Common Core State
Standards for English
Language Arts and Literacy
Little Rock School District
Elementary Literacy
Common Core State Standards
“...the grade-specific standards define end-of-year
expectations and a cumulative progression
designed to enable students to meet college and
career readiness expectation no later than the end
of high school.”
--Common Core State Standards, p. 4
Students who are college and career ready
will …
•Demonstrate independence.
•Build strong content knowledge.
•Respond to the varying demands of audience, task, purpose, and
discipline.
•Comprehend as well as critique.
•Value evidence.
•Use technology and digital media strategically and capably.
•Come to understand other perspectives and cultures.
Students who are college and career ready
will…
•Produce and publish documents
•Interact and collaborate
•Communicate using web tools
•Evaluate information presented in different media formats
Common Core State Standards
– College and Career Readiness (CCR) Standards
 Anchor standards for each strand that are further defined
by grade-specific standards
– Grade-Level Standards in English Language Arts
 K-8 standards vertically aligned grade-by-grade
 Four strands: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening,
and Language
– Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects
 Standards are embedded at grades K-5
5
Example of Grade-Level
Progression in Reading
•CCR Reading Standard 3: Analyze how and why individuals,
events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
Reading Standards for Literature
Reading Standards for Informational Text
Grade 3: Describe characters in a story (e.g., their
traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how
their actions contribute to the sequence of
events.
Grade 3: Describe the relationships between a series
of historical events, scientific ideas of concepts, or
steps in technical procedures in a text, using
language that pertains to time, sequence, and
cause/effect.
Grade 7: Analyze how particular elements of a
story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes
the characters or plot)
Grade 7: Analyze the interactions between
individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how
ideas influence individuals or events, or how
individuals influence ideas or events).
Grades 11-12: Evaluate various explanations for
characters’ actions or for events and determine
which explanation best accords with textual
evidence, acknowledging where the text leaves
matters uncertain.
Grades 11-12: Analyze a complex set of ideas or
sequence of events and explain how specific
individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop
over the course of the text.
7
Little Rock School District
Elementary Literacy Curriculum
Includes reading, writing, speaking/listening,
spelling vocabulary and grammar
Aligned to the Common Core State Standards
Includes consistent and similar resources
Assessed regularly
What does this mean for our
students?
- Increased focus on writing in a variety of
forms
- Persuasive, informational, narrative
- Increased use of informational and
persuasive texts
- Consistency throughout grades
- Various tasks demonstrate mastery
How does this fit with the
“Reading By Third Grade” Goal?
Consistent content throughout the district
Specific expectations for each grade level
Assessments to keep on track
Supplemental assistance when needed
• In-class
•School support
•After school
•Summer School
Important Information
• Summer programs
• www.pta.org – Parent documents!
• www.lrsd.org - Departments –
Elementary Literacy
Continued &
Upcoming work
• Parent and Community information
• Ongoing review of curriculum
• Review of newly developed state
assessments
• Creation of performance tasks
• Continued training
• Collaboration with middle school and
pre-kindergarten
• Continued collaboration with ADE
Common Core State
Standards for English
Language Arts and Literacy
Little Rock School District
Elementary Literacy