Complex Texts and Close Reading in the Common Core

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Complex Texts and Close Reading in the Common Core

• Presented by Erin Alvarado and Sarah Smith

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Goals

• Discuss what makes a text complex
• Discuss close reading of complex texts
• Explore resources that provide complex texts for
  your subject matter
• Learn how to make text-dependent questions for
  close reading activities

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Why are complex texts important?

• Reading demands in college, workforce and life
  have increased while complexity of K-12 texts
  have declined.
• Clearest differentiator on ACT was students
  ability to answer questions on complex texts.
• One of the key requirements of the CCSS for
  Reading is that all students must be able to
  comprehend texts of steadily increasing
  complexity as they progress through school.
• By the time they complete the core, students must
  be able to read and comprehend independently and
  proficiently the kinds of complex texts commonly
  found in college and careers.

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A Three-Part Model for Measuring Text Complexity

• 1. Quantitative Measures-Readability and other
  scores of text complexity are often best measured
  by computer software. Useful for placing texts
  initially within a grade-band.
• Word length
• Word frequency
• Word difficulty
• Sentence length
• Text length
• Text cohesion

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Text Complexity Grade Bands and Lexile Bands

• The CCSS advocate a "staircase" of increasing
  text complexity so that students can develop
  their reading skills and apply them to more
  difficult texts.
• At the lowest grade in each band, students focus
  on reading texts within that text complexity
  band.
• In the subsequent grade or grades within a band,
  students must "stretch" to read a certain
  proportion of texts from the next higher text
  complexity band. This pattern repeats itself
  throughout the grades so that students can both
  build on earlier literacy gains and challenge
  themselves with texts at a higher complexity
  level.

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Text Complexity Grade Bands and Lexile Bands

• Grade Current band Stretch band
•  K1  N/A N/A
•  23  450L725L 420L820L
•  45  645L845L 740L1010L
•  68 860L1010L 925L1185L
• 9-10 960L1115L 1050L1335L
• 11CCR  1070L1220L 1185L1385L

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The Lexile Framework for Reading

• Lexile will help you analyze text complexity and
  match readers with appropriate texts.
• Lexile analyzer is free to use once you register.
  
• Site also includes a database with recorded
  Lexiles of many popular texts.
• Advanced search feature in Gale will allow you to
  search for texts by Lexile level.

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A Three-Part Model for Measuring Text Complexity

• 2. Qualitative Dimensions-Levels of meaning,
  structure, language, conventionality and clarity,
  and knowledge demands are often best measured by
  an attentive human reader. Useful for placing a
  text in a specific grade level.
• Purpose/Meaning
• Text Structure (organization of main ideas, text
  features, use of graphics)
• Language Features (conventionality, vocabulary,
  sentence structure)
• Knowledge Demands (subject matter knowledge,
  intertextuality)

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Hints for Assessing Qualitative Complexity

• Initially place a text in appropriate grade-band
  by quantitative measures, and then think of a
  general reader in that grade-band as you
  complete the qualitative review, particularly
  knowledge demands dimension.
• There is no correlation between complexity
  score and grade level. A text that is very
  complex in all dimensions is not a high school
  text, just as one that is slightly complex in
  all dimensions is not an early elementary text.
• At this point, try not to think about your
  particular students. The qualitative review
  considers a wider grade-level audience.

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Tools for Assessing Qualitative Dimensions

• http//www.achievethecore.org/ela-literacy-common-
  core/text-complexity/qualitative-measures/
  provides
• Rubrics for evaluating text complexity
  (informational or literary texts)
• Scales to help determine when a text should be
  read and what features make it complex
• Example of a completed qualitative scale

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A Three-Part Model for Measuring Text Complexity

• 3. Reader and Task Considerations-Background
  knowledge of reader, motivation, interests, and
  complexity generated by tasks assigned are often
  best made by educators employing their
  professional judgment.
• Motivation
• Knowledge and experience
• Purpose for reading
• Complexity of task assigned regarding text
• Complexity of questions asked regarding text

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Text Complexity Analysis Tool and Examples

• Use this tool to gather information about the
  three parts of complexity for any text
• Quantitative Measures
• Qualitative Dimensions
• Reader and Task Considerations
• The Model In Action Sample Annotated Reading
  Texts
• Text Exemplars and Sample Performance
  Tasks-scroll to your grade level

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Where can I find complex texts?

