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For many social studies and science teachers, the most intimidating part of integrating the Common Core State Standards into our instructional practice is figuring out how to support students as they learn to read increasingly complex nonfiction text. The fact of the matter, however, is that the kinds of strategies students must master in order to understand the text-based content introduced in our classrooms are far from intimidating.
In this portion of the workshop, we will (1). tackle a reading task that incorporates several skills that the Common Core expects students to be able to handle when working with nonfiction content and (2). examine two nonfiction reading strategies that session presenter Bill Ferriter uses in his classroom to support student learners.
Since their inception, the Common Core State Standards have drawn their share of both praise and criticism from practicing educators, legislators and policymakers. The only consensus that we can draw from the conversation around the standards is that no one can agree on whether national standards are good for America. To explore this debate, complete the handout above with a partner while reading this New York Times Room for Debate feature on the Common Core.
Questions to Consider:
What reading skills did this activity force you to practice?
Are these the kinds of reading skills that you want your students to master before leaving your room?
Are these the kinds of reading skills that you give your students opportunities to practice on a regular basis?
Can you list any lessons where you are currently asking your students to experiment with these reading skills?
Can you list a few examples of places in your curriculum where lessons like this could be easily integrated into the work that you do with students?
What Reading Skills DO the CCSS Expect Your Students to Master?
Now that you've had the chance to practice with a CCSS reading activity, spend a few minutes poking through the standards for your content area and grade level on the Common Core website. Add any essential skills to our Answer Garden:
During this session, participants will explore three different CCSS reading activities. While exploring, all participants will be reading this article -- an opinion piece on the Common Core posted by USA Today.
In Text Dependent Questions (2012), Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey make a simple argument: “The types of questions that students are asked about a text influence how they read it. If students are asked recall and recitation questions, they learn to read for that type of information. If they are asked synthesis questions, they learn to read for that type of information.” The lesson for classroom teachers: The success of questioning as an instructional strategy in the classroom depends on the KINDS of questions that teachers ask.
The handout linked above summarizes the six types of questions that Fisher and Frey recommend incorporating into the work that you do with students. Review each question type and then try to generate samples of your own.
Questions to Consider:
Which type of text-dependent question do you ask the most frequently in your classroom? How do you know? Why do these kinds of questions make their way into your instruction so regularly?
Which type of text-dependent question is the easiest for students to answer? The hardest for students to answer? Why?
Which type of text-dependent question is uniquely suited for your subject area and/or classroom content? Which type of text-dependent question is poorly suited for your subject area and/or classroom content?
One of the easiest steps that science and social studies teachers can take to integrate the Common Core State Standards into their instruction is to ask students to make Active Reading Comments while tackling nonfiction text in the classroom. Active Reading Comments are short statements designed to (1). remind students that they should be mentally interacting with text at all times and (2). give teachers a look inside the minds of students while they are reading. Think of Active Reading Comments as a practical way for students to "show their work" while tackling new texts.
Do you think you could find a way to incorporate Active Reading Comments into your current instruction? Is this a doable instructional practice? Something that you could start right away?
How do you think students will respond to Active Reading Comments as an instructional strategy? What will they like about the process? What will they hate about the process?
How often would you have students make Active Reading Comments while reading? How many comments would you ask students to make per reading? Would you grade the Active Reading Comments that students made on the texts you were studying in class?
If you are interested in seeing how session presenter Bill Ferriter's students responded to Active Reading Comments as an instructional strategy, check out this summary of a survey that he conducted.
Many students believe that nonfiction reading pieces are ALWAYS true simply because nonfiction reading pieces are supposed to be full of facts. The truth is that nonfiction reading pieces – particularly current events connected to controversial science and social studies topics – can be biased because they rely on people giving their own personal opinions and/or interpretations of the same set of facts. That means good readers are always on the lookout for potentially biased statements when they are reading nonfiction.
Session presenter Bill Ferriter introduces students to the important role that reading skeptically can play when tackling nonfiction using the handout embedded above. It asks students to identify statements in a nonfiction piece that they aren't ready to automatically trust. Then, it asks students to (1). explain why they are skeptical about those statements and (2). what they would do in order to gather more information about the statement that they are skeptical about.
Do you think you could find a way to incorporate Reading with a Skeptical Eye into your current instruction? Is this a doable instructional practice? Something that you could start right away?
How do you think students will respond to Reading with a Skeptical Eye as an instructional strategy? What will they like about the process? What will they hate about the process?
What topics in your curriculum would lend themselves nicely to a Reading with a Skeptical Eye? Are there debatable issues that you study where authors and experts take stands that aren't always supported by fact? Where's the bias in your course of study?
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