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    Dive Into The Deep End

    Anchor texts build understanding of complex ideas.

    By Diane Zimmerman
    April 2016
    The Internet has opened new avenues for professional learning design — especially the use of text and video to extend learning and create opportunities for the social construction of knowledge. When text is paired with collaborative designs, participants engage in powerful learning, which provides quality time to think out loud together. Engaging adults in text invites them to be active interpreters of critical themes. When a reader knows that a social contribution is expected, she comes prepared to explain personal understandings. In 2014, instructional coaches Katrina Litzau and Vicki Murray designed professional learning to support teachers and principals in developing a deeper understanding of the cognitive processes of leadership. Steeped in the Common Core State Standards and building on quality literacy instruction, they designed the

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    Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem.

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    Authors

    Diane P. Zimmerman, Katrina M. Litzau, and Vicki L. Murray

    Diane P. Zimmerman (dpzimmer@gmail.com) is a retired superintendent and author of Liberating Leadership Capacity: Pathways to Educational Wisdom (Teachers College Press, 2016). Katrina M. Litzau (katrina@litzau.net) and Vicki L. Murray (vickimurrayco@gmail.com) are professional learning specialists and elementary and middle school instructional coaches.

    References

    Atwell, N. (1998). In the middle: A lifetime of learning about writing, reading, and adolescents. (3rd ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

    Calkins L. (1994). The art of teaching writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

    Costa, A., Garmston, R., & Zimmerman, D. (2014). Cognitive capital: Investing in teacher quality. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

    Zimmerman, D. (2014). Cognitive capital: Investing in teacher quality. New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Graves, D. (1994). A fresh look at writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

    Johnston, P. & Goatley, V. (2014). Research making its way into classroom practice. The Reading Teacher, 68(4), 245-250.

    Lehman, C. & Roberts, K. (2014). Falling in love with close reading: Lessons for analyzing text — and life. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

    Litzau, K. & Murray, V. (2014). Anchor texts. Available at www.cognitivecaptial.org/about-anchor-texts.html.


    Diane zimmerman
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    Diane P. Zimmerman (dpzimmer@gmail.com) is a retired superintendent and author.


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