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2. Session 2: Supporting the Teacher-Text Interaction
Understanding and Analyzing Text Complexity
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3. Part 1: Teacher to Text Text Teacher Student
Understanding its complexity is critical for supporting students and ensuring your comfort in making the lesson your own.
Text 1
Teacher
Student
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4. Organizing Questions GATHER ANSWERS LATER2
Organizing Questions
Take a moment to review the questions and set your purpose for this session.
GATHER ANSWERS LATER
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5. Framework Increasingly complex content Increasingly complex language
Slide 5
Increasingly complex content
Increasingly complex language
Vocabulary
Grammar
Syntax
Sentence Structure
More
Complex
Less Complex
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6. Dimensions of Complexity
Slide 6
Knowledge Demands:
Levels of Meaning
Life Experiences
Cultural & Content Knowledge
Language Demands:
Structure
Conventionality and Clarity
(CCSS ELA Appendix A, p. 6) 3
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7. Hot Cross Buns Hot cross buns! One a penny, two a penny,
Slide 7
Hot cross buns!
One a penny, two a penny,
Meaning:
I have buns for sale.
One for a penny, two for a penny.
I have buns for sale!
Explicit  Obscure
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8. Conventional  Unconventional
Hot Cross Buns
Slide 8
Hot cross buns!
One a penny, two a penny,
Structure (K or 1):
Sentence has an article, a noun, a verb and an adjective or adverb.
“The muffin is sweet.”
“The runner is fast.”
“I have buns for sale!”
Conventional  Unconventional
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9. Everyday Knowledge  Cultural Knowledge
Hot Cross Buns
Slide 9
Hot cross buns!
One a penny, two a penny,
Knowledge:
Most students would know the words, “hot,” “cross,” and “buns.”
What are hot cross buns?
Spiced sweet bun made with raisins and marked with a “frosting” cross on the top
Traditionally eaten on Good Friday
Everyday Knowledge  Cultural Knowledge
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10. Contemporary Language Archaic Language
Hot Cross Buns
Slide 10
Hot cross buns!
One a penny, two a penny,
Language:
Literal language will be less complex than figurative language.
“one a penny” versus
“one for a penny”
Contemporary Language Archaic Language
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11. Important Points to Keep in Mind
Slide 11
Expectations are that complexity will increase as students progress through the grades.
Reading and readings in the early grades will be more concrete and less abstract.
Early grades: will usually find 1–2 elements or dimensions of complexity employed through a single text.
Upper grades: will usually find multiple aspects of complexity in a single text.
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12. Tools to Supporting Teacher-to-Text Interaction
8 & 9
Teacher-to-Text Planning Process:
outlines key components you
should look and plan for when
developing a close read activity.
Teacher-to-Text Planning
Tool: use to capture this
information for your specific
passage
1–2
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13. 1. Identify Key Ideas
The men soon realized that they would never have enough bullets for the fight ahead. Later that summer, British warships were spotted entering New York’s harbor. King George had gotten help from the Germans as well. More than thirty thousand trained troops arrived to fight the unprepared colonial militiamen. George Washington nearly lost his army in the fierce fighting around New York and New Jersey that fall. The Redcoats chased the Continental Army south, across the Delaware River. Thinking that they had scared them off, the Redcoats left only a small force to guard them on the other side of the river. It was December, and they felt sure that nobody would fight during the dead of winter. But they were wrong. George Washington came up with a daring plan. On Christmas night, he gathered his men together. It was snowing and cold, but Washington had the men get into their boats and row quietly across the ice-filled river. More than two thousand soldiers crossed the river.
Challenges and setbacks for the Continental Army
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14. 1. Identify Key Ideas
George Washington came up with a daring plan. On Christmas night, he gathered his men together. It was snowing and cold, but Washington had the men get into their boats and row quietly across the ice-filled river. More than two thousand soldiers crossed the river. The crossings took nine hours! Marching through the wind and sleet of the December cold, the Continental Army reached the British troops just before dawn. While the Redcoats were still sleeping, Washington’s men launched a surprise attack on the enemy camp. The Redcoats were surprised all right! Some of them came out of their bunks in their underwear and just held up their hands. It was a total victory for General Washington. Nobody in his army had been killed. Washington and his army returned to Philadelphia to shouts of joy. But the war wasn’t over yet. The Continental Congress knew that they needed more help in order to win their war for independence. German soldiers were fighting alongside the British.
