Taking Reading Comprehension to the Next Level: Applying ... · conventionality and clarity • knowledge demands Must be measured by a trained person. 38 Qualitative Measurements:

4/14/15

1

Taking Reading Comprehension to the Next Level:

Applying Skills to Complex Text

Jan Parkman, Presenter

Cory Stai, MN Dept. of Education

Guiding Questions

•  What is text complexity and why is this important to reading instruction?

•  How can we provide our students meaningful access to more complex text?

2

Text Complexity: An Introduction

What is meant by text complexity and

why is it important?

Prepared by the Minnesota Department of Education

4/14/15

2

Reading Informa3onal

Text

Students access words from Science, social studies, the arts, and literature through informa3onal text.

Informa3onal text provides explana3ons,

procedures, direc3ons and other types of informa3on

Text Complexity

“In order to prepare students for complexity of college and career-‐ready texts, each grade requires growth in complexity.”

Appendix A

A step-‐by-‐step staircase of increasingly complex text that goes from CCR down to founda3onal skills,

which makes fuller use of the text. Requires close

and rereading instruc3on.

Academic Vocabulary

Constantly building vocabulary to access and understand grade-‐level

texts and ideas. Be able to produce wriMen and spoken text in mul3ple

areas.

Focusing on Academic Vocabulary in “Value-‐added” instruc3on,

enabling students to have improved fluency and comprehension across wide range of text.

Instruction Shifts for ELA Common Core

Close Reading / Text Dependent

Ques3ons

Students need opportuni3es to prac3ce

close reading by rereading, referencing

other texts and exploring text deeply .

Close reading should be directly linked to

responding to and asking ques3ons related to the text, using eviden3ary

arguments based on text.

Argumenta3ve Wri3ng and Research

Students develop key wri3ng and research skills, using evidence to inform, persuade or support an

argument.

Frequent, short, focused research projects providing textual

evidence should be part of classroom experiences.

Literacy Instruc3on Across Content Area

History/Social Studies Students need to analyze evidence from primary and secondary sources suppor3ng their claims and interpreta3ons.

Content literacy can help students access text iin their subject through reading , wri3ng and cri3cal thinking.

Instruction Shifts for ELA Common Core

Reading Sub-strands

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity: Read and comprehend complex literacy and information texts independently and proficiently.

Key Ideas and Details: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; Cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

6

4/14/15

3

Reading Sub-strands (cont.)

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas:

•  Compare/analyze content presented in different texts, formats and media

•  Evaluate arguments and claims in a text

Craft and Structure:

•  Interpret words and phrases

•  Analyze how word choices shape meaning or tone

•  Analyze text structure, point of view or purpose, and how it shapes content and style

7

Seriously? The standards expect me to…

 Teach using texts kids can’t read.

 Make kids read hard texts independently.

 Use texts that are all more complex than they used to be.

 Force kids to read frustra3ng texts that will kill their will to read.

8

In fact… The new Common Core standards in ELA demand that teachers:  Teach kids to struggle successfully with difficult text.  Use a balanced diet of texts across the range of complexity.   Increase the trajectory across grades 2-12 to ensure career- and college-readiness.  Provide kids opportunities to explore complex texts with support and collaboration.

9

4/14/15

4

What is meant by Text Complexity?

Three dimensions must be considered together:

– Quantitative measures

– Qualitative measures – Reader and Task

measures

10

•  Spend more engaged time on more complex texts

•  Engage students in rigorous conversation •  Give students less to read, let them re-read •  Use leveled texts carefully to build independence

in struggling readers •  Provide scaffolding •  Get kids inspired and excited about the beauty

of language and joy of reading

Staircase of Complexity: What the Teacher Does

11

•  Read to see what more they can find and learn as they re-read texts again and again;

•  Be persistent despite challenges when reading; good readers tolerate frustration;

•  Engage with texts w/ other adults;

•  Read material at own level to build joy of reading and pleasure in the world.

Staircase of Complexity: What the Student Does

12

4/14/15

5

Why is increasing Text Complexity important?

13

Looking at Some Data

•  Difference in ability to answer literal vs. inference questions?

•  Type of textual element focused on by the questions being asked?

What separates college-ready readers from the rest?

14

o  Author’s approach o  Suppor3ng details o  Rela3onships

o  Word Meaning o  Generaliza3ons o  Conclusions

NO

NO

•  They can answer all of these types of questions related to different tasks and kinds of thinking even when the text is complex!

