Text Complexity

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Text Complexity

• Quantitative
• Qualitative
• Reader and Task

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ACT Report and Text Complexity

• In 2006, ACT released a report called Reading
  Between the Lines.
• The report showed which skills differentiated
  those students who equaled or exceeded the
  benchmark score in reading from those who did
  not.
• It was not the ability to make inferences,
  determine main ideas, or to understand words and
  phrases in context that set the benchmark
  students apart from the other students .

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ACT Report and Text Complexity

• The clearest differentiator was students ability
  to answer questions associated with complex
  texts.
• The most important implication of this study was
  that about half of our students did not have the
  higher-order or critical thinking skills needed
  to be successful in college or in a career.

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The idea of Text Complexity is not new

• Our renewed attention to text complexity is due
  to the language used in the State Core Standards.
• Each time a topic is revisited, we have more
  research to consider resulting in deeper
  knowledge.
• For about a century, we used readability formulas
  to determine levels of text yet the level of text
  that is appropriate for a specific grade level
  remained a mystery.

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Revisiting Text Complexity

• As we currently revisit this topic, we need to go
  deeper and look at text complexity not only
  quantitatively but also qualitatively as well as
  the match between readers, texts, and tasks.
• Turn to page 5 in Appendix A of your Utah Core
  Standards to look at a three-part model for
  determining how easy or
• difficult a particular text is to
• read.

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Qualitative Measures of Text Complexity

• Best measured by a human reader
• Text aspects to be measured qualitatively are
• Purpose (informational text)
• Levels of meaning (literary text)
• Conventionality and clarity of language
• Structure
• Knowledge demands

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Qualitative Measures of Text Complexity

• Turn to page 6 in Appendix A of the Utah Core
  Standards
• Annotate
• Important information
• Questions you have about any of the information
• Important vocabulary

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Qualitative Measurement
My sketch of Qualitative Measurement.
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Qualitative Measures of Text Complexity

• Turn to a partner and share your annotations.
• Discuss what you found to be important.
• Provide clarification for any questions your
  partner has about the information.

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Qualitative Measures of Text Complexity

• Stand up, hand up, pair up!
• Stay standing and explain Qualitative Measurement
  using your own words.
• Throw in a surprise element that will help your
  partner stay focused as you speak.

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Qualitative Measures of Text Complexity

• Now that we understand qualitative measures,
  lets take a look at our texts
• Using the Text Complexity Rubric and page 7 in
  Appendix A, qualitatively measure one of the
  texts we have been using in class.
• Complete the Purpose and Meaning, Structure, and
  Language sections of the metric.
• Share your thoughts.

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Quantitative Measures of Text Complexity

• Best measured by computer software.
• Text aspects to be measured quantitatively are
• Word length
• Word frequency
• Sentence length
• Text cohesion

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Quantitative Measures of Text Complexity

• Using your trump card sheet as a reminder,
  complete principles 2 and 3 with quantitative
  information in Appendix A, page 8.
• Locate a partner and complete principles 4-6 with
  the same information on page 8.
• Annotation
• Sticky note sketch
• Discuss and clarify
• Stand and summarize with surprise
  element

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Quantitative Measures of Text Complexity

• Now that we understand quantitative measures,
  lets take a look at our texts
• Locate the Target Grade Level and Lexile Score
  sections on the Text Complexity Rubric. Using
  www.lexile.com/analyzer/ and the grade level band
  chart on page 9 in Appendix A, fill in the
  quantitative measure for one of the texts we have
  been using in class.
• Share your thoughts.

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Reader and Task Considerations

• While the prior two elements of the model focus
  on the inherent complexity of text, variables
  specific to the reader and the particular task
  must also be considered when determining whether
  a text is appropriate for a given student.

