The ELA and Literacy resources homepage offers a vast and useful set of resources ranging from powerpoints, visual maps, and videos to training modules, graphic organizers, and vignettes on specific instructional practices. The following are only some of the highlights of the resources offered by Kansas, which seem the most compelling for schools and districts anywhere trying to implement and transition to the common core.
Text Complexity Resources: Much of this information exists in several different places, but Kansas has localized all of their text complexity resources in one place. They provide all the documents necessary to "understand" how text complexity is determined as well as several worked out examples to help ground the conversation. The intents of their set of resources is to build competencies and really enable an educator(s) to walk away with solid conception of text complexity. Below are some snapshots of what you will find on text complexity:
Grade-Level Band Resources: Kansas organizes the resources by the text complexity bands, which allows the set of resources to truly embody the text complexity framework. In addition, each of these bands are grouped into "summer academies" so that these bands also become the professional development groupings for ELA. Everything about this seems to work together to make an incredible set of resources. There are built in a PD environment and nested within a key part of the common core standards. Here is a link to each of the grade level bands and beneath them a set of screenshots of what you will find!):
- Grades K-2 Band
- Grades 3-5 Band
- Grades 6-8 Band
- Grades 9-12 Band: This band is particularly cavernous and an adventure into a wealth of resources. From here this "summar academy" directs you to a wiki where teachers have posted an amazing amount of lesson plans, templates, etc. Definitely worth an exploration by secondary teachers. VAST!
*Special thanks to @ChristinaHank for pointing me toward the outstanding resources on text complexity as well as PD modules on common core.