•  The one issue found to “bend the curve” of college reading readiness among students is text complexity.

What separates college-ready readers from the rest?

15

4/14/15

6

Yeah, but…what about students who are not bound for college?

Student Readiness for Postsecondary Endeavors, Williamson, 2006. University - freshman/sophomore text Workplace - wide variety of career paths Citizenship - papers, documents, quantitative info. Military - Army website docs, manuals High school – Textbook analysis

16

Yeah, but…what about students who are not bound for college?

Student Readiness for Postsecondary Endeavors, Williamson, 2006. University 1355 These numbers Workplace 1260 represent the Citizenship 1230 average complexity Military 1180 of texts in each group. High school 1130

17

Lexile measures can range from 200L to above 1700L

Lexiles

18

4/14/15

7

•  Students reading several multiple levels below their grade level?

•  Students with emergent level skills?

Yeah, but…what about students who have severe deficits in reading

skills?

19

•  Applications for loans

•  W4 Forms

•  CD-DVD Instructions

•  USA Today

•  Medical Insurance Benefits Pkg.

•  Where the Wild Things Are

•  Grapes of Wrath

What levels do you think these are?

20

•  Applications for loans 1270

•  W4 Forms 1260

•  CD-DVD Instructions 1080

•  USA Today 1200

•  Medical Insurance 1280 Benefits Pkg.

•  Where the Wild Things Are 740

•  Grapes of Wrath 680

What levels do you think these are?

Remember: 1185-‐1385 is Lexile range for HS graduates

21

4/14/15

8

Interna?onal Center for Leadership in Educa?on, 2003

Hospitality and Tourism 1230-‐1260

Law and Public Safety 1420-‐1740

Retail/Wholesale Sales and Service 1180-‐1270

Manufacturing 1200-‐1310

Health Science Arts/AV Tech/Communica3ons

1260-‐1300 1100-‐1190

Transporta3on 1170-‐1350

Lexile Levels of Entry-level Occupational Reading Materials

Remember: 1185-‐1385 is range for HS grads 22

What does this mean for instruction?

Text Complexity Reader Ability

23



24

4/14/15

9

•  Reading is using reading skills to make sense of text systematically and automatically.

•  Strategies are effortful and deliberate and occur during initial learning stages when the text is more difficult to understand.

•  Strategies become skills with instruction and practice.

Remember: Comprehension is the Goal of Reading Instruction

25

To struggle or not to struggle; is that the question?

“Just right Fit”

Opportunities for “productive struggle”

29

Let’s Talk Babies and Bath Water:

30

4/14/15

10

A Quick Word About Assessment

31

•  The MCAs are designed to assess the MN ELA Standards in Reading.

•  The test specifications use the Lexile bands in the standards

•  If you want to “bend the curve” on student scores, build their ability to apply their reading knowledge to more complex texts.

•  It’s time to start marching

up the staircase!

Although we believe that a staircase effect can be successfully achieved when purposefully applied over the course of a student’s education, …the first steps on this staircase need to be carefully scaled so the readers successfully acquire the fundamentals of reading texts that allow for practice with decoding and fluency”

Text Complexity and the Emergent Reader

32

Text Complexity: Raising Rigor in Reading Fisher, Frey, Lapp, 2012

Text Complexity:

What do teachers need to know and understand about complex

texts?

4/14/15

11

Text Complexity: Putting It Together

35

Text Complexity: Quantitative Features

•  Conventional Readability Formulas

–  Word length or frequency

–  Sentence length

–  Text cohesion

Must be measured by a computer.

36

•  Simple •  Compound •  Complex •  Dependent/Independent

Sentence Structure Impacts Text Complexity

37

4/14/15

12

Text Complexity: Qualitative Features

•  levels of meaning or purpose

•  Structure •  language

conventionality and clarity

•  knowledge demands

Must be measured by a trained person.

