Finding Science Docs for Students This is going to be fun.. Finding Science Docs for Students Sharon Einstein Flesher-Duffy Fleshers@nashua.edu

What is text complexity? Well, according to Common Core (drum roll please) Seriously folks, this is it said…

You aren’t off the hook that fast! Science Math Art Each subject has its own language and vocabulary As we teach, we need to help students access increasingly difficult materials over time This process will help them become college or career ready! Harder Harder EASY

What the standards say: “When reading scientific and technical texts, students need to be able to gain knowledge from challenging texts ... Students must be able to read complex informational texts in these fields with independence and confidence because the vast majority of reading in college and workforce training programs will be sophisticated nonfiction.” (This is in your brochure so don’t worry about it) (And in the standards: http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards) 

Our students must acquire skills in Our students must acquire skills in reading, writing, speaking, listening and language in order to: Demonstrate Independence Build content knowledge Respond to varying audience, task, purpose Comprehend and Critique Be able to dialog with people outside their box Use technology appropriately Value evidence In a science way, a math way, an art way…

How is this different from what we have been doing? We start them here Take them there… This is nothing new, just a reminder as to why we are here and what we are doing. We start with easy concepts, text, ideas, vocab and gradually get to the harder stuff.

How do we find appropriate texts? We have access tons of resources Many resources can be found in databases Visit your local library (unabashed plug) Lexiles are here to help Lexiles are a text measure that can be matched with a reader measure (???) (Lexiles drive me crazy, prepare for the Lexile Rant!)

Lexiles Mary is reading at an 900L (we know, she took a test) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a 940L (we know a test was done on the text) Quick give Mary, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets STOP: Not so fast – these are measures that we can use, but they aren’t fallible – we still need to think.

ReADIBILITY scALES Usually measure text complexity (sentence length) and difficulty of vocabulary (based on word banks) Today, readability algorithms tend to be carried out by computers. What happened to the human brain in this process? Ummmm…

Lexile Readability cont… Readability scales don’t take into consideration: Organization: How the material is offered Interest: Ask me about the practice PSAT Student Background knowledge or development Stuff like: dialect, speech patterns, even… Number of times a difficult word is used in a text. Technical materials can use a hard word a number of times, this pushes the Lexile up while not really making it a hard text to understand. If you pre teach the vocabulary, problem solved!

Lexiles got harder In order to have our students become college ready the test measures have been raised. But not our students’ skills. Grade Band Lexile Band Core Curr. Lexile Band 6-8 860L-1010L 925L-1185L 9-10 960L-1115L 1050L-1335L 11+ 1070L-1220L 1185L-1385L So…

Use Lexiles as a guide, but use your

You can also look up an Lexile of a text – see brochure. How???? EBSCO school databases to the rescue! You can search within Lexile ranges. http://search.epnet.com Each school has a subscription Ask your librarian for the user name and password Use: Mas Ultra School Edition Middle Search Plus Primary Search

Use your super searcher skills Check this out! Use your super searcher skills Use Advanced Search

More cool EBSCO STUFF If you discover a periodical you really like, you BROWSE publications. WOW!

Copyright Disclaimer Just remember, you can use an article in a “just in time” kind of way. BUT you can’t use an article year after year without getting permission from the copyright holder.

EBSCO has other cool resources While only the school editions have LEXILES, EBSCO and other databases have a lot of cool stuff for you to use. In EBSCO check out: Greenfile (environmental stuff) Academic Search Premier (college stuff) Professional Development Collection (for educators) Health Source (consumer health info) Newspaper Source (uhh, Newspapers) Business stuff

AND then there is NPL!!! Nashua Public Library has TONS of great stuff!!!

Check out these databases: They don’t contain Lexiles, but they are powerful tools Access Science – From McGraw Hill Biography in Context – Learn about people Britannica Online – Encyclopedia Consumer Health Complete – Attention Anatomy teachers Gale Virtual Reference Library – Good Science reference books among others HelpNow! – LIVE TUTORS – for those kids with internet who need extra help

Bibliography (Yes, I am a good Librarian) "Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, S Science, and Technical Subjects." Common Core State Standards Initiative. N.p., June 2010. Web. 2 Nov 2012. HIEBERT, ELFRIEDA H. "Beyond Single Readability Measures: Using Multiple Sources Of Information In Establishing Text Complexity." Journal Of Education 191.2 (2011): 33-42. Professional Development Collection. Web. 5 Nov. 2012 HIEBERT, ELFRIEDA H. "The Common Core State Standards And Text Complexity." Teacher Librarian 39.5 (2012): 13-19. Professional Development Collection. Web. 5 Nov. 2012. MasteryConnect. Common Core Standards. Apple App Store. 2010. WEB. 4 Nov. 2012. "Matching Readers with Text." Lexile Framework for Reading. MetaMetrix, n.d. Web. 4 Nov 2012. Shanahan, TimothyFisher, DouglasFrey, Nancy. "The Challenge Of Challenging Text." Educational Leadership 69.6 (2012): 58-62. Professional Development Collection. Web. 5 Nov. 2012.

Need Help? Feel free to Holler! Focus, people! My name and contact info are on the brochure.