The English Team Keeps
Moving Forward
Six members of the English Content Team met recently
(February 16 - 17, 2006) to craft the initial draft English definitions.
The work was predicated on the already solid effort of the full Content
Team which met in January. The six members included: Marilyn Henselman,
Janet Praxel, Kathleen Byrd, Mark Fuzie, Gail Stygall, Sharon Straub
(2 representatives from each category—high school, 2-year and
4-year), and the facilitator was Terryll Bailey.
The group worked hard and had a good time! They
started by reviewing all source documents from the list generated
at the January session. Next, participants went line by line through
the potential definitions generated by EPIC, which were based on the
five initial source documents. Their charge: to identify areas of
agreement and disagreement. Although time consuming, this was a helpful
process for participants as they gained further clarity and expanded
points of view of a host of perspectives, concepts and contextual
issues.
Soon after, the definition
process commenced. Participants started with the Reading Grade Level
Expectations (GLEs), and went GLE-by-GLE to ask:
- Is this a topic that impacts college readiness?;
- If no, leave it blank for the College Readiness
definitions / If yes, is the level indicated by the grade 10/11
GLEs adequate?;
- If yes, copy and paste / if no, write a
new GLE. We then asked whether there were any brand new topics
not covered in the GLEs that should be included.
The entire group of six worked on the Reading
definitions and finished around 8:30 PM on day one. Day two started
by separating into two groups—4 to work on writing and 2 to
work on communications. The communications’ team finished in
time to join in on developing the last half of the writing definitions.
When the writing section was complete, the communications team walked
through their work to ensure there was consensus.
The group then turned to Attributes and Habits
of Mind. All of the attribute definitions from all sources were consolidated
prior to selecting those to include, remove, or rewrite as needed.
Finally, participants returned to the original
source documents and looked them over carefully to make sure all items
identified as important were included.
NOTES: The group
wants to include notes and comments either in a preface or on the
pages of the definitions. The following is a list of those notes and
comments they discussed so far, in no particular order. These will
be discussed in more detail at the next full English Team session,
April 27-28.
- The importance of having language that encompasses
both fiction and non-fiction reading and writing
- We have created this standard with the understanding
that certain things will need to be available such as after hours
computer access, internet access
- Philosophy of materials: A variety of texts
-- Literature, technical writing, oratory, mass media messages
- Define text more broadly—includes
newspapers, magazines, speeches, internet sources, emails, transcript
- How texts become more complex: length, type
of evidence, accumulation of evidence, contexts, sources, style,
perspectives, amount of time
- We see rhetorical devices as encompassing
literary devices. Rhetorical devices:
techniques used to persuade or convince.
- Explain that college students need to understand
English as a global language
- Listening behavior will vary according to
culture, learning style, and situation.
- Verbal and nonverbal cues must be taught
explicitly. Do not assume they are universal.
Terryll Bailey:
206-525-7175 / tbailey@theallisongroup.com
John House:
206-870-5906 / JHOUSE@highline.edu
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