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One of the key requirements of the Common Core State Standards for Reading is that all students must be able to comprehend texts of steadily increasing complexity as they progress through school. By the time students complete high school they must be able to read and comprehend independently and proficiently the kinds of complex text commonly found in college and careers.
Why text complexity matters- In 2006 ACT, Inc released a report titled Reading Between the Lines that illustrated which skills differentiated those students who equaled or exceeded the benchmark score (21 out of 36) in the reading section of the ACT college admissions test from those that did not meet the benchmark. What chiefly distinguished the performance of those students who had earned the benchmark score or better from those who had not was not their relative ability in making inferences while reading or answering questions related to particular cognitive process, such as determining main ideas or determining the meaning of words and phrases in context. Instead, the clearest differentiator was students’ ability to answer questions associated with complex text.
VIDEO: The Balance of Informational and Literary Texts in K-5
From: TheHuntInstitute |
• Shift the balance to 50 percent informational texts and 50 percent literature in elementary grades
• Importance of balance in preparing for later grades and non-literary texts
VIDEO: Literary Non-Fiction in Grades 6-12: Opening New Worlds for Teachers and Students
From: TheHuntInstitute |
• Expanded use of literary non-fiction in later grades
• In-depth discussion about the value of teacher expertise in cultivating students’ deeper understanding of complex and varied texts
VIDEO: Literary Non-Fiction in the Classroom: Opening New Worlds for Students
From: TheHuntInstitute |
• Opportunities for students to delve more deeply into more varied texts, especially literary non-fiction
• Addresses student engagement with many sources: e.g. the Preamble to the Constitution, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, and King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail
VIDEO: Literacy in Other Disciplines
From: TheHuntInstitute |
• How ELA Standards apply — and require mastery — across several disciplines (History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects)
• In-depth discussion of Madison and Federalist Paper 51
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