This course will be an introduction to the Iowa Core ELA standards with the content based on the meaning and intention of the Iowa Core ELA standards, as well as the pedagogy of teaching and assessing the standards with fidelity. Participants will examine the Iowa Core English Language Arts Standards with a focus on the history, development, format, and structure of the standards. They will deconstruct (unwrap) the standards to determine the concepts and skills that are embedded within each standard.

This will lead to the creation of learning targets for selected standards. Teachers will connect the unwrapped standards and learning targets to create integrated, standards-based lessons. These lessons will be based on the pre-designed units (units 1, 3, and 5) that will be provided. The expectation is that the units will be implemented throughout the school year with support from the coach and the collaborative grade-level team from the cohort.

Participants will also engage in learning based on the Gradual Release of Responsibility framework for quality instruction. Creating standards-based focus lessons that include purpose, learning targets, and modeling will be the basis of the observation and coaching conversations for the course.

Participants will work collaboratively among and across districts to design standards-based lessons (within the pre-designed unit provided) for which they collect, analyze, and use data to inform instruction. Participants will engage in monthly coaching (Sept., Oct., Nov., Jan., Feb., Apr.) that includes an observation and coaching conversation with an AEA coach.

You can access the course syllabus by clicking on the following link and searching for the course title.
Course Syllabus

Instructors: Leigh McEwen, Lisa Hawker, Terri Parker
Session: 6183
Dates: 6/11/14, 6/12/14, 9/11/14, 10/14/14, 11/18/14, 1/15/15, 2/17/15, 4/8/15; coaching dates will be determined with the instructors
Time: 8:30-3:30; 1 hour lunch on your own
Location: Mississippi Bend AEA, Bettendorf