SETTING A PURPOSE FOR READING

STEP 1: SELECT TEXT

• Consider the three factor of text complexity

• Quantitative (measured by computer)

• Qualitative (measured by a person)

• Reader and Task (measured by judgment)

• Goal is “Productive Struggle”

• Text worth reading

MEASURING TEXT COMPLEXITY

Measuring Text Complexity: Three Factors

Qualitative evaluation of the text: Levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality and clarity, and knowledge demands

Quantitative evaluation of the text: Readability measures and other scores of text complexity

Matching reader to text and task: Reader variables (such as motivation, knowledge, and experiences) and task variables (such as purpose and the complexity generated by the task assigned and the questions posed)

STEP 2: ANALYZE THE TEXT

• What do you want students “to know” after reading

the text? (content objective)

• What do you want students “to do” with the text?

(skill objective)

• Is there challenging syntax, concepts, or

vocabulary that could impede comprehension?

SET AN OVERALL PURPOSE FOR READING

• Understanding what you want

student “to know” and “do”

will help determine the overall

purpose for reading.

STEP 3: DEVELOP BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE

• Determine background knowledge necessary

for understanding the text

• Information not found in the text

• Connecting previously taught concepts

• Critical vocabulary (usually concepts, but could be tier

2 anchor vocabulary)

• Penguin Chicks: Antarctica is the coldest place on

earth (cold even in summer). Penguins are birds.

• Concept: Animals have found ways to survive nearly everywhere on earth. What physical features help

them survive?

STEP 4: DIVIDE TEXT

• Meaningful chunks

• Where are the logical meaning or skill building sections?

• Where are the natural breaks for checking for understanding?

• Does the skill building require steps?

• How does each section help students meet your learning objective (both content and skill)?

STEP 5: SET A PURPOSE FOR READING FOR EACH CHUNK

• Based on what you want students to know and do

from this “chunk,” set the purpose for reading.

• “Read to find out…”

• Penguin Chicks 1st chunk, 1st read:

• Read to find out the environment where the Emperor Penguin

lives paying attention to the words that describe that place.

• 2nd read: Read to find out other details about the emperor

penguin.

STEP 6: TEXT DEPENDENT QUESTIONS

• 80-90% of CCSS reading standards require text dependent analysis

• Similar percentage of questions should reflect this

• Can only be answered by referring explicitly back to the text

• Not just literal questions

• Penguin Chicks:

• Based on the information we have so far, what problem can we identify?

STEP 7: STEP ASIDES

• Tier 2 vocabulary: seamless step asides that provide

student-friendly explanations

• Penguin Chicks:

• preen = if a bird preens itself, it cleans itself and makes its

feather smooth

• Explanations of grammatical structures

• Help unpack complex sentences

• Penguin Chicks:

• ____ called a ______ (synonyms)

1ST TASK: DETERMINE NEXT SEVERAL “CHUNKS”

• Where are the logical breaks for meaning and skill

building?

• Pages two and three of Penguin Chicks

• Keep your overall purpose for reading in mind

TASK #2: SET A PURPOSE FOR READING FOR EACH CHUNK

• What do you want students to know and do with

this chunk of text?

TASK #3: TEXT-DEPENDENT QUESTIONS

• Questions related to your purpose for reading

• Questions related to your skill objective (for

example, cause and effect:

CLOSE READING

Close reading requires a substantial emphasis on readers figuring out a high quality text. This "figuring out" is accomplished primarily by reading and discussing the text (as opposed to being told about the text by a teacher or being informed about it through some textbook commentary).

TIMOTHY SHANAHAN (University of Illinois @ Chicago)

Don’t go around the text- Go through it!

PROCESS OF CLOSE READING

• 1st Reading: What does the text say?

• Key Ideas and Details (standards 1-3)

• 2nd Reading: How the text works?

• Craft and Structure (standards 4-6)

• 3rd Reading: What does the text mean?

• Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (standard

7-9)