Close Reading in Musical Theater

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Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening in the Arts

Workshop GoalsToday we will…•Understand the increased text complexity demands of the CCSS and the value of teaching students to read closely in ELA and the arts •Make connections between the CCSS, VAPA standards, and close reading•Experience a close read•Practice the steps for planning a close read

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CCSESA Arts Initiative’s Vision“Visual and performing arts are an integral part of a comprehensive curriculum and essential for learning in the 21st century.”

CCSESA (2014)Integrating Arts Learning with the

Common Core State Standards

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CCSESA Arts InitiativeEight Principles1.Enriched and affirming learning environments2.Empowering pedagogy3.Challenging and relevant curriculum4.High-quality instructional resources5.Valid and comprehensive assessment

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CCSESA Arts Initiative (continued)

6. High-quality professional preparation and support

7. Powerful family and community engagement8. Advocacy-oriented administrative and

leadership systemsCCSESA (2014)

Integrating Arts Learning with the Common Core State Standards

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CCSESA Arts

Initiative Website

http://www.ccsesaarts.org/

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Warm Up• What do the following books have in common?– Oliver Twist by C. Dickens– Little House on the Prairie by L. Ingalls Wilder– The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by M. Twain

• Record your thoughts and be prepared to share.

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Surprise!

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640 LLexile Measure

760 LLexile Measure

680 LLexile Measure

Retrieved from http://www.lexile.com/analyzer/

College and Career ReadinessCCR Reading Anchor Standard 10 Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

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Three-Part Model for Measuring Text Complexity

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Readability measures and other scores of text complexity

Reader variables (such as motivation, knowledge, and experiences) and task variables (such as purpose and the complexity generated by

the task assigned and the questions posed)

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Upward Shift in Lexile Ranges

Fisher (2014)

What Makes Text Complex?Qualitative Dimensions•Levels of Meaning or Purpose •Structure•Language Conventionality and Clarity•Knowledge Demands

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CCSS Appendix A: Text Complexity• Browse the four qualitative factors of text

complexity from Appendix A.• Consider the continuum of difficulty within

each factor.

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Close, Attentive Reading“Students who meet the Standards readily undertake the close, attentive reading that is at the heart of understanding and enjoying complex works of literature. They habitually perform the critical reading necessary to pick carefully through the staggering amount of information available today in print and digitally.”

National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers (2010)

Common Core State Standards for ELA/Literacy

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Study the CCSS for ELA/Literacy: Reading StandardsUsing the handout, study the standards for your grade level/span or content area.•Highlight standards that require close reading of text and/or citing evidence from text.•Calculate the percentage of reading standards that require close reading of text.•Share your highlights with a partner and “support your claim.”

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Integrating the Arts“When the arts are integrated, learning is experienced in a variety of ways, allowing every student to be successful in various content areas.”

Donovan & Pascale (2012)Integrating the Arts Across Content Areas

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Integrating the Standards: VAPA and CCSS Reading Strand• Read the VAPA Standards in

the Component Strand 1.0 Artistic Perception—Theatre for your grade level/span.

• Highlight the words and phrases that tell what students are expected to know and do for each standard.

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eStandards Keyword Search• Launch the eStandards app• Select CCSS ELA & Literacy• Select Grade Level Standards• Select All Grades• Enter keyword, select All Strands• Keywords: vocabulary,

plot, theme, pacing, mood, metaphor

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What Does It Mean to Read Closely?“Close reading of text involves an investigation of a short piece of text, with multiple readings done over multiple instructional lessons. Through text-based questions and discussion, students are guided to deeply analyze and appreciate various aspects of the text, such as key vocabulary and how its meaning is shaped by context; attention to form, tone, imagery and/or rhetorical devices; the significance of word choice and syntax; and the discovery of different levels of meaning as passages are read multiple times.”

Brown & Kappes (2012)A Primer on Close Reading of Text

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Close Reading in Drama“One way to deeply study works of art in different disciplines is to examine multiple renditions of the same work. Perhaps the most obvious example is drama. Students can study closely a specific act or scene, and then observe how it has been played by different directors and actors. The Core Standards in Literacy require that students can compare the evidence they see in the script, and observe how different productions draw and interpret the script.”

David Coleman (n.d.)Guiding Principles for the Arts, Grades K–12

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Features of Close Reading• Short, worthy passages• Students rereading• Limited frontloading• Text-dependent questions• Read and annotate• After-reading tasks

Fisher & Frey (2013)Rigorous Reading

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Types of Text-Dependent Questions

Part

Sentence

Paragraph

Entire text

Across texts

Word

Whole

Segments

Fisher & Frey (2013)

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Types Defined• Browse the document

on the following page from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

• Note the definition of each type of text-dependent question.

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Instructor Model“We are going to continue in our study of ‘Transformation’ by closely reading lyrics from the musical Wicked.”

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Participate in a Close Read• Read the lyrics to “Defying Gravity” from the

musical Wicked. • Annotate the text:– Box the central message–Circle unclear words and phrases– In your own words, write two notes in the

margins

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General UnderstandingWith a partner, discuss the following questions:•Who is singing these lyrics?•Based on the first and third stanzas, what do you think has happened?•Without yet knowing who Glinda is, what can you say about her character’s role in what has happened?

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Key DetailsWith a partner, discuss the following questions:•What concerns does Elphaba have about venturing out on her own? •What details in the lyrics support your answer?

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Reread: Deeper Focus• Circle up in groups of six.• Each person in the circle reads one stanza

aloud. Add pauses, inflections, intonations, and emphasis (prosody) to the text.

• How does this change your initial understandings of the lyrics?

• Add to your annotations.

