1. Alabama Reading Initiative MEGA Conference 2013

2. By Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, Diane Lapp ISBN: 978-0-87207-478-1

3. Participants will... Gain a deeper understanding of how the key shift, “regular practice with complex text…,” supports the implementation of the standards (K-5). Clarify their understanding of what the standards look like in practice (K-5).

4. 1. Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and informational texts. 2. Reading, writing and speaking grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational 3. Regular practice with complex text and its academic language

5. Percentage distribution of literary and informational passages – Non Fiction is Key Source: National Assessment Governing Board. Reading Framework for the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress. Washington, D.C.: American Institutes for Research, 2007.

6. A primary goal of the CCRS is to develop active, thoughtful, and engaged learners who are able to embrace the benefits and challenges of the 21 st century, both in school and in the workplace.

7. ◦ Complexity of texts students are expected to read is way below what is required to achieve college and career readiness:  High school textbooks have declined in all subject areas over several decades  Average length of sentences in K-8 textbooks has declined from 20 to 14 words  Vocabulary demands have declined, e.g., 8 th grade textbooks = former 5 th grade texts; 12 th grade anthologies = former 7 th grade texts ◦ Complexity of college and careers texts has remained steady or increased, resulting in a huge gap (350L)

8. Applications for Student Loans: 1270 College Textbooks: 1215 W4 Forms: 1260 CD-DVD Instructions: 1080 Wall Street Journal: 1320 Where the Wild Things Are: 740 Grapes of Wrath: 680

10. Understanding Text Complexity-Rusin

11.  Demonstrates the ability to read complex text independently  Possesses strong content knowledge  Responds to a range of texts covering many genres and topics  Comprehends, critiques, and values evidence  Employs technology  Understands other cultures and perspectives

12.  Quick Write: What makes a text complex?  Text Complexity is defined as those characteristics that make a specific text more challenging than another. CCRS uses a three-pronged model to identify how easy or challenging a specific text is to read: Quantitative, Qualitative & Reader and Task.  How does your definition compare to this definition?  Turn and talk to your neighbor about your thoughts.

14. 14 Step 1: Quantitative Measures Measures such as: Word length Word frequency Word difficulty Sentence length Text length Text cohesion Qualitative Quantitative Reader and Task

15. Text Complexity Grade Bands in the Standards Old Lexile Range Lexile Ranges Aligned to CCR Expectations K – 1N/A 2 – 3450 - 725450 – 790 4 – 5645 - 845770 – 980 6 – 8860 – 1010955 – 1155 9 – 10960 - 11151080 – 1305 11 - CCR1070 – 12201215 - 1355

16. Finding a Lexile Measure for Text: http://www.lexile.com/findabook/ http://www.lexile.com/findabook/ 16 www.lexile.com

19. From: http://www.lexile.com/about- lexile/lexile-overview/www.lexile.com/about- lexile/lexile-overview/

20. From: http://www.lexile.com/about- lexile/lexile-overview/www.lexile.com/about- lexile/lexile-overview/

25. CCSS: Appendix A

26. http://www.flickr.com/photos/28481088@N00/5251177258/

29. CCSS: Appendix A

30. Choose an excerpt of text from Appendix B as a starting place: 30 We could…. or… Use available resources to determine the text complexity of other materials on our own.

31. Finding a Lexile Measure for Text: http://www.lexile.com/findabook/ http://www.lexile.com/findabook/ 31 www.lexile.com

32. 32 Step 2: Qualitative Measures Measures such as: Levels of meaning Levels of purpose Structure Organization Language conventionality Language clarity Prior knowledge demands Qualitative Quantitative Reader and Task

33. From Little Bear by Else Minarik “Mother Bear, Mother Bear, where are you?” calls Little Bear. “Oh dear, Mother Bear is not here and today is my birthday. I think my friends will come, but I do not see a birthday cake. My goodness— no birthday cake. What can I do?”

34. From My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Gannett My father opened the pack and took out the comb and the brush and the seven hair ribbons of different colors. “Look,” he said, “I’ll show you what to do on your forelock, where you can watch me. First you brush a while, and then you comb, and then you brush again until all the twigs and snarls are gone. Then you divide it up into three and braid it like this and tie a ribbon around the end.”

35. From Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll There was nothing so VERY remarkable in that; nor did Alice think it so VERY out of the way to hear Rabbit say to itself, “Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!’ (when she thought it over afterwards, it occurred to her that she ought to have wondered at this, but at the time it all seemed quite natural): but when the Rabbit actually TOOK A WATCH OUT OF ITS WAISTCOAT-POCKET, and looked at it, and then hurried on, Alice started to her feet, for it flashed across her mind that she had never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to take out of it, and burning with curiosity, she ran across the field after it, and fortunately was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge.

37. 37 1.Make close reading and rereading of texts central to lessons. 2.Provide scaffolding that does not preempt or replace text. 3.Ask text dependent questions from a range of question types. 4.Emphasize students supporting answers based upon evidence from the text. 5.Provide extensive research and writing opportunities (claims and evidence).

38. 38 6.Offer regular opportunities for students to share ideas, evidence and research. 7.Offer systematic instruction in vocabulary. 8.Ensure wide reading from complex text that varies in length. 9. Provide explicit instruction in grammar and conventions. 10. Cultivate students’ independence.

40. www.fisherandfrey.com

42. Reader & Task 1. Read with a pencil in hand; annotate the text. 2. Reread to look for similarities in your current practices. 3. What new practices do I need to include in my reading routine? 4. What practices do I need to revise?

43. Reader & Task

44. www.fisherandfrey.com

45.  In “Casey at the Bat,” Casey strikes out. Describe a time when you failed at something.  In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” Dr. King discusses nonviolent protest. Discuss, in writing, a time when you wanted to fight against something that you felt was unfair.  In “The Gettysburg Address” Lincoln says the nation is dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Why is equality an important value to promote? What makes Casey’s experiences at bat humorous? What can you infer from King’s letter about the letter that he received? “The Gettysburg Address” mentions the year 1776. According to Lincoln’s speech, why is this year significant to the events described in the speech?

46. www.fisherandfrey.com

48.  Model close reading.  Select a variety of that will draw students into the texts.  Pre-teach vocabulary and/or background and scaffold the texts to make them accessible to students without pre-teaching the content of the texts.  “Step back” and allow the readers space and time to experience the texts unmediated – productive struggling. Reader & Task

49.  Students have rich and rigorous conversations which are dependent on students reading a central text.  Set up questions so each student has an opportunity to draw their own conclusions and back them up with evidence from the text. Reader & Task