Week 3 Agenda

Text Complexity

 and

 “To Teach Me Is To Know Me”- Who are our Contemporary Students?

5:30-5:45	Questions comments, concerns about Week 2 class, assignments: journal, readings, db? Upcoming assignments: Collage for “To Teach Me is to Know Me”, Literacy lesson Live in class or Video, Tutoring Project Parts 1 and 2? Textbook Complexity assignment will be done as an “in-class” presentation tonight in lieu of doing it outside of class.
5:45-6:00	21st Century Learners 4 minutes Discussion New Legend Magazines from RHS Students
6:00-6:10	“To Teach Me is to Know Me” Comments, questions, resource page-Wk 3 Assignments-last item. Due the Tuesday before our week 4  class on 3/29/16 at midnight You do not need to view and make comments about other student projects because each student will be showing their project “live” in class next week.
6:10-6:30	Videos for this week: ·       Text Complexity with Carol Jago 1:45 mins ·       Literacy NYC Dept of Ed 4:22 mins ·       PP on Text Complexity ·       PP on What Influences Text Readability-brief overview when prepping for Text Complexity presentation. “Let’s Chat Core” from Teacher’s Channel Watch At Home (11 mins)
6:30-7:00	Document Camera Practice with Content Area Groups Prepare for Text Complexity Presentation
7:00-7:20	Social Science Group (Rebecca, Tyler)
7:20-7:40	Math Group (Emily, Michael)
7:40-8:00	English Group (Anna, Melissa)
8:00-8:10	Science Group (Chris, Marc)
8:10-8:30	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.