Overview

This practical two-part course will help you choose texts that are at the appropriate level of complexity for your students. The course will also cover strategies for preparing students to tackle complex texts. 

    Audience

    This professional development activity/course is designed for:

  • Teachers and tutors who work directly with students as well as practitioners responsible for making text choices for their program's curriculum
Description

Research indicates that the ability to read complex text is an important predictor of college and career readiness. For this reason, preparing learners to tackle complex texts is a major goal of the College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education, English Language Arts, and Literacy (CCRSAE-ELA).

Part 1, face-to-face (6 hours)

Participants will take part in hands-on activities to explore:

  • How to determine readability
  • How to use rubrics to analyze the text complexity of informational and literary texts
  • How to help students tackle text complexity at the word, sentence, paragraph, and whole text levels

Part 2, individual work (3 hours)

Participants will complete and submit written activities within the two weeks following the day-long workshop. They will receive personal written feedback via email from Dr. Strucker. 

Snow date is January 27, 2020.

    Learning Objectives

    Upon completion of this professional development activity/course, you will be able to:

  • Identify and explain the three CCRSAE text complexity factors: quantitative dimensions, qualitative dimension, and reader and task considerations
  • Access and interpret free online readability formulas to select texts for learners at various levels
  • Use the CCRSAE rubrics for qualitative dimensions and reader and task considerations to analyze informational text complexity
  • Explain several approaches to helping learners tackle complex texts, including asking text-dependent questions
  • Locate free online support materials for teaching complex texts
Presenter(s) / Facilitator(s)
Prerequisites

None. However, we strongly recommend that you first complete the 4-hour online course, The Recipe for Success: The CCRSAE Standards and Instructional Shifts for ELA. See upcoming ELA events for the next session.

Date
01/13/2020 - 9:00 am to 01/13/2020 - 3:00 pm
Location

All-Inclusive Support Services
736 State St.
Springfield, MA 01109
United States

PD Center
SABES English Language Arts Curriculum & Instruction PD Center
Topic Area
CCRSAE (College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education)
ELA