38

Qualitative Measurements: Continuums of Measurement

Qualitative measures require a trained eye. Easy Difficult

39

Literary Text Qualitative Measures •  Meaning

–  Density & complexity –  Figurative language –  Purpose

•  Text Structure –  Genre –  Narration –  Order of events/Org. –  Use of graphics / text

features

•  Language Features –  Conventionality –  Vocabulary –  Sentence structure –  Register

•  Knowledge Demands –  Life experiences –  Intertextuality and

cultural knowledge –  Subject matter

knowledge

40

4/14/15

13

Informational Text Qualitative Measures

•  Purpose

•  Text Structure –  Organization of ideas –  Text features –  Use of graphics

•  Language Features –  Conventionality –  Vocabulary –  Sentence structure

•  Knowledge Demands –  Subject matter

knowledge –  Intertextuality and

cultural knowledge

41

Civil War Article

42

Common Text Features in Textbooks Elements that organize: •  Chapters •  Titles •  Headings •  Subheadings Elements for locating information •  Table of contents •  Indexes •  Page Numbers

44

Elements for explanation: •  Diagrams •  Charts and tables •  Graphs •  Glossary Elements that illustrate: •  Photographs •  Illustrations Elements that Notify •  Bolded Words •  Italics/font changes

4/14/15

14

“Considerate” Texts: texts that facilitate comprehension and learning •  Structure •  Coherence •  Audience Appropriateness *These types of texts might be those to start with when adding rigor for students who struggle with reading

Qualitative Measures of Text Complexity

47

•  Description: List of Information

•  Compare and Contrast: similarities and differences between two concepts

•  Temporal Sequence: How events change or remain the same over time

•  Cause and effect: Causal relationships

•  Problem and Solution: Situation and issue and how it was resolved

Structure in “Considerate” Texts

48

•  Main ideas explicitly stated •  Information in a paragraph directly

relates back to main idea •  Logical order of events and obvious

relationship between events and topics •  Readers are provided with a clear

references and ambiguous pronouns are avoided

Considerate Texts: Coherence

49

4/14/15

15

•  How well the text matches the student’s probable background and prior knowledge

•  *Research indicates this is a powerful factor

Considerate Texts: Audience Appropriateness

50

•  Levels of meaning and purpose (i.e., Animal Farm) •  Density and Complexity (not literal and

explicit) •  Figurative Language (irony, idioms,

metaphor, symbolism and other literary devices)

•  Purpose is subtle •  Structure

“Inconsiderate Texts”

51

•  Genre – Fiction vs. non-fiction – Poetry, fables, biography, blogs, historical

•  Organization Conventional (Chronological is easier) Non-conventional (different voices, flashbacks)

•  Narration •  Graphic and Visual Information

Other Structural Factors that Influence Text Complexity

52

4/14/15

16

•  Language Conventionality and Clarity

•  Knowledge Demands – Background Knowledge (life experiences) – Prior Knowledge (formal knowledge) – Cultural Knowledge – Vocabulary Knowledge

Multiple meanings, Domain specific words, Context clues

Other Qualitative Factors that Influence Text Complexity

53

Text Complexity: Reader and Task Considerations

•  Motivation •  Knowledge •  Prior Experiences •  Purpose of task •  Complexity of task

Typically measured by the classroom teacher.

54

Text Complexity: Matching Readers to Texts

Exploring the Reader •  Cognitive Capabilities •  Reading skills •  Motivation &

engagement •  Prior Knowledge & Experiences

Exploring the Task •  Teacher led •  Peer Tasks •  Individual Tasks

55

4/14/15

17

•  Will this text maintain the student’s interest?

•  Will this text tax the reader’s working memory?

•  Will this text require specialized supports (e.g., language support, accommodations)?

•  Does this text contain enough supports to move the reader’s learning forward rather than cause frustration?

Cognitive Capabilities

56

•  Is this topic or genre of interest and relevant to the reader?

•  Has the reader experienced success in the past with this topic or genre?

•  Is the text being used to connect to larger themes or concepts?

Motivation

57

Does the reader •  Possess needed metacognitive skill to

comprehend the text? •  Possess specialized knowledge about topic or

genre? •  Have sufficient background and/or prior

knowledge to link to the new information? •  Have direct experiences that will make this text

more accessible

Knowledge and Experiences

58

4/14/15

18

•  Teacher led: Does the text require modeling of cognitive comprehension strategies, word-solving strategies, text structures/text features?

•  Peer Tasks: Does the task match reader’s collaboration and social skills?

•  Individual Tasks: does the task provide sufficient challenge for the reader while avoiding protracted frustration?

Exploring the Task

59

Do questions require the reader to •  return to the text •  Use evidence to support ideas or

claims? •  Analyze, evaluate, and create?

Exploring the Question

60

Reader and Task: Engagement Questions to ask…

•  Is the information / story relevant to the student?

•  Is this new knowledge or related to previous learning?

