Classroom example of globalizing the CCSS through literature

1. Global Literacy and
the Common Core
Standards
Using meaningful texts in a
5th grade Language Arts
Classroom
Amy Gaddes, M.Ed.

2. Choose your texts
carefully, with your
student’s needs and
experiences in mind.

3. Inside Out and Back Again
by Thanhha Lai

4. Consider the
‘staircase of text
complexity’…
…but don’t
lose sight of
your student’s
accessibility to
the target text.

5. Align with district’s
emphasis:
“close reading…with
text-based answers.
(Shift 4)

6. Ask yourself: “What
standards are at work?”
W.5.3.b.
Use narrative techniques
such as dialogue…to
develop experiences,
events or characters.

7. Reading Standards for
Literature
RL.5.10
Read and comprehend
literature…in the grade
text complexity band
proficiently, with
scaffolding as needed…

8. Written Conversations

9. Ernie: “Há, can you tell me
how you felt while you were
on the ship?”
Há: “ Sure…when I was on the
ship I felt like everyone was
looking at me and sad because
my home was destroyed.”

10. Ernie: I’m so sorry you
had to lose your home. I
was in the
airport[coming to
America] and I also felt
that everyone was
looking at me and I felt
sad that I was leaving my
home.”

11. We uncovered the universality of
humanistic themes that can be
explored globally or locally.
“…I can relate to Há being sad
because I had to leave a lot of stuff
behind to go someplace better…”

12. Reader’s theatre
Students were invited to reenact any
scene from the book. Their rationale
for scene selection was powerful!

13. One chosen poem…

14. Speaking and Listening Standard:
SL.5.2.a. Interpret information
presented…and explain how it
contributes to a topic, text, or
issue under study.
Use their experience….culture….
to think analytically…

15. Cultural validation occurred
as one student understood
the setting’s proximity to
his home country, the
Philippines.

16. We gave voice and social
credibility to our English
Language Learners.

17. This reinforced my rationale
for choosing this text as I
worked through my own
learning curve regarding the
CCLS.