• Gale password elvis offers complex texts for
  every subject, searchable by Lexile level,
  keyword, etc.
• American Academy of Poets offers a wide range of
  poems by a diverse set of classic and modern
  authors.
• American Literature features short stories.
• American Rhetoric provides audio and written
  transcripts for 100 great speeches.
• Authorama provides free books that are in the
  public domain.
• Bartleby links to a wide variety of literary and
  informational texts.
• Bibliomania offers over 2000 free classic texts
  for download.
• Complex Text Wiki is a resource for articles and
  tools to use in the search for complex texts.
• Childrens Classics offers a large selection of
  childrens stories.
• Discovery and Discovery Kids are resources for
  informational texts and videos, especially those
  on scientific topics.
• Discover Magazine offers digital articles on a
  variety of topics in the areas of science,
  technology, and the future.
• Folklore and Mythology Electronic Texts is a
  great resource for folktales and myths, a focal
  text type in the CCSS.
• Kids Ahead is a division of National Geographic
  and includes articles about a variety of science
  topics.

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Where can I find complex texts?

• Librivox has a great selection of free
  audiobooks.
• NASA includes articles, videos, and other
  scientific informational resources.
• National Park Service offers informational texts
  on scientific and historical topics related to
  each national park.
• National Geographic includes a variety of
  scientific and historical informational texts and
  multimedia resources.
• The National Womens History Project provides
  information about important women in history.
• Project Gutenberg connects users to sources for
  free books.
• Science News for Kids offers articles about
  science topics for elementary or middle school
  students.
• Shanahan on Literacy explores a variety of topics
  related to literacy learning and assessment,
  including text complexity and close reading.
• Smithsonian Institution contains primary sources
  as well as links to other sites pertaining to the
  topic being researched.
• Time for Kids and Washington Post for Kids offer
  articles on current events appropriate for
  elementary or middle school students.

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What is close reading?

• http//www.mhecommoncoretoolbox.com/close-reading-
  and-the-ccss-part-1.html
• Is a careful and purposeful rereading of a text.
• Students read a passage independently and circle
  important points, underline confusing words, and
  make notes in margins.
• Teacher reads passage out loud with the class
  following along without commentary.
• Teacher reads passage a second time and models
  the process of how to decipher difficult passages
  and vocabulary.
• Students answer text dependent questions.
• Additional work may consist of having the
  students write an analysis of the passage or to
  compare and contrast.

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Why is close reading important?

• Fosters student confidence when reading complex
  text
• Helps improve vocabulary
• Prepares students for college and career
• Increases higher order thinking skills
• Improves fluency
• Encourages students to be independent readers
• Ties in with Common Core State Standards--The
  CCSS place a high priority on the close,
  sustained reading of complex textSuch reading
  focuses on what lies within the four corners of
  the text. It often requires compact, short,
  self-contained texts that students can read and
  re-read deliberately and slowly to probe and
  ponder the meanings of individual words, the
  order in which sentences unfold, and the
  development of ideas over the course of the text.
  Reading in this manner allows students to fully
  understand informational texts as well as analyze
  works of literature effectively (Coleman and
  Pimentel 4).

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Where can I find close reading sample lessons and
assessment questions?

• http//achievethecore.org/ela-literacy-common-core
  /sample-lessons/close-reading-exemplars/--English/
  Language Arts
• http//achievethecore.org/ela-literacy-common-core
  /literacy-history-social-studies/ -
  History/Social Studies
• http//achievethecore.org/ela-literacy-common-core
  /literacy-science-technical/ - Science/Technical
  Subjects

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What are text based questions and tasks?

• are focused on the text
• are generally text-specific rather than generic
  questions that could be asked of any text
• do not get students off of the text (e.g., tell
  me about a time you went to the beach)
• require students to re-read the text closely to
• draw inferences
• develop interpretations
• find evidentiary support for ideas
• analyze ideas and language
• may promote convergent (comprehension) and
  divergent (interpretation/analysis) thinking
  about a text
• move away from I-R-E (initiate, respond,
  evaluate) teacher led QA

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Moving frommoving to in ELA
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Moving frommoving to in SS
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Moving frommoving to in Science
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Studying text-based questions

• Study and compare the moving from and moving to
  questions
• What differences do you see between the moving
  from and moving to questions?
• What is the intellectual work required of
  students to answer the moving from questions?
  The moving to questions?
• What patterns do you see among moving from
  questions? In other words, with what do writers
  of questions usually struggle?

