Transcript Document

Supporting Rigorous Science
Teaching and Learning
Module 4:
Text Complexity
Tennessee Department of Education
Science
© 2013 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH
Goals
• Deepen understanding of text complexity by
– analyzing the complexity of various texts
and
– identifying supports to help students read
and understand more complex texts.
• Reflect on learning.
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Norms for Working Together
 Keep students at the center.
 Be present and engaged.
 Monitor air time and share your voice.
 Challenge with respect.
 Stay solutions oriented.
 Risk productive struggle.
 Balance urgency and patience.
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Text Complexity:
Background
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Task Sheet
Publishers’ Criteria
• Take three minutes to individually read/skim the
Introduction and Text Selection (section I). Think about…
– What does the Publishers’ Criteria say about
complexity, range, and quality of texts in
History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical
Subjects?
• Discuss the question with a partner.
• Be prepared to share you thoughts with the whole group.
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Key Requirement for Reading
All students must be able to independently
read and comprehend texts of steadily
increasing complexity as they progress
through school.
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Student Reading Across The Grades*
*The percentages on the table reflect the sum of student reading
across the school day (Page 5 of CCSS Introduction).
**Informational texts in ELA include literary non-fiction.
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Why Text Complexity Matters
• 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.
• “A high school graduate who is a poor reader is a postsecondary student who must struggle mightily to
succeed.”
• “The consequences of insufficiently high text
demands…in K-12 school are severe for everyone.”
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A Three-Part Model for Measuring
Text Complexity
1. Qualitative dimensions—levels of meaning,
structure, language conventionality and clarity, and
knowledge demands (human reader).
2. Quantitative dimensions—readability and other
scores of text complexity (computer scored).
3. Reader and task considerations—background
knowledge of reader, motivation, interests, and
complexity generated by tasks assigned (educators
employing professional judgment).
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Part 1: Qualitative Dimensions
• Purpose
• Text Structure
• Organization of Main
•
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Ideas
• Text Features
• Use of Graphics
Language Features
• Conventionality
• Vocabulary
• Sentence Structure
Knowledge Demands
• Subject Matter Knowledge
• Intertextuality
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Part 2: Quantitative Dimensions
•
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•
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© 2013 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH
Word length
Word frequency
Word difficulty
Sentence length
Text length
Text cohesion
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Part 3: Reader and Task Considerations
• Motivation
• Knowledge and
experience
• Purpose for reading
• Complexity of task
assigned regarding
text
• Complexity of
questions asked
regarding text
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The Challenge of
Challenging Text
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The Challenge of Challenging Text
1. Please take three minutes to individually
read/skim the article The Challenge of
Challenging Text.
2. With a partner, discuss the questions within
the text:
– What makes text complex?
– What can teachers do about text complexity?
• Be prepared to share your thinking with the
whole group
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Practice Analyzing Texts for
Text Complexity
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Setting the Context
• We are looking for a couple of texts to help students
understand photosynthesis. We know common
misconceptions exist about where plants get their
matter, so the texts should help students to
understand inputs and outputs involved with
photosynthesis.
• We also want to build students’ literacy skills to
meet/exceed the Common Core State Standards
(CCSS) Science Literacy reading and writing
standards.
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Task Sheet
Practice Analyzing Text for Text Complexity
Part I—Individual Work
1. Add title, author, and text description for the text on a
Text Complexity Analysis form.
2. Add the range (925-1185) and Lexile score (1080)
for the text to the Quantitative Measures box.
3. Individually read Connected by Light: Photosynthesis
 Complete the Text Complexity: Qualitative
Measures Rubric Informational Text
 Complete Text Complexity Analysis form
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Task Sheet
Practice Analyzing Text for Text Complexity
Part II—Comparing and Discussing Analysis
As a table group, compare and discuss your
analysis of the text.
• Based on your analysis, what supports might
students need?
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How does your analysis compare?
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Task Sheet
Practice Analyzing Texts for Text Complexity
Part III—Whole Group Discussion
1. Take a few minutes to individually reflect on the
following:
a. What insights did you gain from engaging in
analyzing texts for complexity?
b. What do you see as implications for teaching and
learning in science?
2. Be prepared to engage in a whole group discussion.
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Bridge To Practice (BTP) Assignment
 Before our next PD Session complete the BTP:
 Take a text from a textbook or current offerings and
design a lesson to involve complex text.
 Analyze the complexity of the text using the Text
Complexity Measures Rubric (Purpose, text features,
language features, and knowledge demands)
 Try out the lesson with students.
 The next module involves academically productive talk
along with implications for teaching and learning in
Science.
 Thank you for your time!
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