understanding text complexity: grades 3-8 david abel, fellow for curriculum and assessment, ela nti,...
TRANSCRIPT
Understanding Text Complexity: Grades 3-8
David Abel, Fellow for Curriculum and Assessment, ELA
NTI, December 12, 2014
Agenda
1. Introduction
2. What is text complexity and why is it important?
i.Quantitative Measuresii.Qualitative Measuresiii.Reader and Task
3. What are the characteristics of complex text?
4. Ways to determine if a text is sufficiently complex 5. Group examination of texts and determination of complexity
6. What to do about text complexity
What Makes a Text Complex?
“Although it was winter, the nearest ocean four hundred miles away, and the Tribal Weatherman asleep because of boredom, a hurricane dropped from the sky in 1976 and fell so hard on the Spokane Indian Reservation that it knocked Victor from bed and his latest nightmare.”
“Every Little Hurricane” from The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie
What Makes a Text Complex?
In this example…•Long sentence(s) and complex syntax•Multiple and/or subtle themes and purposes•Lack of words, sentences or paragraphs that review or pull things together for the student•Unfamiliar settings, topics or events
What Makes a Text Complex?
“Society in every state is a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one: for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries BY A GOVERNMENT, which we might expect in a country WITHOUT GOVERNMENT, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer.”
--Thomas Paine, Common Sense
What Makes a Text Complex?
“Call me Ishmael. Some years ago—never mind how long precisely—having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off—then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball…”
--Herman Melville, Moby Dick.
CCLS Recommendations Regarding Text Complexity
• The CCR (College and Career Readiness) standards anchor the document and define general, cross-disciplinary literacy expectations that must be met for students to be prepared to enter college and workforce training programs ready to succeed.
• The K–12 grade-specific standards define end-of-year expectations and a cumulative progression designed to enable students to meet college and career readiness expectations no later than the end of high school.
• The CCR and high school (grades 9–12) standards work in tandem to define the college and career readiness line—the former providing broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity.
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Why reading complex text is important
• Facility with complex text strongly predicts ability to an earn a “B” grade or better) in first year college courses. (ACT, 2006.)
• Students who come to school without a solid base of background knowledge need increasingly complex texts to build their schema about the world.
• The texts that students read in K-12 have become easier, but college texts have not (and instruction in College is significantly less scaffolded.)
• The texts that students read in K-12 are often not expository, but the texts that they read in college are mostly expository.
• What instruction students have had with complex expository texts has been largely superficial/strategy based (skimming, focusing on details, not forming a full picture/deep understanding.)
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CCLS Reading Standards Grade 8
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RL.8.10
By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficientlyRI.8.10
By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
CCLS Reading Standards Informational text Grades 11-12
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity RI.11-12.10
•By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 11–CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.• By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 11–CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.
CCLS Reading Standards for Grade 8
Reading Informational TextIntegration of Knowledge and Ideas RI.8.7Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.
RI.8.8Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.
RI.8.9Analyze a case in which two or more texts provide conflicting information on the same topic and identify where the texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretation
CCLS Reading Standards for Grade 8
Reading LiteratureIntegration of Knowledge and Ideas RL.8.7Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.
RL.8.8(RL.8.8 not applicable to literature)
RL.8.9Analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from myths, traditional stories, or religious works such as the Bible, including describing how the material is rendered new.
Determining text complexity
Explanation of the Text Complexity Factors
• Quantitative evaluation of the text Readability measures and other scores of text complexity
• Qualitative evaluation of the text Levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality and
clarity, and knowledge demands
• Matching reader to text and task Reader variables (such as motivation, knowledge, and
experiences) and task variables (such as purpose and the complexity generated by the task assigned and the questions posed)
Is there one way to determine text complexity?
No, determining text complexity is a complex act!
•Text complexity does not reside in the text, rather it is the product of the interaction between the text, the reader, and the purpose for reading. The What, the Who, the Why and the Where and When.
What—the characteristics of the text—qualitative/quantitative evaluation
Who—the characteristics of the reader (reading ability/age/experience/ motivation)
Why—the purpose for the reading (assignment/analysis of writers craft/ research/pleasure)
Where and When—the conditions of the reading—teacher/parent guided, group discussion/literary circle, independent (classroom/home/library/computer), instruction vs assessment, etc.
Text Complexity: Quantitative Measures
There is no single method for determining text complexity.
• The quantitative dimension of text complexity refers to those aspects that are difficult for a human reader to evaluate when examining a text.
• These factors are more efficiently measured by computer programs.
Text Complexity: Quantitative Measures
• Quantitative measures of text complexity generally measure measures of word difficulty (frequency, length) and sentence length.
• Some metrics add other features of words, sentence syntax, and text cohesion, creating a broader range of text and linguistic measures.
