The CCSS ELA Overview Seminar consists of five modules designed to give participants a deeper understanding of the common core state standards for english language arts and its appendices.  The modules consist of:

Module 1: Design and Organization of the ELA Common Core
As a result of this session, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the ELA Common Core State Standards and Appendix C. Participants examine three learning progressions and consider how the design and organizational features of the Common Core State Standards promotes:

• focus and coherence for instruction and assessment, and
• access and acceleration.

Module 2: Literacy as a “Shared” Responsibility
As a result of this session, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the ELA Common Core State Standards, along with examination of Appendix A and Appendix B. Participants explore various aspects of the Reading Strand and consider how the design and organizational features of the Common Core State Standards promotes:

• literacy as a “shared” responsibility across the school, and
• the importance of levels of text complexity.

Module 3: The Content of the ELA Common Core  
In this session, participants delve deeper into the content of the ELA Common Core through experiencing the process of “unwrapping” a standard. By having a thorough understanding of how the learning progressions develop over time, along with knowledge of the “unwrapping” process, teachers are better able to design defensible instructional sequences and engage in the formative assessment process. In addition, by taking a closer look at the cognitive demands embedded within the standards, participants will consider how the content of the Common Core State Standards promotes:

• critical thinking and problem solving
• higher levels of comprehension
• accessing and analyzing information
• the use of evidence and reasoned judgment
• effective oral and written communication
• teamwork and collaboration

Module 4: Increasing Nonfiction Writing Across the Curriculum 
In preparation for College and Career Readiness, the Common Core State Standards require that students increase the quantity and range of non-fiction writing across the curriculum. This session examines the learning progressions for two non-fiction writing text types (argument and informational/explanatory). Student writing samples will be examined against the criteria in the CCSS. 

Module 5: The Integrated Model of Literacy
During this session participants examine student performance tasks to explore how each of the four literacy strands work in mutually reinforcing ways to promote an integrated model of literacy (reading, writing, speaking & listening, and language). Implications for increasing collaboration across content areas will be discussed. Participants will also consider how to “ramp up” the rigor in existing units of study to align with the expectations of the Common Core State Standards.  This session will conclude with examination of a sample performance event that serves as one prototype for the next-generation assessments.