Text Complexity Considerations
What Teachers Can Do
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Knowledge of text complexity can help teachers design three important components of literacy
instruction:
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Building skills
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Establishing purpose
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Fostering motivation
Building Skills
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Practice with reading the same text
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Practice with phrasing and pauses, as well as intonation in reading aloud
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Pause to discuss the meaning of the text
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Pair repeated readings of the same text with questions that require the student to read closely
for details and key ideas
Provide Solid Vocabulary Instruction
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…not just on domain-specific words and phrases that describe the central concepts in the
subject area, but also on general academic words
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Provide a rich exploration of word meanings, in which students do more than just copy
dictionary definitions
Building Vocabulary Skills
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Consider synonyms/antonyms, categories, and specific examples for the words under study
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Explore the connections among words
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Use words in reading, writing, speaking, listening, drawing, and even physically acting them out
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Discuss author’s purpose for word choice
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Understand the nuances of words
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Cheap vs. Frugal
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Nosey vs. Curious
Establish Purpose
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“When students struggle to understand the task, they pay less attention to the text itself.”
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Why are we reading this text?
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What are we looking for?
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Science texts focus heavily on causation and are not typically concerned with the intention
behind these events.
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History and Literary texts focus on causation and human interaction and motivation.
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Over time, as students read with purpose, they develop background knowledge and a deeper
understanding of the organizational structures authors use to convey information. This
understanding gives students access to increasingly complex texts.
Don’t Ruin the Reading!
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Let students know what learning to expect by establishing the purpose.
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"Determine the difference between desert and tundra biomes."
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"Examine the author's use of imagery and consider how you could apply it in your own
writing.”
Foster Motivation and Persistence
Reading Challenging Text
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Laboring through looking up words, puzzling over sentences, straining to make connections
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Teacher may be tempted to make it easier by avoiding difficult texts
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Purpose is to strengthen the student’s ability to navigate complex texts and keep him
motivated.
Students experience success in the company of their teacher, who combines complex texts with effective
instruction. They apply their growing competence outside the company of their teacher by reading texts
that match their independent reading ability. Over time, they engage in close reading of texts of their
own choosing, as well as assigned texts that build their subject-area knowledge. All the while, they set
goals with their teachers so that they can gauge their own progress. Forward motion toward a goal
matters.
Motivation and Persistence
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Create successive successes
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Complex texts must be paired with effective instruction
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Away from the teacher, students begin to use their skills reading materials in their ZPD
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Over time, students can tackle more complex texts successfully without scaffolds