Free Quantitative Measures of Text Complexity
ATOS Analyzer from Renaissance Learning: http://www/renlearn.com/ar/overview/atos/
Degrees of Reading Power from Questar: http://www/questarai.com
The Lexile Framework from Metamatrix: http://www.lexile.com/analyzer
Coh-Metrix Easability Tool from University of Memphis: http://141.225.42.101/cohmetrixgates/Home
Reading Maturity from Pearson Knowledge Technologies: http://www.readingmaturity.com (Beta site)
SourceRater from Educators Testing Service: http://naeptba.ets.org/SourceRater3/ (Beta site)
Flesch-Kincaid (part of your Microsoft Word)
Text Complexity Grade Bands and Associated Ranges from Multiple Measures
Common Core Band ATOS
Degrees of ReadingPower
Flesch-Kincaid
TheLexile Framework
ReadingMaturity SourceRater
2nd-3rd 2.75 – 5.14 42 – 54 1.98 – 5.34 420 – 820 3.53 – 6.13 0.05 – 2.48
4th-5th 4.97 – 7.03 52 – 60 4.51 – 7.73 740 – 1010 5.42 – 7.92 0.84 – 5.75
6th-8th 7.00 – 9.98 57 – 67 6.51 – 10.34 925 – 1185 7.04 – 9.57 4.11 – 10.66
9th-10th 9.67 – 12.01 62 – 72 8.32 – 12.12 1050 – 1335 8.41 – 10.81 9.02 – 13.93
11th-CCR 11.20 – 14.10 67 – 74 10.34 – 14.2 1185 – 1385 9.57 – 12.00 12.30 – 14.50
Source: CCLS Appendix A
What are the Features of Complex Text?• Subtle and/or frequent transitions
• Multiple and/or subtle themes and purposes
• Density of information
• Unfamiliar settings, topics or events
• Lack of repetition, overlap or similarity in words and sentences
• Complex sentences
• Uncommon vocabulary
• Lack of words, sentences or paragraphs that review or pull things together for the student
• Longer paragraphs
• Any text structure which is less narrative and/or mixes structures
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Text Complexity: Qualitative Measures
Text Complexity: Qualitative Measures
Practice Evaluation of Text Complexity
In pairs or triads, read literature text #1 (Excerpt from Frederick) and discuss where it might fit in terms of the following qualitative criteria in the text complexity rubric•Meaning•Text Structure•Language Features•Knowledge DemandsTHEN, using the quantitative measures provided, place it in a grade band for instruction and assessment….
Practice Evaluation of Text Complexity: FREDERICK
Criteria
Very Complex Moderately Complex Readily Accessible Notes
Meaning
Multiple levels of meaning that may be difficult to identify, separate, and interpret; theme is implicit, subtle, or ambiguous and may be revealed over the entirety of the text.
Multiple levels of meaning that are relatively easy to identify; theme is clear but may be conveyed with some subtlety.
One level of meaning: theme is obvious and revealed early in the text.
Moderately Complex
Multiple levels of meaning that are relatively easy to identify; theme is clear but may be conveyed with some subtlety.
NOTES: Clear theme, but not revealed early in the text and not obvious/conveyed with some subtlety.
Practice Evaluation of Text Complexity: FREDERICK
Criteria
Very Complex Moderately Complex Readily Accessible Notes
Text Structure
Prose or poetry includes more intricate elements such as subplots, shifts in point-of-view, shifts in time or non-standard text structures.
Prose includes two or more storylines or has a plot that is somewhat difficult to predict (e.g.: in the case of a non-linear plot); poetry has some implicit or unpredictable structural elements.
Prose or poetry is organized clearly and/or chronologically; the events in a prose work are easy to predict because the plot is linear; poetry has explicit and predictable structural elements.
Readily Accessible
Prose or poetry is organized clearly and/or chronologically; the events in a prose work are easy to predict because the plot is linear; poetry has explicit and predictable structural elements.
NOTES:Prose is organized clearly and chronologically, with relatively easy to predict plot points.
Practice Evaluation of Text Complexity: FREDERICK
Criteria
Very Complex Moderately Complex Readily Accessible Notes
Language Features
Language is generally complex with abstract, ironic, and/or figurative language, and regularly includes archaic, unfamiliar, and academic words; text uses a variety of sentence structures including complex sentences with subordinate phrases and clauses.
Language is often explicit and literal but includes academic, archaic, or other words with complex meaning (e.g.: figurative language); text uses a variety of sentence structures.
Language is explicit and literal, with mostly contemporary andfamiliar vocabulary; text uses mostly simple sentences.
