{"id":4563,"date":"2016-03-02T15:35:50","date_gmt":"2016-03-02T23:35:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.educatoral.com\/wordpress\/?p=4563"},"modified":"2021-08-20T21:27:12","modified_gmt":"2021-08-21T04:27:12","slug":"implications-for-text-complexity-post-is-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/educatoral.com\/wordpress\/2016\/03\/02\/implications-for-text-complexity-post-is-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Implications for Text Complexity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Common Core State Standards-English Language Arts (CCSS-ELA) Shift 1: Regular practice with complex text <\/strong>and its academic language<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
From Free Stock Photos<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In the last post<\/a> I shared some of the research from a 2006 ACT study<\/a> that found text complexity determines whether our students will be successful beyond high school or struggle. Students who did well with complex texts on average scored higher in college courses than students who didn\u2019t do well with complex texts, according to the study. And if we start to think that not all of our students will be attending college or university, we need to remember that career-related texts can be just us complex, if not more complex, than college texts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a section from a refrigerant comparison<\/a>: \u201cOne of the differences between R-134a and R-12 is the boiling points. Pure R-12 will boil at -22 degrees Fahrenheit while R-134a boils at -16 degrees Fahrenheit. If we hooked up a gauge to a bottle of R-12 refrigerant which contains liquid, we would have about 117 PSI at 100 degrees F. The pressure of reading of R-134a at that same temperature would be about 124 PSI. For this simple fact, R134a gauge readings will be a little different as compared to R12. While the overall temperature curve is different and the critical temperature is lower, during most operating conditions, you’ll find R-134a is a fairly close match to R12. R-134a is slightly less efficient and condensers will usually have to be upgraded to match the cooling performance of R12.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Implications for Instruction<\/strong>
What does that mean for us, the classroom teachers? Our students will increase their reading proficiency by reading high quality, complex text. In the training I attended, they told us that CCSS-aligned questions cannot be asked of passages lacking complexity and fully developed ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So let\u2019s start by looking at the CCSS Anchor Standard 10: Read and comprehend <\/em>complex<\/em><\/strong> literary and informational texts independently and proficiently<\/em>. In order to support our students in achieving anchor 10, and being successful with complex texts, the first thing we have to do is to learn how to find text that is high quality and therefore WORTHY of close reading. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are ten key features of complex text that they shared with us at the training:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Dense information<\/li>
  2. Lack of words, sentences or paragraphs that review or pull things together for the student<\/li>
  3. Lengthy paragraphs<\/li>
  4. Complex sentences<\/li>
  5. Text structure that is less narrative and\/or mixes structures<\/li>
  6. Subtle and\/or frequent transitions<\/li>
  7. Multiple and\/or subtle themes and purposes<\/li>
  8. Uncommon vocabulary<\/li>
  9. Unfamiliar settings, topics or events<\/li>
  10. Lack of repetition, overlap, or similarity in words and sentences<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    We were told to distinguish between complexity and difficulty. Complexity should be in the text, while difficulty lies within each child\u2019s ability to get information from the complex text. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There are three ways, or three factors, to look at when choosing complex text:<\/p>\n\n\n\n