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Characteristics of text-based questions

• Text-based questions
• require students to read like detectives
• are open ended
• can be answered by using evidence from the text
• are specific to the text being discussed
• are important, significant or integral to
  understanding the text
• work toward the focus and purpose of the unit
• are derived from or connected to one or more of
  the CCSS
• are authentic and allow for multiple plausible
  responses

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What are open-ended questions?

• Open-ended questions
• have more than one possible response that can be
  supported with evidence from the texts
• provide teachers with a window into students
  thinking and comprehension of a text
• allow students to construct an overall
  understanding of a text
• mirror the kinds of questions proficient readers
  ask themselves about a text and are not concerned
  with insignificant details that are often the
  subject of close-ended questions

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Types of text-based questions

• Prior-knowledge (open-ended, non-text-based)
• Share important prior knowledge about a topic
• Comprehension (open-ended, text-based)
• Sort out characters, setting, plot (literary
  text) or speaker, audience, purpose, flow of
  events, big ideas (informational text)
• Significance (open-ended, text-based)
• Identify and explain moments that are significant
  to the text
• Interpretive (open-ended, text-based)
• Deep discussions of and writing about the ideas
  in individual texts or across multiple texts

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Types of text-based questions

• Analytic (open-ended, text-based)
• Deep discussions of and writing using the
  authors methods or craft in individual texts or
  across multiple texts
• StepBack (open-ended)
• Students step back after key tasks and reflect on
  their learning by analyzing what and how they
  learned.
• Retrospective (open-ended)
• Students revisit the big ideas of the unit (i.e.,
  overarching questions) to add to or revise their
  thinking given what they just read, wrote about,
  and discussed

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Food for thought

• Different types of text-based questions ask for
  different kinds of mental work and invite
  particular kinds of writing and talk from
  students.
• Text-based question sequences are scaffolded so
  that earlier responses in writing and talk
  provide the foundation for later responses.
• Text-based questions require responses that stay
  deeply connected to the text so that students
  make evidentiary arguments.
• Text-based questions require students to revisit
  text for evidence to support their argument in a
  thoughtful, careful, and precise way.

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How do I create text-based questions?

• Identify the standards
• list the standards that support the skills you
  want the students to master
• Select your text
• remember to scaffold your texts so that they
  build on each other
• Identify key ideas
• identify the key insights or major points you
  want students to understand from the text
  (historical information, results of experiments,
  theme, main idea, purpose, etc.)
• Write your questions
• begin with questions that are specific enough for
  students to answer so they gain confidence
• create questions that require the student to
  return to the text for evidentiary support

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Sample text-based questions7th grade science
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Sample text-based questions10th grade science
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Sample text-based questions9th grade ELA/SS
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Sample text-based questions5th grade ELA/science
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Sample text-based questions5th grade science,
cont.
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Tool for writing text-based questions
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Tool for writing text-based questions
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Evaluating question quality

• Checklist for evaluating question quality.
• Use this checklist as a guide to write your
  text-based questions.
• Helpful hints
• use the text-based questions resource from TNCore
  to see which type of questions align to the
  standards.
• use the CCSS standards on the TNCore training
  site to help. Just rewrite the standards to make
  your questions.

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Where can I find complex texts with
text-dependent questions?

• http//teacher.depaul.edu/Nonfiction_Readings.htm
  --scaffolded informational texts that include
  text-based questions and tasks
• http//www.readworks.org/books/passages
  --informational and literary texts paired with
  text-based questions and tasks
• www.achievethecore.org sample lessons and links
  to readings paired with text-based questions and
  tasks. Separated by subject area.

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TNCore

• Materials and worksheets are available at
  www.tncore.org
• Look for your subject and explore the training
  materials area
• The participant packet is in the curricular
  resources section
• Username tneducation
• Password fastestimproving
• Direct links to curricular resources
• TNCore (ELA)
• TNCore (SS)
• TNCore (Science)