NOTES: Includes some complex words (e.g, "reproachfully") as well as familiar vocabulary; also includes some simple and complex sentences (e.g., "And when he told them of the blue periwinkles, the red poppies in the yellow wheat, and the green leaves of the berry bush, they saw the colors as clearly as if they had been painted in their minds…")
Moderately Complex Readily Accessible
Language is often explicit and literal but includes academic, archaic, or other words with complex meaning (e.g.: figurative language); text uses a variety of sentence structures.
Language is explicit and literal, with mostly contemporary andfamiliar vocabulary; text uses mostly simple sentences.
Practice Evaluation of Text Complexity: FREDERICK
Criteria
Very Complex Moderately Complex Notes
Knowledge Demands
The text explores complex sophisticated or abstract themes; text is dependent on allusions to other texts or cultural elements; allusions or references have context and require inference and evaluation.
The text explores several themes; text makes few references or allusions to other texts or cultural elements; the meaning of references or allusions may be partially explained in context.
The text explores a single theme; if there are any references or allusions, theyare fully explained in the text.
Moderately Complex Readily Accessible
The text explores several themes; text makes few references or allusions to other texts or cultural elements; the meaning of references or allusions may be partially explained in context.
The text explores a single theme; if there are any references or allusions, theyare fully explained in the text.
NOTES:Explores a focused, simple theme, with some allusions (e.g., " granary") and references that can be explained partially in context.
Practice Evaluation of Text Complexity: FREDERICK
• OVERALL QUANTITATIVE COMPLEXITY RATINGS
• OVERALL QUALITATIVE COMPLEXITY RATING AND PLACEMENT
Moderately Complex/Readily Accessible
Appropriate for grade 2-3 instruction and assessment
Metrics Measures Grade BandLexile: 690 2-3Flesch-Kincaid: 3.7 2-3Reading Maturity Metric:
4.1 2-3
Group Evaluation of Text Complexity
In pairs or triads, review informational text #1 on page 12 ( Lake‐Effect Snow) and use the qualitative rubric to determine the ratings in each of the qualitative criteria:•Meaning•Text Structure•Language Features•Knowledge DemandsTHEN, using the quantitative measures provided, place it in a grade band for instruction and assessment….
NOTE: the criteria are different for informational text….
Practice Evaluation of Text Complexity:LAKE EFFECT SNOW
Criteria
Very Complex Moderately Complex Readily Accessible Notes
Meaning
The text contains multiple purposes, and the primary purpose is subtle, intricate, and or abstract.
The primary purpose of the text is not stated explicitly but is easy to infer based upon context or source; the text may include multiple perspectives.
The primary purpose of the text is clear, concrete, narrowly focused, and explicitly stated; the text has a singular perspective.
Text is clear, concrete and focused, and comes with a singular, journalistic perspective
Text Structure
Connections among an expanded range of ideas, processes, or events are often implicit, subtle, or ambiguous; organization exhibits some discipline-specific traits; any text features are essential to comprehension of content.
Connections between some ideas, processes, or events are implicit or subtle; organization is generally evident and sequential; any text features help facilitate comprehension of content.
Connections between ideas, processes, and events are explicit and clear; organization is chronological, sequential, or easy to predict because it is linear; any text features help readers navigate content but are not essential to understanding content.
Connections between events and ideas are explicit and clear, and follow a general cause-effect structure.
Language Features
Language is generally complex, with abstract, ironic, and/or figurative language, and archaic and academic vocabulary and domain-specific words that are not otherwise defined; text uses many complex sentences with subordinate phrases and clauses.
Language is often explicit and literal but includes some academic, archaic, or other words with complex meaning; text uses some complex sentences with subordinate phrases or clauses.
Language is explicit and literal, with mostly contemporary and familiar vocabulary; text uses mostly simple sentences.
Language is explicit and literal, but has some words specific to the domain ("phenomenon", " squalls," " plummeted") and some complex sentences.
Knowledge Demands
The subject matter of the text relies on specialized, discipline-specific knowledge; the text makes many references or allusions to other texts or outside areas, allusions or references have no context and require inference.
The subject matter of the text involves some discipline-specific knowledge; the text makes some references or allusions to other texts or outside ideas; the meaning of references or allusions may be partially explained in context.
The subject matter of the text relies on little or no discipline-specific knowledge; if there are any references or allusions, they are fully explained in the text.
The topic of the text involves some discipline-specific language, including geography, weather in NYS, but as most of the text is an explanation of Lake Effect, there is little outside knowledge needed to comprehend the text.
Use of Graphics (optional)
Graphics are essential to understanding the text; they may clarify or expand information in the text and may require close reading and thoughtful analysis in relation to the text.
Graphics are mainly supplementary to understanding of the text; they generally contain or reinforce information found in the text.
Graphics are simple and may be unnecessary to understanding the text.
Graphics help to illustrate the phenomenon explained in the text and reinforce the explication.