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Reader Considerations

• Text complexity is based, in part, on the skills
  of the reader. When students have the literacy
  skills necessary to read a text, they are likely
  to understand what they are reading. It is not
  hard for students who can decode the words to
  understand the following passage
• Annemarie eased the bedroom door open quietly,
  only a crack, and
  peeked out. Behind her, Ellen
• was sitting up, her eyes wide. (Lowry, 1989, p.
  43)

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Reader Considerations

• However, when looking at the reader element, more
  than an analysis of the current reading skills
  should be considered. The definition of
  readability should also include
• An analysis of the style of writing because some
  styles are harder to understand than others.
• Attention to audience and whether the
• writing was intended for them.

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Reader Considerations

• Other reader variables that should be considered
  are
• Thinking Skills-attention, memory, critical
  analytic ability, inferencing, visualization,
  relationships
• Motivation-purpose for reading, interest
• Background-vocabulary, topic, linguistic and
  discourse, knowledge of how to use comprehension
  strategies, and prior knowledge
• Content-maturity level, potentially concerning
  elements

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Reader Considerations

• What aspects of this text would need to be
  considered for readability in order to read and
  comprehend this text?
• Anyway, the fascinating thing was that I read
  in National Geographic that there are more people
  alive now than have died in all of human history.
  In other words, if everyone wanted to play
  Hamlet at once, they couldnt, because there
  arent enough skulls! (Foer, 2005, p. 3)

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Task Considerations

• Task variables are
• Purpose-Can shift during reading
• Complexity of the task assigned-skimming to get
  the gist, studying with the intent of retaining
  the information
• Intended Outcome-an increase in knowledge, a
  solution to a real-world problem

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Reader and Task Considerations

• Reader and task assessments are best made by
  teachers employing
• Professional judgment
• Experience
• Knowledge of the students
• Knowledge of the subject

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Text Complexity and the Core

• As teachers we know that
• Students struggle when they are asked to read
  complex texts by themselves.
• They do not succeed because they do not have the
  appropriate related language, knowledge, or
  skills to be able to comprehend the information.

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Text Complexity and the Core

• Teachers also realize that
• When they provide the needed supports, students
  have greater success reading material that could
  be initially identified as frustration level.
• Text difficulty is not the real issue.
  Instruction is.

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Scaffolding Instruction

• The State Core Standards challenge teachers to
  provide scaffolded instructional supports for
  every learner and to do so with complex and
  difficult texts.
• As Tim Shanahan (2011) noted, If the teacher is
  doing little to support the students
  transactions with text then I suspect more
  learning will accrue with somewhat easier texts.
  However, if reasonable levels of instructional
  support are available then students are likely to
  thrive when working with harder texts. (para. 11)

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Anchor Standard 10

• Anchor standard 10 in the College and Career
  Readiness Anchor Standard for Reading covers text
  complexity. This standards wording is
  deceptively simple Read and comprehend complex
  literary and informational texts independently
  and proficiently (NGA CCSSO, 2010a, p. 10).

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Reader and Task Considerations

• Look at the Text Complexity Rubric, think about
  the students (readers) in your class, and
  consider the reason (task) for reading the book
  you chose to analyze. Would this be a complex
  text that you would use in your classroom?
• Share your thoughts.

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Information taken from

• Text Complexity Raising Rigor in Reading by
  Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Diane Lapp. 2012
  International Reading Association.
• 7 Actions that Teachers Can Take Right Now Text
  Complexity by Elfrieda H. Hiebert. 2012
  TextProject the University of California, Santa
  Cruz.
• Utah Core Standards for English Language Arts

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Strong Content Knowledge

• Read They build strong content knowledge.
  (second paragraph, page 7)
• Underline the key phrases that describe what
  students will be doing. What is most important?
• Share with your neighbor
• How does this relate to our last discussion on
  Text Complexity?

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Integrating Art
Integrating Art
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The Elements and Principles of Art Through
Photography

• Prezi

• Finding the elements of art in primary source
  photographs
• Finding the elements of art in the world around
  us
• Connection activities