We're Moving!

We are moving!!!  We are combining the "CIA Matters" and "LNW" blogs to our district's Schoolwires website, which will be a quick and easy way to get information, resources, and ideas in one convenient location!  You can still view archived posts from the new site, so don't worry!  :-)

Please visit our new site HERE!

2015-2016 LNW Sign Up NOW OPEN!

Thank you for completing the survey to help us meet LNW needs for next year.  The 2015-2016 LNW calendar has been set and you can register to attend below.

As we enter our third year of "Literacy the Nixa Way" (LNW) professional development, perhaps the biggest change is that attending LNW sessions is optional for teachers who have fully implemented reader's and writer's workshop.  All teachers are encouraged to attend two regular sessions (calendar linked above).  First year teachers and new-to-Nixa teachers are required to attend all four LNW sessions.  Second year teachers are highly encouraged to attend all four sessions.

There will be two LNW sessions offered this year. The first session will focus on Reading Workshop. The second session will focus on Writing Workshop. Each training session will be one full day and if you choose to attend, a substitute will be provided for you.

To register for one or both of the sessions, complete the Google form HERE.  Registration will CLOSE on Friday, August 21st at 4:00 PM.

• All PreK-1 sessions will be held at High Pointe Elementary from 8:00 am - 3:00 pm in Room 316 (Dr. Cindy Owens).  
• All 2-6 sessions will be held at Faught Administration Center in the Community Room from 8:00 am - 3:00 pm.

LNW YEAR #3 - What the Sessions Will Look Like - Survey

As we prepare to enter our third year of LNW, we are excited that reading and writing workshop is in full swing in all classrooms.  For next year, the scheduling of LNW PD sessions will look a little different.  Perhaps the biggest change for next year will be that attending LNW sessions will be optional. 

There will be two LNW sessions offered to teachers next year.  (First year teachers will receive additional training.)  The first session will take place at the end of October/beginning of November.  This session will focus on Reading Workshop.  The second session will take place in February/March and will focus on Writing Workshop.  Each training session will be one full day and if you choose to attend, a substitute will be provided for you.

In order for us to prepare a schedule of sessions, we need an idea of how many teachers are interested in each of the sessions.  If you are interested in attending one or both LNW sessions for next year, please complete THIS SURVEY.  Specific details will be available at the beginning of next year. 

Text Dependent Question Examples for Literary Texts

Here are some sample text dependent generic questions for discussing literary texts with individuals, small groups, and the whole class.  This is not a complete list, by any means, but the questions can serve as an example and help you phrase more questions for the Reading Literature Standards.

Key Ideas and Details - Standards 1, 2, and 3

• Retell what the story is about so far.
• Describe the characters, setting.
• What do you know about the characters, setting, problem from this text?
• Explain the problem.
• How does the main character change?
• Why did the character act the way he did?
• How did the main character interact with the other characters?
• Compare the way two characters viewed or reacted to a situation.
• Who is the narrator?
• What is the message the author wants you to get from this text?  How do you know?
• What did the character do to cause/solve the problem?
• What lesson did ______ learn?
• How does the setting impact the story?

Craft and Structure - Standards 4, 5, and 6

• What does this word mean based on the context?
• What words let you know how the author feels about _______?
• Where is an example of a metaphor, simile, figurative language, etc.?  Why did the author use that device?
• Identify the text type.
• What characteristics of this genre are present?
• Why do you think the author chose this genre?
• How does the narrator's point of view affect the way the events are told in this story?
• How does this version of the story compare to other versions you have read?
• Why did the author choose these words when describing _______?
• What is the tone of this story?

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas - Standards 7, 8, and 9

• How do the illustrations contribute to your understanding of this story?
• How does this story compare to _______?
• How are character 1 and character 2 the same?  Different?
• What is the narrator's point of view of the events?
• How does the narrator's point of view influence how the events in this story are described?

Text Dependent Question Examples for Informational Text

Here are some sample text dependent generic questions for discussing informational texts with individuals, small groups, and the whole class.  This is not a complete list, by any means, but the questions can serve as an example and help you know how to phrase questions for the Reading Standards for informational text.

Key Ideas and Details - Standards 1, 2, and 3

• What is the main idea of the text?
• What details has the author included?
• What details support the main idea?
• Summarize what you've learned about the topic in this section.
• What do you think caused _______ to happen?  How do you know?
• Explain how _______ and _______ are related.
• Who is providing the information in this article?
• What is the message the author wants you to get from this text?
• Explain how two or more ideas in this text are related.

Craft and Structure - Standards 4, 5, and 6

• What does this word mean based on the context?  Tell us how you figured that out the meaning.
• What are the most important words the author has used to describe this topic? 
• What structure is used in this text?
• How does the narrator's point of view impact the selection of details included in this text?
• Why do you think the author chose this structure (description, compare & contrast, order & sequence/chronology, problem & solution, or cause & effect)?  See chart below for more information.
• How is this article related to other articles you've read on similar topics?
• Why do you think the author included these details?
• What stands out about the ways this is written?
• Based on the order of the words in this sentence, what do you think is most important?
• Which details do you think are most important?  Why?