•  Does it stimulate curiosity and motivation around the topic?

•  Does it involve the appropriate level of cognitive engagement?

61

4/14/15

19

Reader and Task: Engagement Questions to ask…

•  Is the reader cognitively engaged at an appropriate level?

•  Will they be asked to use or apply the new skill or knowledge?

•  Is it personally meaningful?

62

Text Complexity:

How do we help our students read and comprehend more

complex texts?

•  Read text to students or play an audio recording

•  Summarize the information the following day •  Create study guides which pull out all of the

relevant text (main ideas, concepts to know) •  Show a video, simulation, dramatization •  Have volunteers share out the most

important information either in groups or a large group Q and A?

How can you teach “around” the text?

64

4/14/15

20

Scaffolds Shouldn’t Be Permanent

65

C an’t O r W on’t

“Covering Content” by Teaching Around the Text

67

Increasing Access to Texts

Eliminating Won’t: •  Mindset (Diagnosis and Changing) •  Reversing Learned Helplessness •  Motivation and Engagement •  Cultural Relevance /

Responsiveness

68

4/14/15

21

Increasing Access

Eliminating Can’t: •  Gradual Release of

Responsibility •  Frontload your

teaching (Before-reading activities)

•  Teach vocabulary expansion skills –  Context Clues –  Word Parts –  Dictionary Skills

•  Teach academic vocabulary

•  Teach content vocabulary

•  Teach comprehension skills –  Teach text features –  Teach text structures

•  Teach comprehension strategies

69

Gradual Release – Fisher & Frey

70

Close Reading of Complex Texts

“Simply selecting hard books and telling students to read them will not work.

From: Text Complexity: Raising Rigor in Reading

(Fisher, Frey, Lapp) 71

Students need to be taught how to read and think about complex texts.”

4/14/15

22

Close Reading: Critical Features

•  Use a short text •  Re-reading

•  Annotating •  Productive

Struggle

73

Close Reading: Critical Features

Novice readers haven’t fully developed the habit or rereading to clarify information.

Ask Text-dependent questions to prompt students to return to the text.

74

A Three-Phase Model of Close Reading Fisher and Frey

Opinions, Arguments,

Intertextual Connec3ons

Inferences

Author’s Purpose

Vocab & Text Structure

Key Details

General Understandings

Phase 3: What does the text mean? Phase 2: How does the text work? Phase 1: What does the text say?

75

4/14/15

23

Progression of Text-dependent Questions

Opinions, Arguments,

Intertextual Connec3ons Inferences

Author’s Purpose

Vocab & Text Structure

Key Details

General Understandings

8 & 9

3 & 7

6

4 & 5

2

1

Standards

76

•  “Right There” Questions •  Text Structure Questions •  Sequence Questions •  Clarification Questions •  Paraphrasing Questions •  Inferential Questions •  Organizing Questions •  Academic Vocabulary/Key Phrases

Questions •  Purpose Questions

Text Dependent Question Types

77

How do we help students access text?

•  Apply vocabulary expansion skills –  Context Clues –  Word Parts –  Connotation

•  Understand academic vocabulary

•  Apply comprehension skills –  Teach text features –  Teach text structures –  Main Idea –  Etc.

•  Teach comprehension strategies –  B/D/A strategies –  Annotation –  Note-taking –  Graphic Org.

78

4/14/15

24

How to Teach Strategies

79

•  Memory and knowledge-based strategies

•  General and non-specific strategies •  Self-regulation and motivation

strategies •  Specific thinking strategies and

processes

Types of Strategic Thinking

80

Teaching a Strategy

•  Declarative knowledge – What is it? •  Procedural knowledge – How do you do it? •  Conditional knowledge – When do you use the

strategy and when should you not to use it; why does the strategy work and under what conditions?

82

4/14/15

25

The Strategies Identifying the strategies good readers use to tackle difficult

texts.

83

Comprehension Strategies (The “Big Six” from NRP)

•  Making connections •  Making predictions •  Monitoring understanding •  Visualizing •  Questioning •  Retelling / summarizing

84

Teaching Metacognition Lesson 1: Reading is about understanding!

85

4/14/15

26

Monitoring Your Thinking (metacognition)

1.) attention (manage distractions) 2) comprehension (understanding)

 Stop periodically and ask:    Did that make sense?

–   If yes, move on to question 2. –   If no, use fix-it strategies to clarify.

