Middletown Township Public Schools
Middle School English Language Arts Guidelines
2015-2016
Our Middle School 6th-8th Grade English Language Arts Curriculum is aligned to the Common Core State Standards
and the Model Curriculum 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
st
college and career readiness in the 21 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 6th-8th 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 12th 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
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.
Shift 2:
Text Complexity
Shift 3:
Academic Vocabulary
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.
Shift 4:
Text-based Answers
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).
Shift 5:
Writing instruction emphasizes the use of evidence to inform or to
Increase Writing from make an argument, and includes short, focused research projects in
grades K-12.
Sources
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.
Shift 6:
Content-area teachers emphasize reading and writing CCSS ELA
Literacy Instruction in standards in their planning and instruction for teaching the content.
all Content Areas
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.
Assessment
DRA2 Winter 2015
DRA2 Spring 2016
2015-2016 DRA2 Administration Timelines
Due Date (& Entered in Google Doc)
February 18, 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.
DRA2 GRADE LEVEL BENCHMARKS FOR
STUDENT INDEPENDENT READING LEVELS
FOR 2013-2014
GRADE LEVEL
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
End of the school year
80
At the middle school level students move along
a continuum during the school year to develop
deeper levels of comprehension.
*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 Curriculum Framework, and the PARCC Assessment)
Sixth Grade
Dates
September
Writing
Launching Writer’s
Workshop
Resources
Grade 6: Unit 1
Bend 1 Launching
Setting up
expectations and
procedures. Focus
is on routine of
writing process.
September/October
November/
December
Personal Narrative
Research-Based
Information
Writing
On
Demand
Administer:
Week of
9/8/15
Personal
Narrative
(Possible data
for SGO)
Publication
Completed
by: Week
of 9/28/15
Personal
Narrative
Unit 1: Personal
Use
Narrative- Crafting
publication
Powerful Life Stories from
September
as your preassessment.
Completed
by: Week of
10/26/15
Unit 3: ResearchBased Information
Writing- Books,
Websites, &
Presentations
Completed
by: Week of
12/21/15
Administer:
Week of
10/19/15
Administer:
Week of
12/21/15
Personal
Narrative
Information:
Digital
Presentation
January/
February
February/
March
Literary EssayFrom Character to
Compare/Contrast
Documentaries:
Bringing History to
Life
Unit 2: Literary
Essay- From
Character to
Compare/Contrast
If… Then…
Curriculum
(88-105)
Administer:
Week of
12/14/15
Completed
by: Week of
2/8/16
Post: Week
of 2/8/16
Opinion:
Literary
Essay
Administer:
Week of
2/1/16
Completed
by: Week
3/21/16
Administer:
Week of
3/21/16
April
May/June
Journalism
Historical Fiction:
Weaving Together
Fact and Fiction
Grade 5: If… Then…
Curriculum
(68-78)
If… Then…
Curriculum
(59-74)
Information:
Research
Report
Administer:
Week of
3/14/16
Completed
by: 4/25/16
Administer:
Week of
4/25/16
Opinion:
Article
Administer:
Week of
4/18/16
Completed
by: Week of
6/13/16
Administer:
Week of
6/13/16
Historical
Fiction
Seventh Grade
Dates
Writing
September
Launching Writer’s
Workshop
Resources
Grade 6: Unit 1
Bend 1 Launching
Setting up expectations
and procedures. Focus is
on routine of writing
process.
October
November/
December
Writing Realistic FictionSymbolism, Syntax and
Truth
Writing Information
Books on Topics of
Personal Expertise
On Demand
Administer:
Week of
9/8/15
Personal
Narrative
(Possible data
for SGO)
Unit 1: Writing
Realistic FictionSymbolism, Syntax
and Truth
If… Then…
Curriculum
(2-16)
Literary Essay: A Mini- If… Then…
Unit on Analyzing
Curriculum
Complex Texts for
(106-120)
Meaning, Craft, and TOne
April
Writing About Reading:
From Reader’s Notebook
to Companion Books
The Art of Argument:
Research Based Essays
Personal
Narrative
Completed by:
Week of
10/26/15
Administer:
Week of
10/26/15
Realistic Fiction
Administer:
Week of
10/19/15
Completed by:
Week of
12/21/15
Administer:
Week of
12/14/15
Post: Week of
2/8/16
February/
March
Completed by:
Week
of 9/28/15
Administer:
Week of
9/21/15
Administer:
Week of
12/21/15
January/
February
Publication
Information:
Voice-Filled
Information
Book
Completed by:
Week of 2/8/16
Opinion:
Literary Essay
Unit 2: Writing
About Reading:
From Reader’s
Notebook to
Companion Books
Administer:
Week of
2/1/16
Completed by:
Week 3/21/16
Administer:
Week of
3/21/16
Information:
Companion
Book
Unit 3: The Art of
Argument:
Research Based
Administer:
Week of
3/14/16
Completed by:
4/25/16
Essays
Focus: Bends I & II
May/June
Memoir: Writing to
If… Then…
Reflect on Experience and Curriculum
Suggest Thematic
(44-58)
Connections
Administer:
Week of
4/25/16
Administer:
Week of
4/18/16
Opinion:
Research Based
Essay
Completed by:
Week of 6/13/16
Memoir
Eighth Grade
Dates
Writing
September
Launching Writer’s
Workshop
Resources
Grade 6: Unit 1
Bend 1
Launching
Setting up expectations
and procedures. Focus is
on routine of writing
process.
October
November/
December
Investigative Journalism
Enhancing Topics of
Personal Expertise
Literary Essay:
Analyzing Craft and
Theme
Unit 1:
Investigative
Journalism
Resources will be
provided
Unit 2: Literary
Essay: Analyzing
Craft and Theme
Focus: Bends I &
III
February/
March
April
Position Papers: Research Unit 3: Position
and Argument
Papers- Research
and Argument
Literary Essay:
Analyzing Craft
Administer:
Week of
9/8/15
Personal
Narrative
Publication
Completed by:
Week of 9/28/15
Personal
Narrative
(Possible data
for SGO)
Have students research.
Discuss searching
strategies & website
reliability.
January/
February
On Demand
Unit 2: Literary
Essay: Analyzing
Craft and Theme
Focus: Bends II
Administer:
Week of
9/21/15
Completed by:
Week of 10/26/15
Administer:
Week of
10/26/15
Article
Administer:
Week of
10/19/15
Completed by:
Week of 12/21/15
Administer:
Week of
12/21/15
Information:
Article
Administer:
Week of
12/14/15
Completed by:
Week of 2/8/16
Post: Week of
2/8/16
Opinion: Literary
Essay- Thematic
& Comparative
Administer:
Week of
2/1/16
Completed by:
Week 3/21/16
Administer:
Week of
3/21/16
Information:
Letter
Administer:
Week of
3/14/16
Completed by:
4/25/16
Administer:
Opinion: Literary
Essay- Author’s
May/June
Fantasy: Writing within
Literary Tradition
If… Then..
Curriculum
(121-133)
Week of
4/25/16
Craft
Administer:
Week of
4/18/16
Completed by:
Week of 6/13/16
Administer:
Week of
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 Curriculum Alignment to the Common Core State Standards
Our English Language Arts Curriculum for Grades 6th-8th 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 Curriculum
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 12th grade.
While K-5 students will naturally have cross curricular implementation of the ELA standards, in 6th
-12th 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 6th – 8th – April 20 – April 27, 2016
NJASK – 8th 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/