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Complex and Close: A Close Reading “How To”

Complex and Close: A Close Reading “How To”. Text Complexity Matters. Students who reached benchmark scores and did well in college: Ability to make inferences while reading or answering questions Ability to answer questions associated with complex text

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Complex and Close: A Close Reading “How To”

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  1. Complex and Close: A Close Reading “How To”

  2. Text Complexity Matters Students who reached benchmark scores and did well in college: • Ability to make inferences while reading or answering questions • Ability to answer questions associated with complex text - ACT, 2006 Reading Between the Lines

  3. Why Complex Text? • Must read closely • Think deeply about texts • Participate in discussions based on text • Gain knowledge • Publishers Criteria for ELA/Literacy Grades 3-12, p. 3

  4. What does complex mean?Talk with your neighbor about how you would define complex. What is the difference between complex and difficult? Is there a difference?Talk with your neighbor.

  5. A Quick Exercise in Complex vs. Difficult COMPLEXITY VS. DIFFICULTY Complexity:the thought process the brain uses to deal with information Difficulty:the amount of effort that the learner must expend within a level of complexity “A learning activity can become more difficult without becoming more complex.” [Sousa, 2006]

  6. Examples: Complex vs. Difficult

  7. Examples: Complex vs. Difficult

  8. How Text Complexity is Measured Qualitative measures – levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality and clarity, and knowledge demands Quantitative measures – readability and other scores of text complexity Reader and Task – background knowledge of reader, motivation, interests, and complexity generated by tasks assigned Reader and Task

  9. Tons of Resources

  10. Important to Know and Decide • Understand the CCSS call for a “staircase of complexity.” • Pay attention to the progression of Reading Standard 10. • Review lexile ranges as well as Fountas and Pinnell guided reading; they have been increased. • Make a district decision as to how to decide on text complexity • Select texts across a wide range of text complexity …and one more thing…

  11. Pay Attention to Text Quality • Rich in content • Provide strong models of thinking and writing • Broad resonance: referred to and quoted often • Provide students with deep engagement in the world and a variety of cultures • Reflect on important issues in the disciplines • Build background knowledge and vocabulary essential to reach CCR levels

  12. How do we help students engage with complex texts?

  13. Close Reading Activity • Read the passage that starts “NOTHING can possibly be conceived in the world…” • As you read, think about the strategies that you are using to comprehend this challenging text?

  14. What is Close Reading?

  15. How to Teach Close Reading • Model It!!! • Find strong passages for practice • Annotate with “reading graffiti” – mark word choices, sentence patterns, images and dialogue • Consideration: Use poetry

  16. Watch and Reflect • What do you notice about the process? • How do you think your students will respond to this process? • What does this look like at your respective grade level?

  17. A Close Reading Instructional Framework 1. Introduce complex vocabulary 2. Establish a purpose with an essential question 3. Model a Close Reading 4. Practice with a Partner 5. Check for Understanding 6. Independent Practice 7. Discussion or Debate 8. Student Writing: Argumentative or Informative

  18. Remember this?

  19. Before You Plan… Let’s talk about scaffolding… • Helps students access complex text directly. • Allows the reader a first encounter with minimal clarifications. • Guides the reader with follow-up support • Encourages re-reading • Reduce the complexity • Replace the text • Tell students what they are going to learn.

  20. Strategies for Scaffolding Pair easier texts with complex texts: introduce vocabulary and build background knowledge with an easier text and then incorporate use of the more complex text Strategically pair or group multiple texts. For example, pair an informational text and a narrative text selected by the same author for an author study or thematically group texts. Teach students to deconstruct complex sentences to better understand texts. Devise a set of core questions that students can ask as they read assigned material, to guide their thinking and help make sense of their reading. (See handouts) Incorporate peer-assisted instruction to support reading of complex texts.

  21. Time to Plan: Think About What You Are Doing Next Week Plan a Close Reading with a Grade Level Complex Text…

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