E N G L I S H L A N G UA G E A RT S M O D U L E 4

F E B R UA RY 2 0 1 3

Reading Common CoreFocus: Text Complexity

Activating Prior Knowledge

http://acadvocabulary.weebly.com/index.html

Outcomes

The participates will…

understand how interacting with complex text helps advance a reader.

gain understanding of the importance of text selection.

become familiar with the criteria for determining text complexity.

The Instructional Shifts

Ant

icip

atio

n G

uide

So, Why Is Text Complexity Important?

Complexity of texts students are expected to read is below what is required to achieve college and career readiness:

•High school textbooks have declined in all subject areas over the last several decades•Average length of sentences in K-8 textbooks has declined from 20 to 14 words•Vocabulary demands have declined since the 1960s:

• 8th grade textbooks=former 5th grade texts• 12th grade anthologies=former 7th grade textsComplexity of college and career texts has remained

steady or increased, resulting in a gap

Text Complexity

“The Common Core Standards hinge on students encountering appropriately complex texts at each grade level in order to develop the mature language skills and the conceptual knowledge they need for success in school and life”.

Common Core State Standards

CCR Anchor Standard 10 – Read and comprehend complex literary and

informational texts independently and proficiently.

Ladder to Success

Stan

dard

1: R

ead

clos

ely

to

dete

rmin

e w

hat t

he te

xt s

ays

Standard 1o: Read and

comprehend com

plex literary and inform

ational text

2

34

56

7

8

9

Standards 2 & 3

Key ideas and Details

Standards 7,8, 9

Integration of Knowledge and

IdeasStandards 4, 5,

6 Craft and Structure

Text Complexity

A MULTIDIMENSIONAL LOOK AT CHOOSING THE RIGHT TEXT

Text Complexity is defined by:

Qual

itativ

e

1.Qualitative measures – levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality and clarity, and knowledge demands Quantitativ

e

2.Quantitative measures – readability and other scores of text complexity often best measured by computer software Reader and

Task3.Reader and Task – background knowledge of reader, motivation, interests, and complexity generated by tasks assigned

Quantitative Dimensions of Text Complexity

These are typically measured by computer

software. Examples:

• Word length• Word frequency• Sentence length• Text cohesion

Three Part Model for Text Complexity

Text Complexity Grade Bands

Suggested Lexile Range

Fountas & Pinnell levels

K-1 100L – 500L* A-I

2-3 450L – 790L J-P

4-5 770L – 980L Q-V

6-8 955L – 1155L W-Z

9-10 1080L – 1305L -

11-CCR 1215L – 1355L -

Quantitative Measures Ranges for Text Complexity Grade Bands

•The K-1 suggested Lexile range was not identified by the Common Core State Standards and was added by Kansas.

Qualitative Dimensions of Text Complexity

These are best measured by a human reader. Examples:

• Levels of meaning or purpose• Structure• Language conventionality and clarity• Knowledge demands

Three Part Model for Text Complexity

16

Reader and Task Considerations-Who and Why?

Examples of variables specific to readers:• Motivation• Knowledge• Experiences

Examples of variables specific to tasks:• Purpose • Complexity

Three Part Model for Text Complexity

18

Determining Text Complexity –

`Reader and Task Considerations

Here’s a sample…

Lexile Level = 870L

Lexile 740-1010 falls in grade band 4-5

Next: Examine the text for Qualitative Measures

Measures such as:• Text structure• Language

Conventionality• Clarity• Levels of Meaning• Levels of Purpose• Knowledge demands

21

What are you thinking about the level now?

Quantitative Measure

Lexile 87oL –gr. 4th-5th

Qualitative Considerations

This text is mostly complex.

Considerations such as:

• Cognitive Capabilities• Reading Skills• Motivation and Engagement with Task & Text• Prior Knowledge and Experience

• Content and/or Theme • Associated tasks

Step 3: Reader and Task ConsiderationsReader and Task Considerations

Deciding on the grade placement

What grade levels would be most appropriate for this text?

Like any holistic scoring system, there is not a single correct answer.

Guess the grade band…

Lexile 740(gr. 4-5)

Lexile 810

(gr. 4-5)

Lexile 950(gr. 4-5 or 6-

8)

Lexile 680

(gr. 2-3)

Guess the grade band…

Lexile 390(K-1)

Lexile 170(K-1)

Lexile 170(K-1)

Lexile 970

(gr. 4-5)

Let’s Review the Anticipation Guide AfterLexile ranges for grade bands will replace Fountas and Pinnell levels. In the near future, guided reading closets will have to be re-categorized using lexile levels. Struggling readers should be exposed to grade appropriate text. There are four factors used to assess text complexity in the Common Core Standards.

Professional knowledge and experiences should be the major factor to determine if a text is complex. The CCSS staircase of text complexity begins at kindergarten. The CCSS emphasis on text complexity calls for students to be taught at frustration levels. The length of a text determines how complex a piece of text is. Scaffolding strategies or activities are not necessary to make complex text more accessible.

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How is reading complex text like lifting weights?

“Just as it's impossible to build muscle without weight or resistance, it's impossible to build robust reading skills without reading challenging text.”

~Shanahan, Fisher & Frey

Try it – Apply It!

Review text that you will be using with your students.

With your teammates, identify some selections for read-alouds that would stretch your students’ thinking.

With your teammates, identify some scaffolds necessary to put into place that would make this text accessible to a broader range of students.

Be prepared to share out at our next module in May.

Next time we will…share experiences and thoughts about incorporating more complex text across the day.

discuss the inter-related nature of the shifts.

explore analytic reading and writing to source.