Global Literacy and

the Common

Core StandardsUsing meaningful

texts in a 5th grade Language Arts

ClassroomAmy Gaddes, M.Ed.

Choose your texts carefully, with your student’s needs and experiences in mind.

Inside Out and Back Again

by Thanhha Lai

Consider the ‘staircase of

text complexity’…

…but don’t lose sight of

your student’s accessibility to the target text.

Align with district’s emphasis:

“close reading…with text-based answers.

(Shift 4)

Ask yourself: “What standards are at

work?”W.5.3.b.

Use narrative techniques such as

dialogue…to develop experiences, events

or characters.

Reading Standards for Literature

RL.5.10Read and

comprehend literature…in the

grade text complexity band proficiently, with

scaffolding as needed…

Written Conversations

Ernie: “Há, can you tell me how you felt while you

were on the ship?”Há: “ Sure…when I was

on the ship I felt like everyone was looking at me and sad because my home was destroyed.”

Ernie: I’m so sorry you had to lose your home. I was in the airport[coming to

America] and I also felt that everyone was looking at me and I felt sad that I

was leaving my home.”

We uncovered the

universality of humanistic

themes that can be explored

globally or locally.

“…I can relate to Há being

sad because I had to leave

a lot of stuff behind to go

someplace better…”

Reader’s theatre

Students were invited to

reenact any scene from the

book. Their rationale for scene

selection was powerful!

One chosen poem…

Speaking and Listening

Standard:

SL.5.2.a. Interpret

information presented…and

explain how it contributes to

a topic, text, or issue under

study.

Use their

experience….culture…. to

think analytically…

Cultural validation occurred as one

student understood the setting’s proximity to his home country, the

Philippines.

We gave voice and social credibility to

our English Language Learners.

This reinforced my rationale for choosing this text as I worked

through my own learning curve

regarding the CCLS.