Text Complexity Analysis of Wonders of Nature by Cheryl Ryan
Text Type: Informational
Text Description
Recommended Complexity Band Level
Wonders of Nature introduces students to a series of animals with special abilities
that affect how they live in the world.
While the quantitative measure places this text in the 4-5 band, the qualitative analysis
suggests it can be done in the 2-3 band with appropriate instructional support. Wonders of
Nature is a complex text, but appropriate for instruction in late 2nd grade and 3rd grade
given the straight-forward structure and the high interest of the material for students of
this age.
Quantitative Measure
Quantitative Measure of the Text:
910 L
Range:
740-1010
Associated Band Level:
4-5
Qualitative Measures
Text Structure: Slightly Complex
The structure of this piece is straight-forward: a series of informational portraits on animals with special abilities that enable them to survive. Each creature is introduced
and its basic features and special abilities described. Photos of each animal support the facts the students learn about these creatures. The straight-forward structure of
this text is one of the features that supports it being done in the 2-3 band with appropriate instructional support.
Language Features: Moderately Complex
As often is the case with relatively high information density, there are a number of relatively lengthy sentences in this text. While much vocabulary is common and a
glossary is provided, certain words carry more weight in comprehending the text. These words tend to be abstract, polysemous words—such as special, wonder, and
ability—all strong academic words. It is important to note that the low-frequency, domain-specific animal names drive the quantitative measure of this text to the 4-5 band.
These words, however, can be learned by second and third grade students through the information in the text.
Meaning/Purpose: Moderately Complex
The topic of this piece is quite straight-forward; a series of animals chosen for special abilities that help them survive. The purpose is explicitly stated in the introduction to
the text. However, what makes each animal special is not explicitly noted in the text. Students need to infer this.
Knowledge Demands: Moderately Complex
The density of information in this text is quite complex. The text for each animal usually contains 5-6 related pieces of information. Support is provided by the fact that the
information is closely related, and kids really like animals. Students will need to infer what makes each animal special as this is not stated explicitly in the text. The need for
these inferences does require some background knowledge i.e. what is special and what is not, but this is not beyond the range of most second or third grade students. Of
course, with close reading students can learn what is special and what is not. In the case of the mole, for example, students might not realize that building a series of
connected tunnels is “special,” but will learn this from the text. This is a strong and often unremarked quality of close reading of complex informational text.
Text Complexity Analysis of Wonders of Nature by Cheryl Ryan
Text Type: Informational
Considerations for Reader and Task
Possible Major Instructional Areas of Focus (include 3-4 CCS Standards) for this
Text:
Below are factors to consider with respect to the reader and task:
Potential Challenges this Text Poses:
RI.2.9 - Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, why, and how to
demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

Focus on having students locate evidence in the text to help them
manage the density of information in this text.
RI.2.5 - Know and use various text features (e.g. captions, bold print, subheadings,
glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a
text efficiently.

Identify how section headings and bolded words help clarify the structure
of the text.
RI.2.8 - Describe how reasons support specific points the author makes in a text.

Focus on how the details of each section support the notion of “special
abilities.”
The most complex feature of this text is the density of information. The section on
each animal presents 5-6 facts. Often, these facts are concentrated in complex,
sophisticated sentences.
What makes each animal special is not always explicitly stated in the texts and
requires students to make inferences. Making these inferences does require some
background knowledge, i.e. what is special and what is not. Close reading will help
them learn how to make these inferences based on the text evidence.
Differentiation/Supports for Students:
Asking students to search for evidence will help them to break down and
comprehend the more complex sentences in this text. For example, in the section
about chameleon, you may try asking the students to underline each fact they
learn about the chameleon. Searching for and annotating this specific information
helps them digest the dense information in this text. See the accompanying
America Achieves video by David Liben for more ideas about how to support
students in this process.
See the accompanying text set for a list of titles to support students in building
knowledge around this topic. These could be used as introductory texts to build
background knowledge prior to a close read of Wonders of Nature. They may also
be used as independent reading following the close read of Wonders of Nature,
which supports students in achieving a volume of reading around this topic.