•   What's important?

86

Before Reading Strategies Teaching students to prep their own learning.

87

Previewing a Text

•  the title / headline and author

•  any words that are repeated or in bold or larger type

•  the opening paragraphs (the lead)

•  any photographs and captions

•  any maps, diagrams, charts, or other graphics

•  organization

88

4/14/15

27

Why Do We Preview?

•  the headline –  activate prior knowledge, main idea

•  author –  bias and credentials

•  repeated or large type words –  main idea, important words

•  bold words –  Where is the support?

89

Why (continued)

•  the opening paragraphs (the lead) –  main idea, prior knowledge, make questions/

predictions

•  photographs and captions –  What is it? access it when it's most helpful

•  any maps, diagrams, charts, or other graphics –  What is it about? How do I read it? access it

when helpful

•  organization –  Did that make sense? What's important to

remember?

90

During Reading Strategies What to do while you’re reading to ensure maximum

understanding.

91

4/14/15

28

1. Monitor Your Attention

Monitor your attention and concentration •  remove distractions, for example:

–  shut of the TV –  move to a quieter place –  stop social media

•  focus on maintaining engagement with the text (see "self-talk")

•  take a break and come back to it with a clear head

92

Fix-it Strategies Teaching students what to do when they read it but don’t

get it.

93

“Fix-it Strategies” Defined

•  A strategy is a plan for achieving a desired goal or outcome.

•  Fix-it strategies are plans readers can use when comprehension (understanding) “breaks down.”

94

4/14/15

29

2. Reread for Understanding: When you reread, you should read differently from how you read the first time. Some things you should do differently include: •  slow down (this allows time for your brain

to process and to do the rest of this list) •  stop more frequently to check

understanding •  focus on visualizing

–   ~ make pictures in your head –   ~ draw actual pictures on paper or use graphic

organizers 95

2. Reread for Understanding:

Some things you should do differently include: •  address unknown vocabulary (use word knowledge

to tackle words you don't know). –   ~ word parts –   ~ context clues –   ~ use references (look it up or ask someone)

•  use "self-talk": –   ~ ask yourself questions about the reading (who, what,

when , where, why/how) –   ~ ask yourself, "What is the main point, here?" –   ~ make connections (to you, the world, other texts, this

text) 96

Plan to Follow Up:

•  Create specific questions that state where you're not understanding so that you can ask someone for explanation or help later (in class, for example)

97

4/14/15

30

In Summary…

Students need many opportunities to access complex text to be prepared for reading success after HS.

98



99

www.fisherandfrey.com

To do this and be ready for their lives in the work force, as consumers, and as citizens,

Students need to be taught to read closely, and apply strategies and skills to handle complex texts.

100

4/14/15

31

Just putting difficult books in to a student’s hands and expecting them to acquire the skills on their own is not an appropriate course of action.

101

Students should also be •  reading widely and independently, •  building background knowledge and

vocabulary in a wide range of genres and topics.

Students should read for enjoyment, not just as a school project to be avoided outside the classroom.

From: Text Complexity: Raising Rigor in Reading

(Fisher, Frey, Lapp)

Don’t forget: In addition to work with complex text

102

Questions?

Jan Parkman [email protected]

103

4/14/15

32

Bibliography/Links

ACT, Inc. (2006). Reading between the lines: What the ACT reveals about college readiness in reading. Retrieved from http://www.act.org/research/policymakers/pdf/reading_report.pdf Williamson, G.L. (2006, April). Student Readiness for Postsecondary Endeavors. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED491516.pdf

104

Bibliography/Links

Fisher, F. Frey, N. & Lapp, D. (2012) Text Complexity: Raising Rigor in Reading. Newark. DE: International Reading Association Daggett, W.R. (2003) Achieving Reading Proficiency for All. International Center for Leadership in Education. http://www.leadered.com/pdf/Reading%20White %20Paper.pdf “Asking Questions that Prompt Discussion” by Fisher & Frey. Principal leadership. Nov. 2011 http://fisherandfrey.com/uploads/posts/Discussion.pdf

105

•  “Simplifying Text Complexity” Sarah Brown Wessling, Teaching Channel https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/simplifying-text-complexity#video-sidebar_tab_video-notes-tab

Videos

106

Documents

Taking Reading Comprehension to the Next Level: Applying ... · conventionality and clarity • knowledge demands Must be measured by a trained person. 38 Qualitative Measurements: