Science and the Common Core in ELA: A Real World Opportunity to

Write

CSTA Conference Palm SpringsOctober 25, 2013

Nicole HawkeJenny Lopez-Ngigi

Science Drives Literacy

Partnership Driven

• CSU San Bernardino• Coachella Valley USD• WestED/K-12 Alliance• Riverside COE

Science Drives LiteracyGoals

1. Science content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge.

2. Change teacher practice in the integration of CCSS-ELA and science

3. Establish a “science drives literacy” school culture

4. Provide opportunities for teacher leadership

New Opportunities for All Learners

Common Core Standards (ELA and Mathematics)

Next Generation Science Standards

21st Century Skills

ELA Portraits

Science and Engineering Practices

Teaching and Learning Focus

The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing

Stephen Covey

Thinking about current practice

Where do you have writing in your science class?

Purposes for Writing

Writing to Learn

•Sense making to the author•Collection of ideas and thoughts•In the notebook NOTEBOOKS

Learning to Write

•Communicating to an audience•Voice and Tone•Coherent Message•Outside of the Notebook WRITING PROMPTS

K-12 Alliance/WesEd ‘’13

CaCCSS ELA: Text Types

Text Type 1: Opinion/Argumentation Claim and Evidence

Text Type 2: Informational

Text Type 3: Narrative

Classroom Sense-MakingScience and CCSS ELA Writing

Teacher Leaders Develop Prompts and Score guides

Writing Text Types and Purposes 1 and 2: Argumentation and Informational Text

Components: Science Content, Text Type, and Academic Language

Embedded Assessment Cycle

Review Expectations: Science and ELA

Develop Prompt and Scoreguide

Administer to Students

Analyze Student Work

Revise Prompt and Scoreguide

Modify Instruction

Challenge

How would you separate a mixture of gravel, diatomaceous earth, and salt?

The Task: Prompt 1

Write a paragraph explaining the procedure you would follow in order to separate a mixture of gravel, diatomaceous earth, salt and water. Include at least one illustration of the process.

Score Guide 1

Trends in Student Work

• Academic vocabulary used but confusion of concepts

• Cognitive problem: Remembering not thinking

• Little or no citations

• Did not know how to write introduction or a closure

Embedded Assessment Cycle

Review Expectations: Science and ELA

Develop Prompt and Scoreguide

Administer to Students

Analyze Student Work

Revise Prompt and Scoreguide

Modify Instruction

Teacher Team Debrief

• Change the prompt / Simplify the score guide

• Support the communication goals of informational writing of a sequence using think-alouds

• Remind student’s to use notebook resource

• Add a picture to the prompt to scaffold cognitive change

The Task: Prompt 2

Using your notebook, write an informative paragraph explaining the sequence you would follow to separate a mixture of gravel, diatomaceous earth, salt and water. Include labeled, sequential illustrations of the process. Must have a citation from our notebook.

Score Guide 2

Student Work In Groups of 3

• Each member of the group reads one students’ responses for prompt #1 (yellow) and the same students’ responses for prompt #2 (white)

• Discuss changes in the response in terms of science content (component one) and informative writing (component two) and academic language (component three)

• What trends do you notice?

Student Data

Lessons Learned about Student Sense-making

• Notebooks had an important role

• Cognition changed from right answers to understanding prompt and thinking through the prompt.

• Component Scoring

• Academic Language Results

Examples from the Classroom

• Number off 1-2• Report to the assigned group• Look at another example of this

process• As you look at the student work think

about:• What trends do you notice about the

student work?• How is component scoring beneficial for

the teacher?• How does this process help with the

transition to common core?

Things to Think About

• As you look at the student work think about:• What trends do you notice about the

student work?• How is component scoring beneficial for

the teacher?• How does this process help with the

transition to common core?

Observations From Student Work

• What trends did you notice about the student work?

• How was component scoring beneficial for the teacher?

• How does this process help the transition to common core?

Challenges for Students / Teachers

Student as sense – maker goes beyond writing to reading:

• Informational text percentage• Identifying what is important to know

Teacher as sense – maker• Moving from mile-wide to depth

Working with colleagues to identify depth

Reflection

3 things you want to remember

2 things to share with your grade level team

1 thing you want to try