English Language Arts
District staff will increase their knowledge of the Illinois Learning Standards (ILS) for English Language Arts incorporating the Instructional Shifts by interacting with tools, resources, and strategies as they work to improve and align their curriculum.
Shift Kits
- Participants will use the shifts in thinking and practice so that the standards are in classroom instruction. The shift kits are a collection of resources providing educators with tools to implement the instructional shifts necessary to meet the standards. Each kit is self-contained and could be used as a train-the-trainer model for an entire staff or for groups of teachers as appropriate (timing varies depending on the kit).
- Each kit has its own goals and suggested outcomes and can be mixed and matched to meet district and school needs:
- Shift 1- Engage with Complex Text
Academic Vocabulary Kit
Close Reading Kit
Text Complexity Kit - Shift 2 - Extract and Employ Evidence
Narrative Writing Kit
Text Dependent Questioning Kit
Writing from Sources Kit - Shift 3 - Building Knowledge
Content Area Literacy Kit
English Language Arts Kit
Informational Text Kit - Optional - Administrator Kits
EQuIP (Educators Evaluating the Quality of Instructional Products) Rubric (1 hour of training or half day)
- Participants will be able to locate EQuIP (Educators Evaluating the Quality of Instructional Products) resources that Illinois educators are utilizing to align multi-day lesson plans and units to the Illinois Learning Standards in ELA. EQuIP is an initiative of the American Diploma Project (ADP) Network designed to identify high-quality materials aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).
Writing Matters
(Can Be Offered as a Full Day or Broken Down Into 2 Hour Increments)
- Participants will individualize and integrate grade level specific information as it relates to CCSS Writing Standards from the Illinois Writing Matters website. This website is a one-stop shop with all the tools and resources teachers need to incorporate the writing standards into their daily schedule.
- www.illinoisliteracyinaction.org
Writing to Read: Evidence for How Writing Can Improve Reading
(Can Be Offered as a Full Day or Broken Down Into 2 Hour Increments)
- ISBE Content Specialists will use the Writing to Read research from the Carnegie Corporation by Steve Graham and Michael Hebert to identify the cluster of closely related instructional practices shown to be effective in improving students’ reading. The report groups these practices within three core recommendations in order of the strength of their supporting evidence. A culminating activity of designing a classroom task and connections to PARCC will be shared.
Networking for FS ELA:
Participants will engage in discussion around shared experiences and expertise related to implementation of the ELA ILS. Each gathering is initiated for a deeper look into a topic included in the currently approved materials.