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VocabularyWith your table group, discuss the following:•What does Elphaba mean when she states, “Some things I cannot change; But till I try I’ll never know”?•What is the tone of the lyrics? What words and phrases support your claim?•Add to your annotations.

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Structure• Read the lyrics within the context of

the script. • With your table group, discuss the following:

How does this change or strengthen your understanding of what is happening to the main character, Elphaba?

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Structure• Read the stage directions within the script and

consider Elphaba’s point of view.• How do the stage directions help make the

lyrics in the final stanza so memorable?

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InferencesWith your table group, discuss the following:•To whom is Elphaba referring when she states, “To those who’d ground me; Take a message back from me”? •What other parts of the lyrics support your claim?•Add to your annotations.

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Opinion• Choose one line from the lyrics that best

conveys what you know so far about Elphaba as a character and her transformation.

• Be prepared to “perform” that line foryour group.

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Diverse Text TypeThe Wizard of Oz, 1939

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Diverse Text Type• Using your knowledge of the 1939 film The

Wizard of Oz, explain the juxtaposition between the film version of the Wicked Witch of the West and Elphaba from Wicked.

• Add to your annotations.

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Intertextual ConnectionsMaya Angelou

recites her poem, “And Still I Rise”

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Intertextual Connections• What comparisons can you make between

the poem and Elphaba’s character?• What contrasts can you make?

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Culminating TaskWhat is the role of choice in transformation?•After reading and discussing the lyrics to “Defying Gravity,” create a tableau, collage, or monologue that defines the consequences, positive and negative, of Elphaba’s decision to transform herself.

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Reflect on the Model• Consider the following prompt:

What changed your idea of the lyrics over the course of the close reading model?

• Be prepared to share.

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Extension Ideas• Read an accompanying excerpt from the book Wicked.• Listen to the song “Defying Gravity”• Watch the Tony Awards performance of “Defying

Gravity” on YouTube• Closely read other related text with same theme• Closely read other parts of the script that support

theme and give deeper meaning • Compare/contrast a unit of study when transformation

is not a choice

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Key Considerations• Different readings have different foci• Questions we ask the readers during the readings are a

scaffold• Direct students to update annotations• Include collaborative conversation• Listen to students to figure out how and when to move

on with lesson• End with a task aligned to the big idea of the text/unit

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Creating a Close Reading• Choose a short, worthy passage

– If there’s a staple, it’s too long!• Plan for re-reading

– Where’s the evidence? – Different foci for each read

• Limit front-loading and preteaching vocabulary– Give students the chance to struggle a bit

• Design text-dependent questions– Part to whole

• Require students to “read with a pencil”– Independently read and annotate

• Incorporate after-reading tasks

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Annotation: Some Suggestions• Box the major points. • Circle words or phrases that are confusing or unknown to you.• Use a question mark (?) for questions that you have during the reading.

Be sure to write your question. • Use an exclamation mark (!) for things that surprise you, and briefly

note what it was that caught your attention. • Draw an arrow ( )↵ when you make a connection to something

inside the text, or to an idea or experience outside the text. Briefly note your connections.

• Mark EX when the author provides an example.• Numerate arguments, important ideas, or key details and write words

or phrases that restate them. •

Fisher (2014)

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Ideas for After-Reading Tasks Connected to the Arts• Write a monologue• Create a piece of visual art• Represent the topic/subject through a tableau• Reenact a scene• Make a connection to another piece of

music/play/movie• Write a song/poem

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Support for During- and After-Reading Tasks• Literacy Design Collaborative –

Writing task templateswww.ldc.org/how-ldc-works/modules/what-task

• Musial Theatre Internationalhttp://www.mtishows.com

• CCSESA Arts Initiative Websitehttp://www.ccsesaarts.org

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Connect to the Classroom

Part

Sentence

Paragraph

Entire text

Across texts

Word

Whole

Segments

Fisher & Frey (2013)

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Planning for Your ClassroomReview the 5-day lesson plan for Wicked

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Planning for Your Classroom• Locate the scripts for West Side Story and

The Little Mermaid.• Choose one of these songs to plan a close

read for your classroom:– West Side Story, “Something’s Coming”– The Little Mermaid, “Part of Your World”

• Participate in a guided planning process

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Creativity at the Core Modules• Region 1 - North Coast: Humboldt County Office

of Education and North Coast Dance• Region 2 - Northeastern: Shasta County Office

of Education and The Music Center (Los Angeles, distance learning model development)

• Region 3 - Capital: Sacramento County Office of Education and Crocker Art Museum and California Musical Theatre

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Creativity at the Core Modules (continued)

• Region 4 - Bay: Alameda County Office of Education and Teaching Artists Guild

• Region 5 - South Bay: Monterey County Office of Education and El Teatro Campesino

• Region 6 - Delta Sierra: Stanislaus County Office of Education and Gallo Center for the Arts

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Creativity at the Core Modules (continued)

• Region 7 - Central Valley: Fresno County Office of Education and Fresno Arts Council

• Region 8 - Costa del Sol: Ventura County Office of Education and Museum of Ventura County

• Region 9 - Southern: San Diego County Office of Education and Old Globe Theatre

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Creativity at the Core Modules(continued)

• Region 10 - RIMS: San Bernardino County Office of Education and P.L.A.C.E. Performance

• Region 11 - Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Office of Education and Arts for All

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Feedback Form

Please complete and submit the Feedback Form included at the back of the packet.

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Quick and Easy Access to CA’s CCSS for ELA/Literacy, ELD, and Math

• On Your iPhone® or iPad®Available on the App Store

• On Your Android™Available on Google Play™ (Google Play is a trademark of Google Inc.)

• At Your Desktopwww.scoe.net/estandards

• On Your Smartphonewww.scoe.net/estandardsmobile

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