Secondary Literacy Core Components of Instruction

In Secondary Literacy, we aim to build students who

As readers, can read and comprehend the plot and basic flow of ideas in grade-level texts across
genres
As writers, can communicate their ideas logically and lucidly with appropriate supporting evidence
and interpretation
As critical thinkers, can uncover the implicit themes, arguments, and ideas within and across texts
and determine how and why the author conveyed them
We do this by teaching in ways that value childrens identities, harness and affirm the power of student
voice, keep the burden and joy of reading, writing, and thinking on children, and methodically and
deliberately building basic reading and writing skills of students who are operating behind grade level.

Our Approach to Secondary Literacy: Principles of Exemplary Literacy

Classrooms
Read complex, grade-appropriate texts worth reading: All children,
regardless of reading level, spend the majority of their class time reading
complex, grade-appropriate texts across genres with adequate support from
the teacher &/or peers. Texts become increasingly complex from grades 6-12
and enable students to build the critical thinking skills and academic
vocabulary required to become college and career ready.
A common misperception of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is that
students in upper grades are required to read a substantial amount of
informational texts at the expense of reading literature in their English
classes. However, the CCSS require substantial attention to literature
throughout K-12 and explicitly state that literature should be the core of the
work of 6-12 ELA teachers.1 The Standards place greater emphasis on
reading literary nonfiction as a subgenre of informational texts. In addition,
the Standards for social sciences, science, and technical subjects now require
that students build knowledge in these disciplines through reading and
writing.
Reading, writing, and speaking are grounded in evidence from text,
both literary and informational: The CCSS require that students answer
questions that depend on their careful reading of the text. Instead of asking
questions that allow students to rely on prior knowledge or experience,
students use text-dependent questions to examine things like the texts
structure, vocabulary & syntax, and authors purpose &/or theme.2 Students
understanding and analysis is typically demonstrated through writing tasks in
which students must provide text evidence to support their claim.
Children bear the burden & joy of the reading, writing, & thinking: In
order for students to be able to read, understand, and respond to complex,
grade-appropriate text with independence, they must spend the majority of
their class time doing the lions share of the reading, writing, and thinking.
Although this seems logical, we have seen many classrooms where the
teacher and not the students is doing the work of a reader, writer & critical
thinker.
While students must do the majority of the reading, writing, and thinking in
the classroom, this does not mean that they cannot be provided necessary
scaffolding and support. The CCSS require equal outcomes for students, but

they do not require equal inputs. Teachers will need to vary the amounts and
types of instruction provided to students to ensure high rates of success. For
example, the following strategies could be used to support struggling readers
with complex texts:3
Tier the task
Provide students with sections or small chunks of the text
Read aloud to individual or small groups of students
Independent Reading: The CCSS demand that secondary students read
grade-appropriate and complex texts. However, given the context within
which we teach and our students starting points, many students will need
scaffolding in order to engage with and understanding complex texts
independently. One key lever to build students basic reading skills is through
independent reading, in which students read texts on their reading level with
90% or above success. All students, regardless of reading level, need
opportunities early in the year to attempt to read complex, grade-appropriate
texts independently so that they can become accustomed to what is expected
of them. By doing so, students will develop the perseverance and grit
necessary to read and analyze complex texts.
Literacy Fosters Identity, Community, & Awareness of the Broader
World: While the CCSS state that students must read complex texts worth
reading, we have also seen our most successful teachers use their content to
foster childrens identities, sense of community, and awareness of broader
issues. Specifically, teachers often choose fiction or literary nonfiction texts
that feature authors, characters or communities with similar backgrounds to
our students. Informational texts are often grounded in students
communities or discuss issues that are prominent in students lives. Finally,
the questions, themes, and tasks that students grapple with throughout a unit
and/or lesson often given them opportunities to examine their own
perspectives and how those are similar to &/or different from those around
them.

References
1.

achievethecore.org

2.

Common Core Shifts for English Language Arts/Literacy, from achievethecore.org

3.

EdWeek Common Core Professional Development Webinar Series: Common Core Mythbusters: Clearing Up the
Biggest Misconceptions About the ELA Standards

4.

Allington, Richard L. What Really Matters for Struggling Readers: Designing Research-based Programs. New York:
Longman, 2001. Print.

About the Core Components of Instruction

The Core Components of Instruction were created to provide a north star for Teach for America corps
members and staff that outlines our organizations best thinking about what constitutes the most
transformational secondary literacy classrooms. Specifically, the CCI were developed through:
Common Core research, including reviewing the standards, publishing criteria, released test
questions, exemplar tools, and professional development resources related to the CCSS
External research and publications from prominent scholars in secondary literacy
Case studies of exemplary secondary literacy teachers

Observations and interviews with outstanding teachers

Interviews with Teach for America corps members and staff

Further Reading & Resources:

Common Core: Expectations for Students Who are College and Career Ready in Reading, Writing,
Speaking, Listening, & Language A portrait of students who meet the standards set out in this
document.

Common Core ELA Standards

Common Core Appendix A: Learn about the research behind the importance of text complexity as
well as how to determine the complexity of a text.

Common Core Appendix B: Text Exemplars for Grades K-12

Common Core Appendix C: Student Writing Exemplars for Grades K-12

Common Core Publishers Criteria: Developed by two of the lead authors of the Common Core State
Standards and revised through conversations with teachers, researchers, and other stakeholders,
these criteria are designed to guide publishers and curriculum developers as they work to ensure
alignment with the standards in English language arts (ELA) and literacy for history/social studies,
science, and technical subjects.

One Day for ELA: A comprehensive website that features a secondary ELA teacher and her students
throughout the year. The site includes her Vision, instructional arc for the year, student & family
interviews, student work across the year, and two weeks of instructional footage to see the way in
which she builds students as readers, writers, and thinkers (username/ password information can be
found here).

Sue Lehmann Artifacts for Chloe Kannan (Delta 10, secondary ELA): Access Chloes Vision, student
work samples, and video from her classroom that show ways in which she builds students as
readers, writers, and thinkers (username/password: tal/talrubric).

Million Words Campaign: Teach For Americas national campaign for increasing students volume
and love of reading. One stop shop for independent reading. Includes day-by-day guide for
implementing independent reading, suggests for acquiring books, motivating students, and tracking
progress.

Achieve the Core: Detailed information about the shifts required by the CCSS, as well as models of
text-dependent questions, professional development webinars, and stories from teachers
implementing the CCSS in their classroom.

America Achieves: Common Core aligned lesson plans with videos of teachers implementing
lessons and discussing key shifts in the common core.