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas - Standards 7, 8, and 9

• How do the text features contribute to your understanding of this text?
• How does the (graph, chart, diagram, etc.) help you understand the text?
• How does this paragraph fit with the rest of the text?
• Did the author include enough detail to support his main idea?
• Did the author leave out any important information you still wonder about?
• Choose a point the author makes in the text.  How does the author use reasons and evidence to support the point?
• Think about the two texts on this topic.  How does the perspective of each author differ?  Do you agree more with one than the other?  Why?

GREAT Online Resources for Short Passages and Short Video Clips

Here are some great websites for short passages and videos that teachers have shared with us the past two years:

• www.discoveryeducation.com - short videos for grades K-6, great for practicing audio passages
• www.readworks.org/books/passages - literary and informational reading passages with question sets for grades 2-6
• teacher.depaul.edu - fiction and nonfiction passages with questions provided
• www.timeforkids.com - current news articles and some wonderful resources for inspiring opinion writing
• www.newsela.com - current events that you can change the lexile level to differentiate instruction, great for practicing audio passages, best for grades 4-6
• tweentribune.com - from the Smithsonian, current news articles with pictures that you can change the lexile level to differentiate instruction for grades K-6
• www.mrnussbaum.com - printable or online passages with comprehension questions for grades 2-6
• gardenofpraise.com/leaders.htm - more than 100 biographies of famous people for grades 3-5
• www.poetry4kids.com and www.gigglepoetry.com - funny poems by Kenn Nesbitt and others to use as texts for comprehension, good for language standards
• www.readinga-z.com - this is a paid site with short passages and some wonderful NEW close reading packs with multiple passage sets, even though this is a paid site, they always have a free tryout period in the fall, grades K-6
• http://www.dogonews.com - offers a wide variety of kids news articles and videos, great for practicing audio passages, grades K-6

UALR Center for Literacy Is on Facebook

Did you know you can like UALR Center for Literacy on facebook? 

 By doing so, you will get updates from Linda Dorn 

on many literacy related topics.

Celebrate National Poetry Month with Shel Silverstein

Click on the picture for 6 surprising math activities 

Integrate ELA and Math with Poetry

Check out the fun math activities that correlate 
with some of our favorite Shel Silverstein poems:

Band Aids

One Inch Tall

Baloney Belly Billy

Shapes

$mart!

18 Flavors

Picture Books for Teaching Writer's Craft

Everyone has their favorite mentor texts for teaching writer's craft, but check out this website to see it you can add some new books to your writer's craft repertoire:

http://www.mauryk12.org/Literacy/writing%20mentor%20texts.htm

Shannon Reynolds, 3rd grade teacher at Espy, shared this wonderful website with us. The website has categorized picture books/mentor texts and what writing craft/s you can teach with each book. You will find a book list for each category listed below:

• Creating Characters
• Crafting Beginning, Middle, and Endings
• Crafting Endings
• Crafting Voice
• Crafting Leads
• Crafting Titles
• Crafting Settings 
• Crafting with Words

Have fun checking out this picture book packed website!

FREE Web-based Book Resource

Annie Rauch, reading specialist at Inman, let us know about a free book resource for teachers that recently expanded from iOS format to web-based. It is called EPIC For Educators.  It's FREE to use if you sign up with your school email. The site offers thousands of interactive books for all reading levels.  You can sort the texts to use for a variety of purposes; differentiation, interactive read alouds, or maybe as a way to get reluctant readers reading more. 

Here's the web address:

https://www.getepic.com/educators/ 

Make sure to use your school email when you sign up. 

Analyzing Point of View

Did you know that we LOVE to get your questions?  One question that we received recently was about point of view.  The Teaching Channel has an excellent video of a lesson on analyzing point of view.  In the lesson, students read nonfiction texts about a historical period, identify stakeholders from that time period, and analyze the points of view of those stakeholders.  *Be sure to check out the supporting materials that go along with the lesson including accountable talk bookmarks (these are great tools!) and a graphic organizer.  You can find the entire post HERE.

Another Great List of Literature Discussion Guidelines from Linda Dorn

The goal of literature discussion groups is to promote deeper comprehension through interactive dialogue and conversational moves to keep the discussion in motion.  In the past, before we knew better, teachers  lead literature discussions and asked all the questions.  Now, because of research, we know it's best for students to actively participate in discussions, ask questions, make inferences, provide evidence from the text, offer opinions, and more.  When students discuss a book or piece of text in depth, the gain a deeper understanding of the text.

Remember literature discussion guidelines will start small.  Focus on a few behaviors at the beginning and add more guidelines as the school year progresses.

