TEXT COMPLEXITY & CCSSSCSU Literacy Conference – May 2013

Kristen HunterLiteracy Specialist

Old Saybrook High School

IntroductionGoals of this Workshop• Understand the qualities of complex text – as

defined by the CCSS• Make informed decisions about choosing

appropriate texts for students to read• Provide supports to aid students in reading

complex steps during shared reading instruction

Handout Icon

Research & TheoryCommon Core State Standards. (2010). National

Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers, Washington D.C.

Academic Standards. Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Text Complexity Resources. (2012) Kansas Department of Education.

CCSS Standard 10Read and comprehend complex

literary and informational texts independently

and proficiently.

Regardless of the expectations, it falls on the teacher to determine appropriate texts for students

and assign appropriate tasks to students.

Why Do I Need to Do This?

If you don’t give students access to [a text]…then you are depriving them of access to a set of knowledge and ideas that are a part of the discourse of active citizens. John B. King, Jr. (Commissioner of Education – State of New York)

How Text Complexity Is Determined1. Quantitative Measures

• The Numbers (typically determined by Lexile)

2. Qualitative Measures• Demands of the Reader

3. Reader and Task• Background Knowledge of the Reader, Motivation,

and Interests, and what we ask students to do with the text

Qua

litat

ive

Quantitative

Reader and Task

• Using Measures Such As: • Word length• Word frequency• Word difficulty• Sentence length• Text length

1. Quantitative Measures

In 2012, the CCSS changed the Lexile band recommendations to the following:

Sample Lexiles for Popular Titles

Resources Regarding Text Complexity • Lexile - Find a Book

– www.lexile.com/findabook • Lexile Analyzer

– www.lexile.com/analyzer • Scholastic Book Wizard

– www.scholastic.com/bookwizard • TitleWave App

– www.titlewave.com/intro/iphone

2. Qualitative Measures• Using Measures such As:

• Levels of purpose• Structure• Organization• Language clarity• Prior knowledge demands• Cultural demands• Vocabulary

Qualitative Measures Rubrics for Literary and Informational TextThe rubrics provided by the CCSS, allow educators to evaluate the important elements of text that are often missed by computer software that tends to focus on more easily measured factors.

© Kansas Department of Education

3. Reader & Task ConsiderationsConsiderations such as:• Motivation• Knowledge and experience• Purpose for reading• Complexity of task assigned regarding text• Complexity of questions asked regarding text

How Complex is This Text?• The Lowest Animal, Mark Twain (1896)

1. Qualitative Measure 2. Quantitative Measure3. Reader & Task Consideration

Task: Look over selections from The Lowest Animal and determine the text complexity

Several layers of meaning; especially as Twain makes reference to different religious groups and historical events

Straight forward in narration, no change in point of view; however, the reader does need to note how there are slight shifts of

historical reference

Student must understand the use of satire; some Tier 2 words are used that can be determined from context

Many allusions to historical events

3 minutes – review selections from The Lowest Animal and determine its text

complexity

What Complex Text Looks Like in an 11th Grade English Class

• Text: The Lowest Animal by Mark Twain• Quantitative: 1180 • Qualitative: Very Complex (see Qualitative Measures Rubric)

• Reader Task: Take a position on Twain’s essay, do you agree or disagree with his synopsis of the human race? Use factual evidence to support your position.

Teaching this Text• Give the target of the lesson

• Will you agree or disagree with this text?• Give a strategy for reading this text

• Summarize each paragraph as you read• Provide opportunities for varying levels of

practice• Shared, Guided, Independent Practice

I have been studying the traits and dispositions of the lower animals (so-called), and contrasting them with the traits and dispositions of man. I find the result humiliating to me. For it obliges me to renounce my allegiance to the Darwinian theory of the Ascent of Man from the Lower Animals; since it now seems plain to me that the theory ought to be vacated in favor of a new and truer one, this new and truer one to be named the Descent of Man from the Higher Animals.

Twain is comparing animals to man

This idea of studying seems to be important.

To renounce means to give up; therefore, Twain is giving up on the theory of Darwin

The word descent means to fall to a lower position; so Twain is saying that Man has fallen from the classification of “Higher Animals”

Overall Summary: Twain has studied many animals and he has come to the conclusion that Man is a lesser being than common “animals”.

I was aware that many men who have accumulated more millions of money than they can ever use have shown a rabid hunger for more…I furnished a hundred different kinds of wild and tame animals the opportunity to accumulate vast stores of food, but none of them would do it. The squirrels and bees and certain birds made accumulations, but stopped when they had gathered a winter’s supply…These experiments convinced me that there is this difference between man and the higher animals: he is avaricious and miserly; they are not.

Animals do not accumulate food for no purpose, they only take what they need

The word choice of “rabid” is interesting because it compares man to animal in a

different way

Overall Summary: Man stores up all

types of things because he is greedy;

therefore, he is not as refined as an

animal who takes what it needs to

survive.

Reader Task• Take a position on Twain’s theory of humans.

Explain how his argument is valid or invalid by analyzing textual evidence to support your claim.• This asks students to summarize the text (which

you have taught during instruction) and practice argumentative writing, a CCSS skill

• Remember to ask text dependent questions!

What Are Complex Texts that are Recommended?

Grade 6-8• Little Women - Alcott, Louisa May. • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer -

Twain, Mark. • A Wrinkle in Time - L’Engle,

Madeleine. • The Dark Is Rising - Cooper, Susan. • Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry - Taylor,

Mildred D. • “Eleven.” - Cisneros, Sandra.• “Paul Revere’s Ride.” - Longfellow,

Henry Wadsworth.• “O Captain! My Captain!” - Whitman,

Walt.

Grade 9-10• The Odyssey - Homer. • “The Gift of the Magi.” - Henry, O.• The Metamorphosis - Kafka,

Franz. • The Grapes of Wrath - Steinbeck,

John. • Fahrenheit 451 - Bradbury, Ray. • Things Fall Apart - Achebe,

Chinua. • The Book Thief - Zusak, Marcus. • The Tragedy of Macbeth -

Shakespeare, William.

One Last Point

• Text complexity can be overwhelming, especially when teaching struggling readers – the key is to expose students to complex text and choose shorter pieces to teach close reading

• If the text is not at the student’s independent level, complex text should be used in shared and guided reading settings

Wrap Up• There are three ways to determine

text complexity• Qualitative• Quantitative • Reader & Task Considerations

• By understanding what makes a text complex, you are better prepared to teach that text