collaboratively plan units that incorporate writing,
speaking, listening
 Plan a middle school newspaper
 Plan how we will teach spelling & vocabulary
 Develop a plan to increase use of computer with writing as
well as increase writing in other curricular areas
 Identify essential objectives that all students will master
for each grade level 9-12
 Create a new teaching schedule for the HS English
Department
16
Developing Teacher Leadership
Skills
2011-12
• Made clear to middle school teachers that I
expected them to lead the high school and
grade 4 and 5 teams in this work during 201213.
• As we learned, we discussed how the
information might be shared with these other
teachers.
• Ultimately, MS teachers are leading sessions
with grades 4 and 5.
• Next year, teachers from grades 4 & 5 will lead
17
Some useful Resources
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Delaware Guide to ELA Shifts
Asmt-sbac-ela-gr__-sample-items
Appendix C from the CCSS for ELA
Learning Progressions
Bookmarks
CCCSS_SpeakListen (or any other area)
Continuum_______
ELA Green Flags and Red Flags
18
Scope & Sequences
Completed scope & sequences crafted by the
team include
• Citing Sources
• Writing Grades 4-8
• Speaking & Listening 9-12
19
Plans for 2013-2014
 Summer
2013: Summer camp!
 2013-14:
•
One full day divided into half day with
Kindergarten and half day with Grade 1
•
One full day divided into half day with Grade
2, and half day with Grade 3.
20
Questions
?
How might
you use this
strategy in
your school
or district?
21
Kevin Vidergar
Director of Teaching and
Learning
North Polk Community School
District
[email protected]
22
23