TRUTH TEXT COMPLEXITY Teachers will read complex texts anticipate obstacles prepare scaffolding The about

…...college students who take one or more remedial reading courses and eight years later still do not have a degree or certificate…... 70% Remediation…Graduation… (Adelman, 2004)

by Comprehension Level

by Textual Element

The Truth about Text Complexity Ability to deal with complex text is the clearest differentiator.

Mastering Complex Text = KEY  Students who can master the skills necessary to read and understand complex texts are more likely to be college- ready than those who cannot.

Determining Complexity  Teachers must understand how particular text features can influence comprehension. (Hiebert, 2013)

Determining Complexity QUANTITATIVE  Readbility Indices like Lexile & Guided Reading Levels  lengths of sentences  numbers of challenging words  Measurable with software

Determining Complexity QUALITATIVE  Use of exemplar texts  Consideration of student need  “ Face Validity ”  Human judgment is required.

Determining Complexity QUALITATIVE  4 Dimensions:  Levels of meaning  Knowledge demands  Language conventions/clarity  Structure  Texts are not uniformly simple or complex across all four dimensions.

Determining Complexity READER and TASK  Teacher decides and each text should be used  in which part of the year  with what scaffolding  for which children. how whe n

5 th Grade  By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature and informational texts at the high end of the grades 4-5 complexity band, independently and proficiently.

8 th Grade  By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature and literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 6-8 complexity band independently and proficiently.

11 th Grade  By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literature and literary nonfiction in the grades 11-CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

All students think.

The Learning Pyramid We remember:of the: 10%Words We Read 20%Words We Read &Hear 30%Pictures/Movies We See 50%Exhibits We View Demonstrations We Watch 70%Talks We Give Discussions in Which We Participate 90%Real Things in Which We Participate Lessons We Teach to Others PASSIV E ACTIVE

The Learning Pyramid We remember:of the: 10%Words We Read 20%Words We Read and Hear 30%Pictures/Movies We See 50%Exhibits We View Demonstrations We Watch 70% Talks We Give Discussions in Which We Participate 90% Real Things in Which We Participate Lessons We Teach to Others PASSIV E: ACTIVE :

R.S.V.P.  Relationships  Richness  Structure  Style  Vocabulary  Purpose...subtle, involved, embedded...highly sophisticated...elaborate, sometimes unconventional...intricate...demanding and context-dependent...implicit and sometimes ambiguous

70 %  …how much students remember when we allow them to discuss with each other

12-Week Marathon Training WEEKMonda y Tuesda y Wedne sday Thursd ay FridaySaturd ay Sunday 13rest rest rest rest rest rest 105rest85 20rest 115rest rest rest3walk 2rest26.2rest

Focused Free Write  How will we help our students overcome the obstacles of increasingly complex text?

“LITERACY, in as much as it has anything to do with life, wasn ’ t meant to be EASY.” (Holdaway, 1982)

Feedback  What was helpful about this workshop?  What further instruction or resources do you need?