Text Complexityand

Nancy Frey, PhD

Text-dependent Questions

K-2 ELA

10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

“Standard 10 defines a grade-by-grade‘staircase’ of increasing text complexity that rises from beginning readingto the college and career readiness level.” (CCSS, 2010, p. 80)

“Fewer, Clearer, Higher”

“Read like a detective, write like a reporter.”

K-5 Reading Standards

Expository

Expository

Persuasive

Expository

Persuasive

Narrative

Students produce as well as read complex texts.

Our goal with complex text is to slow the reader down.

Annotation is a note of any form made while reading text.

“Reading with a pencil.”

People have been annotating texts since there have been

texts to annotate.

Annotation is not highlighting.

Annotation slows down the reader in order to

deepen understanding.

Annotation occurs with digital and print texts.

Annotation in Kindergarten

• Language experience approach• Interactive writing and shared pen activities

1 23 4

5

Kemp, L. M. (1996). One peaceful pond: A counting book. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

Modeled Annotation in Kindergarten

Harvey, S., & Goudvis, A. (2007). Strategies That Work: Teaching Comprehension for Understanding and Engagement. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.

Modeled Annotation in Second

Even young students can annotate.

Read IRA’s Guidance on Literacy Implementation for CCSS.

What are the implications for your school?

Are there misconceptions your staff might hold?

How will you deepen their understanding of literacy development?

Close Reading

“X-ray the book”

“X-ray the book”

Not every reading is a close one!

In the primary grades, close reading is accomplished through interactive

read alouds and shared readings.

Creating a Close Reading

Creating a Close Reading

Short passage

Creating a Close Reading

Short passage

Complex text

Creating a Close Reading

Short passage

Complex text

Limited frontloading

Creating a Close Reading

Short passage

Complex text

Limited frontloading

Repeated readings

Multiple readings often make this unnecessary

The Role of Pre-reading

Multiple readings often make this unnecessary

The Role of Pre-reading• Too often provides

information students can glean from careful reading of the text

• Hard to wean students from this

• Similarly challenging to move teachers away from providing this “smoothing of the road”

Creating a Close Reading

Short passage

Complex text

Limited frontloading

Repeated readings

Text-dependent questions

Characteristics of Text-dependent questions

• Questions that can only be answered with evidence from the text

• Can be literal but can also involve analysis, synthesis, evaluation

• Focus on word, sentence and paragraph as well as larger ideas, themes or events

• Focus on difficult portions of text in order to enhance reading proficiency

Characteristics of Text-dependent questions

Progression of Text-dependent Questions

Opinions, Arguments, Intertextual Connections

Inferences

Author’s PurposeVocab & Text

Structure

Key Details

General UnderstandingsPart

Sentence

Paragraph

Entire text

Across texts

Word

Whole

Segments

• Provide students with copies of text-dependent questions in advance of reading.

• Pre-teach reading, especially background knowledge and cognates.

• Provide realia or visual glossaries to support student learning.

• Highlight contextual clues.

Accommodations for Close Reading

Develop Text-dependent Questions for Your Reading

Do the questions require the reader to return to the text?

Do the questions require the reader to use evidence to support his or her ideas or claims?

Do the questions move from text-explicit to text-implicit knowledge?

Are there questions that require the reader to analyze, evaluate, and create?

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