Success under leadership of George Washington
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15. 2. Identify Knowledge Demands
The men soon realized that they would never have enough bullets for the fight ahead. Later that summer, British warships were spotted entering New York’s harbor. King George had gotten help from the Germans as well. More than thirty thousand trained troops arrived to fight the unprepared colonial militiamen. George Washington nearly lost his army in the fierce fighting around New York and New Jersey that fall. The Redcoats chased the Continental Army south, across the Delaware River. Thinking that they had scared them off, the Redcoats left only a small force to guard them on the other side of the river. It was December, and they felt sure that nobody would fight during the dead of winter. But they were wrong. George Washington came up with a daring plan. On Christmas night, he gathered his men together. It was snowing and cold, but Washington had the men get into their boats and row quietly across the ice-filled river. More than two thousand soldiers crossed the river.
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16. 3. Identify Language Demands
The men soon realized that they would never have enough bullets for the fight ahead. Later that summer, British warships were spotted entering New York’s harbor. King George had gotten help from the Germans as well. More than thirty thousand trained troops arrived to fight the unprepared colonial militiamen. George Washington nearly lost his army in the fierce fighting around New York and New Jersey that fall. The Redcoats chased the Continental Army south, across the Delaware River. Thinking that they had scared them off, the Redcoats left only a small force to guard them on the other side of the river. It was December, and they felt sure that nobody would fight during the dead of winter. But they were wrong. George Washington came up with a daring plan. On Christmas night, he gathered his men together.
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17. 4. Select Passage(s)
The men soon realized that they would never have enough bullets for the fight ahead. Later that summer, British warships were spotted entering New York’s harbor. King George had gotten help from the Germans as well. More than thirty thousand trained troops arrived to fight the unprepared colonial militiamen. George Washington nearly lost his army in the fierce fighting around New York and New Jersey that fall. The Redcoats chased the Continental Army south, across the Delaware River. Thinking that they had scared them off, the Redcoats left only a small force to guard them on the other side of the river. It was December, and they felt sure that nobody would fight during the dead of winter. But they were wrong. George Washington came up with a daring plan. On Christmas night, he gathered his men together.
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18. Practice: Knowledge Read Kindergarten passage Identify:
Life experiences;
Cultural knowledge
Content knowledge
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19. Practice: Language Select the first grade passage Identify:
1: 12
Practice: Language
Select the first grade passage
Identify:
Use of pronouns
Complex cause-effect or time relationships (passive, negative)
Clause structure (embedded, long, etc.)
VOCABULARY: Multiple meaning or Tier 2/3
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20. Practice: Vocabulary Select your grade-level passage Identify:
Domain specific words
Tier 2 words (general, more academic vocabulary)
Multiple meaning words
Figurative speech
Nuanced word choice
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21. Practice: Literary Devices
K:10
1: 12
2: 14
Practice: Literary Devices
Select your grade-level passage
Identify:
Narrator/narrator changes
Literary devices
o imagery
o metaphors
o similes
o personification
o onomatopoeia
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22. Extend Go through, systematically focusing on:
8,9 & 17
Extend
Select a domain 2 read aloud.
Go through, systematically focusing on:
knowledge demands
language structure demands
vocabulary demands
literary devices
3. Make notes on your handout
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23. Read over your notes on text complexity
Note one way that this analysis deepened or refined your thinking about this text.
Note one way that you can see using this process in your practice

24. Rounds

25. Goal: To discover patterns and surprises among our experiences.
Roles
Rounds
Task
Listener
Presenter

26. Talk – Think - Open Exchange
Task
Listener
Presenter
Repeat once for each person in your group
Talk
Think
Open Exchange

27. Review and Reflect Looking back to go forward

28. Questions