Practice Evaluation of Text Complexity: LAKE EFFECT SNOW
• OVERALL QUANTITATIVE COMPLEXITY RATINGS
• OVERALL QUALITATIVE COMPLEXITY RATING AND PLACEMENT
Moderately Complex/Readily Accessible Appropriate for Grade 4-5 instruction
End of the year grade 5/ beginning or mid- year 6 assessment (?)
Metrics Measures Grade BandLexile: 930 4-5, 6-8
Flesch-Kincaid: 6.4 4-5
Reading Maturity Metric:
7.0 4-5
Practice Evaluation of Text Complexity
What about Literature text # 2 (Homer) or 3 (Steinbeck)?
What about informational text # 3 (Anne Frank) or #4 (Asimov?)
How do these texts feature specific aspects of qualitative text complexity ?
For example: Steinbeck in terms of language features; Frank in terms of structure and/or meaning?
STEINBECK
“ The sun was warming the brush house, breaking through its crevices in long streaks. And one of the streaks fell on the hanging box where Coyotito lay, and on the ropes that held it. It was a tiny movement that drew their eyes to the hanging box. Kino and Juana froze in their positions. Down the rope that hung the baby's box from the roof support a scorpion moved slowly.”
WHAT NEXT?
• What are your key take-aways about complex text?
• What are the best ways to prepare students for reading complex text?
Lots of reading Students must build their academic vocabulary Students must build their knowledge about the world
Text Sets can be a good way to get at all three of these….
Importance of Knowledge
“It's true that knowledge gives students something to think about, but a reading of the research literature from cognitive science shows that knowledge does much more than just help students hone their thinking skills:
It actually makes learning easier. Knowledge is not only cumulative, it grows exponentially. Those with a rich base of factual knowledge find it easier to learn more…”
--Daniel Willingham, “How Knowledge Helps,” American Educator
Importance of Vocabulary
“In four years, an average child in a professional family would accumulate experience with almost 45 million words, an average child in a working-class family 26 million words, and an average child in a welfare family 13 million words.”
--”The Early Catastrophe: the 30 Million Word Gap by age 3”, Hart and Riley
Hart & Risley (1995) “The 30 Million Word Gap”
What do you think the gap will look like in 10 years?
What To Do About Vocabulary and Knowledge
“Building knowledge systematically in English language arts is like giving children various pieces of a puzzle in each grade that, over time, will form one big picture…”
The More Words You Know the More Words You Learn
• Most words are learned from reading (Nagy and Anderson 1985, Baumann & Kameenui 1991, Beck and McKeown 1991, Graves 1986)
• The more words you know the easier it is to learn new words (Stanovich 1986, Adams 2009)
The More You Knowledge You Have, the More You Can Learn
• Reading remains the most efficient way to grow knowledge (Adams 2009, Kintsch 1998)
• The growth of knowledge works the same as vocabulary; students from less affluent homes come to school with less knowledge. Thus each year students from more affluent homes acquire more knowledge.
Resources for Building Text Sets
• Book on “Teaching with Text Sets” http://bit.ly/Teaching_with_Text_Sets
• American Reading Company Webinar on Finding Texts at Different Lexile Levels: http://www.americanreading.com/
• Novel New York (NYS library databases, many searchable by lexile): http://novelnewyork.org/
• Light Sail: http://www.lightsailed.com/
• Curriculet: http://www.curriculet.com
• Starting in the spring full text sets will begin to be loaded up on www.achievethecore.org
• Nonfiction Text Sets from TC Reading and Writing Project http://readingandwritingproject.com/resources/book-lists-classroom-libraries-and-text-sets-for-students/text-sets.html
Resources for Building Text Sets
• ELA SCASS Navigating Text Complexity http://www.ccsso.org/Navigating_Text_Complexity/
Showroom_Models.html
• ReadWorks http://www.readworks.org/
• Reading A-Z http://www.readinga-z.com/
• EBSCO Databases (state membership) http://cdn.lexile.com/m/cms_page_media/135/RTData_July_13.pdf
• Webinar on Finding Texts at Different Lexile Levels: http://achievethecore.org/page/927/webinar-on-finding-texts-
hidden-resources-at-your-fingertips-detail-pg
• Nonfiction Text Sets from TC Reading and Writing Project http://readingandwritingproject.com/resources/book-lists-
classroom-libraries-and-text-sets-for-students/text-sets.html
Resources for Direct Vocabulary Instruction
• “Wordly Wise” published by Educators Publishing Service (EPS)
• Bringing Words to Life, Beck and McKeownwww.textproject.org
• Marzano Six Step Program http://www.ncresa.org/docs/PLC_Secondary/Six_Step_Process.pdf
• “Word Nerds” - Stenhouse Publishers• Frayer model (all over the internet) • Words Their Way
http://www.pearsonhighered.com/educator/series/Words-Their-Way-Series/10888.page
QUESTIONS?
