1. Three Instructional Shifts1

2. Instructional Shifts in ELA Common Core State Standards
Shift 1: Balancing informational and literary text
Shift 2: Building knowledge in the disciplines
Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and informational texts
Shift 4: Text-based answers
Shift 5: Writing from sources
Reading and writing grounded in evidence from text
Shift 3: Staircase of complexity
Shift 6: Academic vocabulary
Regular practice with complex text and its academic vocabulary 2

3. Building Knowledge through Content-Rich Nonfiction and Informational Text
Students read a balance of informational and literary texts.
Students access the world through texts.
Teachers embed literacy experiences in content area instruction. 3

4. Reading and Writing Grounded in Evidence from Texts
Students have rigorous conversations that are dependent on a common text.
Classroom experiences stay deeply connected to the text.
Students use evidence to support arguments during discussion.
Writing emphasizes use of evidence to inform or make an argument. 4

5. Regular Practice with Complex Texts and Its Academic Vocabulary
To be college and career ready, students make a “step” of growth on the “staircase” of complexity.
Students read grade appropriate texts around which instruction is centered.
Teachers create more time and space for close and careful reading.
Teachers constantly build students’ vocabulary so that they are able to access grade level complex texts. 5

6. Text Complexity

7. Analyzing a Text for Complexity
Identify a quantitative measure
Determine qualitative measure
Consider your readers, and the task you expect them to complete
Make a recommended placement

8. Identify the quantitative measure.
Use lexile.com (or your district’s measure).

9. Text Complexity Grade Bands and Associated Lexile Ranges
(Not Applicable for K-1)
450L-790L
2-3
770L-980L
4-5
955L-1155L
6-8
1080L-1305L
9-10
1215L-1355L
11-CCR

10. Determine the qualitative measure
Choose a portion of text, preferably in the middle. (In some cases use two passages.)
Annotate the portion of text you have selected.
Look for :
Levels of meaning/purpose
Structure
Language
Knowledge demands

12. The Book Thief Annotations
Students are likely to find the following characteristics challenging:
the historical setting;
much of the text is figurative with extensive use of metaphor, including personification of death itself;
the innovative stylistic techniques used - the most obvious is the narrator Death’s use of boldface text to relay certain information;
the intertwining, multiple themes.

13. To complete the qualitative measure...
Match your annotations to the Text Complexity Qualitative Rubric.

14. Matching our annotations to the rubric
The narrator is not identified until part way through the text.
Meaning: Several layers of meaning that may be difficult to identify or separate; theme is implicit or subtle and may be revealed over the entirety of the text.
The personification of death throughout the text.
Organization: Organization may include subplots, time shifts and more complex characters.
Much of the text is figurative with extensive use of metaphor.
Conventionality: Dense and complex; contains abstract, ironic, and/or figurative language.

15. Book Thief
Marcus Zusak

16. Reader 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).

17. Consider Reader and Task
What aspects of the text will likely pose the most challenge for my students?
Content or theme concerns or challenges?
Text structure challenges?
Language feature challenges?
Knowledge and experience demands?
Motivation for and interest in the text?

18. What Common Core State Standards should I focus on when teaching this text? (refer to the shorthand document)
What are natural areas of focus for this text?
With what standards do my students need the most practice?
Will the complexity of any before, during and after reading tasks or the complexity of any questions asked about the text interfere with the reading experience?
What supports do I need to provide so that all of my students (even those who are struggling readers) can access the text?

19. Pulling it all together…
It is important to consider all sides of the triangle equally to determine placement.
Lexile measurement
Annotations & rubric
Your class & your assigned task

20. What do we do with all of this information?

23. Text complexity bands for placement of text:
K-1
2-3
4-5
6-8
9-10
11-CCR

24. Why is this process important?

25. How would teachers use the placemats?
Discuss at tables
Share ideas

26. “Realizing that some of the books on the Lexile scale were not what I expected, but diving into the form to complete text complexity helped rationalize how to really score the book’s difficulty.”
-quote from a teacher

27. Group Practice
Complete a placemat for the text provided.

28. Answering Hard Questions
How do I teach my students to read difficult materials when we don’t have time to read even simple texts in class?