Description
This book guides teachers in grades 6-12 to strategically combine a variety of texts--including literature, informational texts, and digital sources--to meet their content-area goals and the demands of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). It presents clear-cut ways to analyze text complexity, design challenging text sets, and help students get the most out of what they read. Provided are practical instructional ideas for building background knowledge, promoting engagement, incorporating discussion and text-based writing, and teaching research skills. Appendices offer sample unit plans for English language arts, history/social studies, and science classrooms. More than 20 reproducible coaching templates and other tools can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size.
Chapter
Chapter 1. Embracing the Common Core
A Brief Description of the CCSS Initiative
Why Embrace the Standards?
Necessary Changes Related to the Standards
The CCSS: Their Format and Implications for Instruction
Chapter 2. Understanding Adolescent Readers
The Scope of the Challenge
Defining Adolescent Literacy
Motivating Adolescents to Read
Chapter 3. Understanding Challenging Texts
Seminal Works in the Disciplines
Quantitative Measures of Text Difficulty
Qualitative Measures of Text Difficulty
A Possible Process for Choosing and Using Texts
Chapter 4. Designing Challenging Text Sets
An Expanded Understanding of Content-Area Texts
Text Representation Theory
Building Background Knowledge through Intertextual Connections
The Quad Text Set in Action: An Example from ELA
The Quad Text Set in Action: An Example from History/Social Studies
The Quad Text Set in Action: An Example from Science
Chapter 5. Building Background Knowledge
What Is Background Knowledge and How Do We Get It?
Teaching Technical Vocabulary
Strategies for Previewing
Chapter 6. Supporting Students during Reading
Choosing a Stance for Adolescent Readers
Recent Large-Scale Efforts
Rationale for Collaboration
Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies
Chapter 7. Implementing High-Quality Discussions after Reading
Common Core Requirements for Discussion
Characteristics of an Effective Discussion
Chapter 8. Text-Based Writing to Support Understanding
Barriers to Text-Based Writing
Why Text-Based Writing—and Why Me?
Writing Activities That Work
Chapter 9. Research in the Content Areas
A Short History of Research in the Content Areas
A Word about Collaboration as a Tool of Inquiry
Chapter 10. Leading for Change
Creating a Specific Vision
Gathering the Resources Your Vision Demands
Final Thoughts: Making It All Make Sense
Appendix 1. Text Set Examples from English Language Arts
Appendix 2. Text Set Examples from History/Social Studies
Appendix 3. Text Set Examples from Science
Cracking the Common Core
：Choosing and Using Texts in Grades 6-12
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