LITERATURE DISCUSSION GUIDELINES
by Linda Dorn

Be prepared:

• Bring your book and other needed materials to the discussion.
• Your book is flagged with places you want to talk about.

Actively participates:

• Look at the person who is talking.
• Listen to the person who is talking.
• Find the page someone is talking about.

Gives evidence from the text:

• Using events, characters, phrases, etc. in your log entry to support your thinking.

Stay on topic:

• Talk about the book - don't start talking about things that are not related to the book.

Listens carefully:

• Show that you are listening by looking at the person and expressing your interest in what they are saying.
• Show respect.

Offers opinion or builds on others' thinking:

• When someone talks, you build on what they are saying.

Uses response language:

• You say something to add your thinking to others.

Asks questions for clarification:

• You ask questions if you don't understand what someone has said.

Making Reading and Writing Relevant to Students

Have we said lately what awesome teachers we have in Nixa?  Here's another example of how our teachers make reading and writing relevant to students.  Cindy Enlow's 2nd graders wanted a class pet, but they didn't get one just because they wanted one.  Back in September, these second graders began earning 100 class compliments to get their class pet.  When the students were within reach of meeting their 100 class compliments goal, the work for their class pet of choice, guinea pigs, was just beginning.  

First, these eager-to-be pet owners  researched 2 different sources from their classroom's website:  

• https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/small-pet-care/guinea-pig-care
• http://www.wikihow.com/Care-for-Guinea-Pigs

They read to find out about a guinea pigs' diet and what kind of shelter is best for this mammal.  The students learned about different types of lettuce and which ones were most nutritious for guinea pigs, and they had to figure out if their classroom would be a good habitat for guinea pigs. They also learned about a guinea pig's general care and what supplies were needed to take good care of a guinea pig.  They learned how to take notes while reading for information.

After researching, the students wrote a friendly letter to their parents to inform them about the ins and outs of guinea pig ownership.  Students used their research notes to compose their informative letters.  They shared their friendly letters with their parents explaining what they learned from their research before the break.  Did you know that guinea pigs should eat romaine lettuce rather than iceberg lettuce?  It's true.  Guinea pigs don't produce vitamin C, so it's good to feed them foods high in vitamin C.  Romaine lettuce happens to be high in vitamin C.

When students came back from Christmas break, Mr. Enlow had a surprise waiting for them.  The Century second graders were the proud owners of three guinea pigs named Blondie, Tuco, and Angel Eyes.  They were named after the main characters in Mr. Enlow's favorite western.   Since then, second graders have been feeding and cleaning up after their new, little friends. Mrs. Enlow's students absolutely love their new classroom pets, and they have become very responsible pet owners. They love holding the guinea pigs and reading to them to tame them.  Students can also use their PBIS signatures to spend time with the guinea pigs.

At parent/teacher conferences, many parents thanked Mrs. Enlow for teaching their students about responsibility in such a relevant way.  This is just one example of how Nixa teachers go above and beyond everyday to make learning relevant for students.  Thank you Nixa educators for the great job you do!  

   

What to Expect from the ELA Smarter Balanced Test

It's the question everyone really wants to know.  We've never seen this test before.  What should we expect?  

Smarter Balanced has published "Stimulus Specifications" that may give us a clearer picture of what our students can expect to see.

Students in K-5 apply the Reading standards to the following range of text types, with texts selected from a broad range of cultures and periods.

Because students have a limited amount of time to complete an assessment, expecting them to read and comprehend lengthy texts is unrealistic.  The table below presents minimum and maximum word counts for texts to be used in Smarter Balanced items/tasks.  Short texts contain 75% or less of the maximum number of words allowed in long texts.

Lexile levels for Common Core State Standards grade bands are shown in the following chart.

TEXT COMPLEXITY

Text complexity consists of three equally important parts:

Qualitative dimensions of text complexity refer to those aspects best measured or only measurable by an attentive human reader, such as levels of meaning or purpose; structure; language conventionality and clarity; and knowledge demands.

Quantitative dimensions of text complexity refer to those aspects such as word length or frequency, sentence length, and text cohesion, that are difficult, if not impossible, for a human reader to evaluate efficiently, especially in long texts, and are thus today typically measured by computer software.

Reader and task considerations take into account variables specific to particular readers (such as motivation, knowledge, and experiences) and to particular tasks (such as purpose and the complexity of the task assigned and the questions posed).  Such assessments are best made by teachers employing their professional judgment, experience, and knowledge of their students and the subject.

The following rubric is used for examining literary texts:

 

Below is an example worksheet of literary text complexity analysis.  Following the example are options for worksheets to use to determine text complexity.

 

Analysis worksheet from Kylene Beers and Robert Probst's Notice and Note 

Analysis worksheet from PARCC online

The following rubric is used for examining informational texts:

Teaching Channel offers a glimpse into assessing text complexity: