Text Complexity: Stretching Readers With Texts and Tasks

by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, Diane K. Lapp

Overview

"There is a big difference between assigning complex texts and teaching complex texts…"
---Doug, Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Diane Lapp

….And that’s the crux, isn’t it? That’s why in this brand new edition of the bestselling Text Complexity, the renowned author team provide four new chapters that lay open the instructional routines that take students to new places as readers. 

No matter what discipline you teach, you will learn how to craft purposeful instruction pitched to your readers’ comprehension capacities, your curriculum’s themes, and your own assessments on what students need next. 

Doug, Nancy, and Diane provide:

• How-to’s for measuring word and sentence length and other countable features of any written work while giving ample consideration to the readers in your room, and how their background knowledge, experiences, and motivations come into play
• A rubric for analyzing literary texts for plot structure, point of view, imagery, clarity, and more—and a complexity scale for analyzing informational texts that describe, inform, and explain
• Classroom scenarios of teachers and students engaging with fiction and nonfiction texts that provide enough of a stretch, so you’ll know the difference between a healthy struggle and frustration 
• The authors’ latest thinking on routines that invite students to interact with complex texts and with one another, including teacher modeling, close reading, scaffolded small group reading, and independent reading 

It’s time to see text complexity as a dynamic, powerful tool for sliding the right text in front of our students’ at just the right time. Think of this second edition as Text Complexity-2-Go, because it’s all about the movement of minds at work, going deeper than anyone ever thought possible. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781506343990
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	01/28/2016
Series:	Corwin Literacy
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	216
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Douglas Fisher is professor and chair of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. Previously, Doug was an early intervention teacher and elementary school educator.  He is a credentialed teacher and leader in California.  In 2022, he was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame by the Literacy Research Association. He has published widely on literacy, quality instruction, and assessment, as well as books such as Welcome to Teaching, PLC+, Teaching Students to Drive their Learning, and Student Assessment: Better Evidence, Better Decisions, Better Learning.

Nancy Frey is professor of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. Previously, Nancy was a teacher, academic coach, and central office resource coordinator in Florida.  She is a credentialed special educator, reading specialist, and administrator in California.  She is a member of the International Literacy Association’s Literacy Research Panel. She has published widely on literacy, quality instruction, and assessment, as well as books such as The Artificial Intelligences Playbook, How Scaffolding Works, How Teams Work, and The Vocabulary Playbook.

Diane Lapp, EdD, is a distinguished professor of education at San Diego State University where her work continues to be applied to schools. She is also an instructional coach and teacher at Health Sciences High&Middle College. Throughout her career, Diane has taught in elementary, middle, and high schools. Her major areas of research and instruction regard issues related to the planning and assessment of very intentional literacy instruction and learning. A member of both the California and the International Reading Halls of Fame, Diane has authored, coauthored, and edited numerous articles, columns, texts, handbooks and children’s materials on instruction, assessment, and literacy related issues. Diane is the recipient of the ILA 2023 William S. Gray Citation of Merit, a prestigious award reserved for those who have made outstanding contributions to multiple facets of literacy development. Diane can be reached at [e-mail]. Follow her on twitter @lappsdsu

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Text Complexity in a New Light
Chapter 2. Quantitative Measures of Text Complexity
Chapter 3. Qualitative Values of Literary Texts
Chapter 4. Qualitative Aspects of Informational Texts
Chapter 5. Exploring Teacher-Led Tasks: Modeling Expert Thinking
Chapter 6. Exploring Teacher-Led Tasks: Closely Reading Complex Texts
Chapter 7. Exploring Teacher-Led Tasks: Scaffolded Reading Instruction of Complex Texts
Chapter 8. Exploring Peer-Led Tasks: Collaborative Conversations and Peer-Mediated Learning
Chapter 9. Exploring Individual Tasks

Editorial Reviews

"Readers will explore text complexity and all its various parts: quantitative measures, qualitative values of literary texts, and qualitative aspects of informational texts. While reading the first four chapters, I was reminded of our responsibilities for designing and planning instruction. As a result, my copy is filled with stars, asterisks, and sticky notes. . . . In Chapters 5–9, teachers will find a wide range of tasks designed to help students read complex texts with competence and confidence. I thought Chapter 8, Exploring Peer-Led Tasks, was my favorite chapter until I got to Chapter 9, Exploring Individual Tasks. Then it was a toss-up!. . . This second edition, co-published with the International Literacy Association, will “stretch” both teachers and students! "

Anne Anderson