Review of
assignments due next week
·
1. Do Readings for Reader Response Journal
- Read Chapter 3, “Language, Diversity, and Cognition in
Print and Online Texts in the Disciplines” in Content Area
Literacy Textbook (CAL)
- Read Chapter 4, “Selecting Textbooks and Multimedia
Materials” in the CAL Textbook
·
2. Do Readings for Discussion:
- Appendix A: Text Complexity from the Common Core State
Standards
·
3. Write Week 3 Journal: Reader Response
·
Journal
4. Assignment: Assessing Text
·
Features,
Text Structures, &
·
Comprehensibility in Expository
·
Texts Has
already been completed if you
·
presented in class with your group
·
tonight!
·
5. Complete Assignment: Creative Project –
·
To Teach Me is to Know Me (due on
·
Tuesday 3/29/16 by midnight)
6. Discussion
Board:
o
Text Complexity and Common Core
o
State Standards
o
Simplifying Text Complexity: Teaching
o
Channel
·
7. Preparation: Continue to work on
your
·
tutoring project Parts 2 and 3.
(Part 1 was the observation assignment that was due before week 3)
- Assessing
Text Complexity: Features, Structures, & Comprehensibility
of Expository Texts
For this assignment, select a secondary
textbook in your content area, or select an informational or expository text
(via the Internet, magazines such as National Geographic, Popular Science,
Discover, Smithsonian, etc.). Complete
Parts 1, 2, and 3 as described below.
Part 1:
Text Features: Components of the text added to increase understanding or
interest.
(Part 1 is applicable more to textbooks;
if you chose a separate reading selection or a chapter, respond to the
statements in Part 1 as best you can.)
Name of
Subject:
Title of
Textbook:
Copyright date:
Author(s) qualifications
(e.g., job experience, university degrees):
Prefaces, Forewords, and Introductions contain essentially the same
information. These lead-in comments give
the author(s) a chance to talk about why the book was written and how it is
organized. Often, a suggestion about how
to read the book is provided.
Read the Preface (Foreword of Introduction). Use your own words to explain what the Preface told you about your text.
The Table of Contents provides an early road
map of the whole text. It gives a good indication of the learning aids which
are provided in the text. Answer the following questions in your own words by
referring to the Table of Contents.
(a) Does the organization of topics in the
book appear to be logical and easy to follow?
(b) How many total pages are there in your
text?
(c) How complete do you think the treatment
of the subject is in your book (i.e., very complete or only deals with a few
aspects of the subject)?
(d) Using the Table of Contents, see if your text contains each of the following
learning aids. Answer YES if you find it, NO if you don’t.
Glossary_____ Appendix_____ Bibliography _____ Index_______
The Glossary gives definitions of difficult
technical terms used in the text. It is a valuable aid to understanding the
vocabulary of a difficult subject. If your text has a Glossary, have students locate at least one difficult word and
write the definition. Before you work with students, you should assess the
quality or potential effectiveness of the Glossary.
The Appendix
provides additional information about a topic. An Appendix is located in the
back of the book and contains information that supports and expands a chapter
topic. If your text has an Appendix (or Appendices), write a list of some (five) of the items you find there.
The Bibliography gives specific information
about authors and books that were consulted during the writing of the text.
Some of the books may be recommended as additional reading. The Bibliography is usually located at the
end of the book (see the Table of Contents for its exact location), but it may
follow each chapter. Locate the Bibliography
in your text and write down three books you might want to read (or want your
students to read) in addition to your textbook chapters.
The Index provides the fastest means for
locating topic information referred to in the text. Locate the Index in your book. Study the Index and
list two or three kinds of information you see there.
Many other
textual aids, in addition to the Preface,
Table of Contents, Glossary, Appendix, Bibliography, and Index, are
included in most texts. See if you can locate each of the following text aids
(write YES if it’s there; NO if it’s not) and indicate how each of these aids
might help you understand the subject.
(a) Questions at the beginning of the
chapters___________
(b) Objectives at the beginning of the
chapters ___________
(c) Pictures___________
(d) Illustrations or diagrams___________
(e) Graphs_____________
(f) Maps_______________
(g) Maps____________
(h) Words in italics, bold-face words, large
guide words____________
(i) Pronunciation guide {(e.g.,
paradigm—para dime)}
(j) Footnotes__________
(k) Headings_________
(l) Marginal notes__________
(m) Questions at the end of
chapters____________
(n) Practice exercises_____________
(o) Multimedia Tools & Software____________
(p) Other__________
Part 2:
Text Structures: Structures used
in presenting information that readers can use to predict the flow of
information. These text structures can
be identified by their use of signal words—words or phrases used in a text to
alert the reader to how the information is being organized.
Common types of text structures in
expository texts are featured in the attached chart (see below).
(a) Indicate
which structure/s predominate in the text you have selected, and
(b) provide
additional signal words that alert the reader to the type of text structure
(sample signal words are stated in the chart).
You should add at least five (5) additional signal words.
Common Signal Words and Phrases in
Expository Texts
Text Structure
|
Purpose
|
Signal Words (Samples)
|
Signal Words: Your Additional
Suggestions (5 minimum)
|
Description/
Exemplification
|
Describe people, places, or phenomena
|
Descriptive adjectives, adverbs, and
phrases:
For
example
In fact
To illustrate
|
|
Compare & Contrast
|
Explains how two or more people,
places, or phenomena are alike or different
|
Although
Compared to
Similar to
Whereas
|
|
Cause & Effect
|
Shows causal relationships
|
Because
If. . . then
Therefore
Because
|
|
Problem & Solution
|
Describes problems and solutions
|
On the contrary
Problem
Decide
Accordingly
|
|
Temporal or Sequential
|
Chronological order
|
First,
Second, etc.
Furthermore
Afterward
Meanwhile
|
|
Fisher,
D., Frey, N., and Alfaro, C. (2013). The
path to get there: A common core road map for higher student achievement across
the disciplines.
Newark,
DE: International Reading Association.
Part III.
Your Recommendation:
Explain why you would or would not recommend this textbook (or
expository text) for adoption and use in your content area classroom or school program. Be specific in your explanation. What are the
strengths and drawbacks of this text for the recommended grade level? Is this text appropriate for English
Learners who are enrolled in a class where this book or expository text is
being used? Explain your answer.
|
