Graduate-Level Credit / Non-Credit Hours
3 Semester Credits, 5 Quarter Credits, or 45 Clock Hours
Course Description
This course is designed to provide an understanding of K-5 Common Core State Standards, including the history of the standards, as well as the biggest shifts from current instructional practice. Most significantly, participants will learn teaching strategies to embrace the new ELA standards, with a particular focus on strengthening classroom practice in the biggest shift areas from old to new standards, and aligning to the tasks of the new assessments.
Global Goals of the Course
To deepen and/or apply the content and skills of the teacher’s existing professional knowledge base by meeting the following global goals of this course:
1. To understand the philosophical and pedagogical belief systems that brought the Common Core into place (NBPTS 1, 2, 4, 5 ; InTASC 4,9)
2. To understand how to read the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects document in the K-5 grade band (NBPTS 2; InTASC 4,5)
3. To explore the K-5 standards, developing an understanding of the meaning and context of each standard (NBPTS 2, 4; InTASC 4,7)
4. To understand the factors inherent in determining text complexity for K-5 readers, including foundational skills needed in beginning readers (NBPTS 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; InTASC 1,2,4,6)
5. To gain knowledge and understanding of the necessity and practice of close reading in later elementary readers (NBPTS 2; InTASC 4,5)
6. To understand the concepts of disciplinary literacy, and the foundational skill of gaining academic literacy in informational text (NBPTS 2, 4 ; InTASC 1,4,7)
7. To recognize the importance of, and encourage the use of text-dependent questions and answers in all settings, K-5 (NBPTS 2,3; InTASC 1,4,5,6)
8. To strengthen the balance of informational and literary texts in current reading programs (NBPTS 2, 4, 5; InTASC 4)
9. To gain knowledge of approaches to encourage writing from sources in all types of media, and to use research in the writing process whenever appropriate for K-5 writers (NBPTS 2, 3, 4; InTASC 4,5,7)
10. To explore and redefine literacy for the 21st century (NBPTS 1, 2, 4, 5 ; InTASC 4,9)
Related Reading:
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