This document outlines English Language Arts look-fors and best practices for teachers. It describes tasks that should engage and challenge students through interesting, cognitively demanding work relevant to real world. Both students and teachers have roles in reading, writing, speaking, listening and language development. Tasks should balance informational and literary texts and relate to grade-level standards while building understanding.

1. English Language Arts Look-fors
St. Clair County RESA, Jennifer Evans 2013 Page 1
ELA Task What Student Is Doing What Teacher Is Doing
Routines and Procedures
are established.
Task
Is interesting.
Requires cognitive effort.
Has real world relevance.
Creates discussion.
Relates to grade level CCSS.
Builds student
understanding.
Leads student to look back
and reflect on answer.
Engages students.
Balances Informational and
Literary texts.
Drawing information and
analyzing answers to questions
based on a text structure and
story elements.
Determining a theme of a text
and including supportive
analysis, evidence, inference,
etc.
Determining the meaning of
words and phrases used in a
text and how the information
or literature impacts them.
Analyzing how the author’s
choices impact the purpose,
reasoning, evidence, structure,
meaning and implications of
the text.
Describing how the structure
impacts the text and draw
meaning from different
formats.
Analyzing and evaluating the
various points of view from
meaning, narrator, author,
illustrator, reader, audience
and/or characters’
perspectives, also
interpretation of source
material.
Comparing and contrasting
works from different authors
related to similar stories,
events, themes, topics, plots,
or genres.
Problem solving using
material from a variety of
formats and sources.
Evaluating the author’s
reasoning and evidence in a
text.
Accountability is evident.
(Each bullet may not be identified in
every lesson)
Building a supportive literacy
community using multiple
sources; digital, journals, etc.
Providing feedback and
helping make connections
between representations,
various points of view,
student thinking.
Providing explicit and precise
modeling.
Helping students develop
goals.
Providing students with time
to discuss with others.
Providing students with
opportunities to use various
graphic organizers/thinking
maps, pictures, promoting
visible thinking while
referring to displays of
anchor charts and other
content specific visual aids.
Providing students the
opportunity to construct their
own ideas and use evidence
from the text.
Differentiating questioning
strategies such as QAR,
Bloom’s, Socratic circles, etc.
Providing students with
opportunities to engage in
word study.
Providing flexible,
instructional groupings to
differentiate instruction and
meet students’ needs.
ELA Task What Student Is Doing What Teacher Is DoingReading

2. English Language Arts Look-fors
St. Clair County RESA, Jennifer Evans 2013 Page 2
ELA Task
Routines and Procedures
are established.
Task
Is interesting.
Requires cognitive effort.
Has real world relevance.
Creates discussion.
Relates to grade level CCSS.
Builds student
understanding.
Leads student to look back
and reflect on answer.
Engages students.
Balances Informational and
Literary texts.
What Student Is Doing
Writing opinions or
arguments based on point of
view with sufficient
evidence and valid
reasoning.
Writing clear and well
structured
informative/explanatory text
based on facts.
Writing detailed and clear
sequenced narratives to
develop real or imagined
experiences or events.
Producing clear and coherent
text in which the
development and
organization are appropriate
to task, purpose and
audience.
Applying the writing process
individually or with peers to
plan, revise, edit, rewrite, or
try a new approach.
Using technology to
individually or
collaboratively support the
writing process.
Gathering, evaluating, and
citing evidence to support
analysis, reflection and
research.
Demonstrating command of
the conventions of Standard
English grammar and usage
when writing or speaking.
Accountability is evident.
(Each bullet may not be
identified in every lesson)
What Teacher Is Doing
Providing feedback
encouraging students to
connect task to prior
concepts taught, making
connections and scaffold
instruction with prior
knowledge, structures used,
tool, student thinking,
evidence, discoveries and
content standard.
Providing explicit and
precise modeling.
Providing students with the
time to research, discuss,
revise, edit, share, and
construct learning.
Differentiating by providing
multiple and flexible options
for student engagement and
acquisition of knowledge.
Displaying Anchor charts
and other content specific
aids.
Providing students with
necessary tools to represent
explore and deepen student
understanding.
Setting goals and identifying
strategies used to achieve
goals, using rubrics when
necessary.
Encouraging students to
keep trying.
Writing

3. English Language Arts Look-fors
St. Clair County RESA, Jennifer Evans 2013 Page 3
ELA Task
Routines and Procedures
are established.
Task
Is interesting.
Requires cognitive effort.
Has real world relevance.
Creates discussion.
Relates to grade level CCSS.
Builds student understanding.
Leads student to look back
and reflect on answer.
Engages students.
Balances Informational and
Literary texts.
What Student Is Doing
Participating in collaborative
conversations with diverse
partners and adults in small
and large groups.
Integrating multiple sources of
information from various
media formats extracting
meaning in order to solve
problems, evaluate motives,
and be informed.
Demonstrating an
understanding of the content
presented in multiple formats.
Evaluating a speaker’s point of
view and presenting
information, possibly asking
questions for clarification.
Presenting relevant
information so the audience
can follow along and
understand.
Adding digital or analogue
media to the presentation to
provide clarity about the topic.
Presenting using formal or
casual language when
appropriate.
Accountability is evident.
(Each bullet may not be identified
in every lesson)
What Teacher Is Doing
Providing explicit and precise
modeling and
communications,
emphasizing its importance.
Providing students with the
opportunity to listen and
discuss with others.
Providing a literacy rich
environment.
Providing feedback helping to
make connections between
various formats, relationships
between representation,
answer, vocabulary, student
thinking, content standards,
and what is noticed.
Differentiating, clarifying,
and providing opportunities
for students to recall
information presented.
Expecting students to justify
their reasoning using
examples from the text or
presentation.
Building a supportive literacy
community using multiple
sources.
Giving students the
opportunity to evaluate the
appropriateness of their
model and that of others.
Speaking and Listening

4. English Language Arts Look-fors
St. Clair County RESA, Jennifer Evans 2013 Page 4
ELA Task What Student Is Doing What Teacher Is Doing
Routines and Procedures
are established.
Task
Is interesting.
Requires cognitive effort.
Has real world relevance.
Creates discussion.
Relates to grade level CCSS.
Builds student
understanding.
Leads student to look back
and reflect on answer.
Engages students.
Balances Informational and
Literary texts.
Understanding how language
functions in different
contexts when writing,
speaking, reading, or
listening.
Determining the meaning of
unknown words and phrases.
Determining understanding
of figurative language, word
relationships, and nuances in
word meanings.
Using grade-appropriate
words and phrases.
Accountability is evident.
Providing explicit and
precise modeling.
Providing students with
feedback that is timely and
effective.
Providing students with the
time to discuss and determine
what they notice.
Providing a literacy rich
environment.
Demonstrating enthusiasm
for the content subject area.
Using graphic organizers,
visual aids, short video
clips/pictures, to support
teaching term(s).
Using explicit instruction or
Marzano’s 6-step vocabulary
model.
Incorporating kinesthetic
movements with vocabulary
words when possible.
Providing opportunities for
students to identify words in
reading.
Differentiating, clarifying,
and providing opportunities
for students to recall
information.
Language