Putting Your VSC Nightmares to Rest

Putting Your VSC Nightmares to RestAligning Explicit Instruction With the VSC : 

Putting Your VSC Nightmares to RestAligning Explicit Instruction With the VSC By Tanya Travis Katie Holbrook 2008 PD Conference

Explicit Instruction : 

I Do: Explain, Model, Think-Aloud We Do: Guided Practice and Feedback You Do: Independent Application Direct teaching of skills/strategies broken down in a series of steps. Consistent teacher wording/instructions. Extensive teacher modeling before students are asked to perform independently. Think-Aloud to focus on step-by-step process of applying skill/strategy. Explicit Instruction

Plan Out Your Sequence for Theme : 

Identify the skills in the scope and sequence for the term. Read through the stories in your theme and determine which story works best with which skill. Plan Out Your Sequence for Theme

Aligning Explicit Instruction : 

Read the story. Identify the standard, indicator, objective, and assessment limit that works best with the story. Use the VSC seeds, sample assessments, and pdf’s to determine exemplary responses and examples. Keep the focus on one objective. http://www.mdk12.org/instruction/curriculum/index.html Aligning Explicit Instruction

Matching the VSC : 

1.0 General Reading Processes Topic: General Reading Comprehension 4. Use strategies to demonstrate understanding of text. a. Identify the main idea. Limits: In the text or a portion of the text. Matching the VSC

Begin Your Plan Where You Want to End : 

Develop the formative assessment and write an exemplary response. Go back to the VSC: Does the formative assessment meet the VSC assessment limits? Evaluate your assessment: To ensure that the question can be answered. To ensure that the question aligns with VSC. To ensure that you are focused on one objective. Begin Your Plan Where You Want to End

Plan I Do : 

Return to the VSC and identify objective strategies. Use additional outside sources. Develop activities to directly teach and model skill objective. Plan I Do http://www.mdk12.org/scripts/vsc/generate_objective_pdf.pl?ca=Reading&gr=4&obj=1E4a Reader’s Handbook: A Student Guide for Reading & Learning By: Laura Robb Houghton Mifflin www.greatsource.com

I Do : 

Directly model the hidden thinking strategies: Use a Think-Aloud Display and read aloud a sample text. Demonstrate why, when, and how you use the strategy. Make sure to let students hear your thinking process. Explain the steps a reader goes through when they use the strategy. I Do VSC lesson seeds can provide I Do resources that meet VSC objectives. Look for: seeds http://www.mdk12.org/instruction/lessons/reading/grade4/3A6a.html

Plan We Do : 

Develop Guided Practice Activities As a class practice the skill. Have the students explain the steps they used as they tried the strategy and when they would use the strategy. Develop practice activities students can do in groups or pairs. Informally assess student answers: Are the students meeting the assessment limits? Plan We Do VCS lesson seeds or additional resources can provide guided practice activities.

Use Organizers : 

Develop graphic organizers that will focus students on the objective and provide a frame for a good BCR answer. Model organizers during I Do and have students complete them during We Do. Use Organizers

You Do : 

Students complete the formative assessment developed at the beginning of the planning cycle. Evaluate the formative assessment results: Use the VSC to review exemplar responses. Did the students meet the assessment limits? Did the students include all necessary pieces of a good BCR and demonstrate understanding of the objective? You Do

Additional Resources : 

Hall, T. (2002). Explicit instruction. Wakefield, MA: National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum. Retrieved [April 17, 2008] from http://www.cast.org/publications/ncac/ncac_explicit.html Volk, Kathy. School Improvement in Maryland: Project BETTER Thinking and Learning http://www.mdk12.org/instruction/curriculum/reading/instruction.html Additional Resources

Slide 13: 

Have a Good Night of Sleep!