R&D 7

Read the Common Core standards page titled "Key Shifts in English Language Arts" In a blog posting explain how media the media literacy activity described in the chapter are examples of literacy practices support by the Common Core.

The 5-Step assignment, given at the end of Chapter 4 of our text, absolutely meets the 3 key shifts in language arts now needed for the Common Core:

1.       Regular practice with complex texts and their academic language

Step 1, Watch & Listen, gives students 3 excerpts from MLK’s speeches. These texts are written in MLK’s own language & are therefore relevant to the Common Core standards. Students are also directed to take notes which will help them paraphrase the texts in their own language, so they can better understand the texts’ relevance.

2.       Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from texts, both literary and informational

Steps 2 & 3 & 5 of the Chapter 4 lesson plan ask students to do some creative writing based on literary & informational texts. They must create characters, a dialogue & recreate time & place in order to better understand the nonfiction texts that they have read.

3.       Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction

Step 4 requests that students do further research in order to broaden their knowledge base on the nonfiction texts by MLK they have read.