Tuning up the Imagination:The senses as tools for “reading”

“Those that cannot imagine, cannot read.”

- -Eliot Eisner

What are the elements of a Geography Text?

Posidonius (c. 150 – 130 BCE) Greek stoic philosopher, polymath--πολυμαθής, polymathēs, "having learned much"

Antique Representation of the World & circumference

History Text?

The age demanded an image.

--Ezra Pound

Migrant Mother, 1936 Dorothea

Lange

Eyewitness to History

What makes a good science text?How might it draw on multiple genres, modes, intelligences, disciplines?

Blue Whale Barrel Roll- (NPR podcasts, National Geographic) Who thought diet could stimulate such an interesting question?

www.sciencefriday.com

Text Workshop for ML Project

• Step 1: Textbook Tour Analysis– Readability, Content Usability, Interest• (Measurement Options: FRY chart handout, Alv., p.

184-186 , or Lexile Measure http://www.lexile.com/analyzer

• Step 2: Choose Diverse Trade Sources / genreshttp://inkthinktank.com Simulations, web, audio, video

Is my textbook or tradebook appropriate? (Alv, Chap 10)

• Readability (Cloze or Formula –Fry, Lexiles)• Students Reading Level- CCS brings readers to text,

elastic reading bands• Difficulty of Concepts, curricular match• Organization• Visual Appeal, Style• Skill / Strategy Emphasis• Depth, breadth• Current information?

Analyzing Non-fiction Text

• “True” = informational? Let’s define some genres!

• What are we looking for? (purpose, place in learning process (B, D, A textbook?, Lisa’s list)

• Accuracy, style, focus, features (Figure 3.5)• Linguistic challenges (non-linear text, vocab,

sentence length, density, abstract nouns (Zang, 2008, p 479)