Text Complexity

Hello colleagues, One of the most important factors in supporting students to achieve the standards is to ensure we are using texts that are sufficiently complex. I have to say that, for me, this realization has been a wake up call! As a routine, I now check the complexity of the texts we are reading in class to make sure the complexity is appropriate. Then it is my job to find ways to support students to access the complex texts we are using.

Currently, we are reading an article from Newsela about the recent discovery of ancient hominid bones in South Africa. One of the things I appreciate about the articles in Newsela is that you can choose various levels of the same text. According to the Reading Maturity Matrix, the Lexile Level we are using for this text was confirmed at 6.8, which should be about right for the students in my class -- with teacher support.

The text complexity collection at Achieve the Core, which you can read about and link to in the LINCS collection, offers helpful guidance to us on choosing text at the right level.

So ... once we locate texts at the appropriate complexity, how do we support students to access the texts? What has been working for you?

Cheers, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, College and Career Standards CoP

Comments

Susan,

I have been working in Maine on CCRS teacher professional development and as you mentioned the emphasis on complex text is a big new idea for many teachers. I think one of the ways that teachers can help participants access complex text comes from the very way that teachers determine text complexity. While the Lexile level is one way to determine text complexity there are other factors that are also very important. Teachers can start with the Lexile Level but should also do a qualitative analysis of the text. By looking at the features of the text- things such as: structure, language clarity and conventions, knowledge demands, purpose and/or meaning teachers can begin to get a sense of where students will need to be scaffolded in order to access the text. 

A teacher must take into consideration the quantitative (i.e. lexile level) and qualitative measures of a text and this together with what the teacher knows about what students know and can do help to build a road map for supporting students to access the text.  

Hello Megan and all, Thanks for adding to the conversation about complex texts, Megan. I agree with your comments 100%. Would you be able to say a bit more about your important point related to the qualitative dimensions for evaluating text, i.e., "structure, language clarity and conventions, knowledge demands, purpose and/or meaning." How are you and other teachers in Maine thinking about these dimensions? What might be some examples of each?

What do other members have to say about evaluating text complexity and supporting students to access these texts?

Cheers,

Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, College and Career Standards CoP

Susan,

Thanks for your follow up question and sorry for the delay in responding. When I think about the qualitative features of a text - I am thinking of things such as; how is the text organized- are connections between ideas, events etc, clear and/or easy to predict or are they more implicit or subtle; does the text contain graphics or other text features that are key to understanding the text; is the language literal and straightforward or more abstract and figurative; is the vocabulary familiar, academic, subject specific etc; does the text require specific subject matter knowledge or does it rely on more everyday practical knowledge; does the text reference outside ideas or other texts; and finally is the purpose clear or subtle and difficult to flesh out.

Megan

Hello everyone, Thanks, Megan, for adding some details about the qualitative dimensions of text complexity and highlighting the importance of subject matter knowledge, i.e., building knowledge through content-rich instruction, To build knowledge, it is useful to engage learners in reading a range of articles and other texts on a particular topic that increase in complexity.

I wanted to draw members' attention to the amazing lesson materials at Achieve the Core that are organized around text sets. Many of these lesson materials draw upon resources, i.e., articles, infographics and videos, that are freely available online. These K12 theme-based text sets are organized by grade levels, so, as is often the case, teachers will need to determine which are most relevant and appropriate for the adults they are working with.

For example, one text set at levels 4-5 focuses on wind energy. This text set includes 13 different texts that build in complexity for teachers to choose from on this topic. Most are freely available online. The lesson materials include detailed suggestions for ways to engage students in the texts, including graphic organizers, text-dependent questions, and a glossary of vocabulary words with student-friendly explanations.

Other non fiction topics include: Building a House, Muscles, Entrepreneurship, Money: Saving and Spending, The Civil Rights Movement, Human Body: Circulatory System, Life during the Great Depression, The Harlem Renaissance, Salem Witch Trials, Bacteria and Viruses and many more.

Check out these standards-based materials and let us know what you think about their usefulness in your classroom. If you've been using these materials, please tell us what you've used and how the materials are working for you.

Cheers, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, College and Career Standards CoP