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 (full day of training or broken up into 2 hour segments over time if preferred)

• 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.ilwritingmatters.org.

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.

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