Notes+for+Quiz+2

Tuesday, September 25
I nstructional models found in elementary classrooms

Thursday, September 27
Text Difficulty: From our in-class analysis of our texts, we decided the following text features influence difficulty:
 * Amount of text (longer so need to infer more, keep track, stamina)
 * number of words on page
 * pictures/captions
 * type of text (genre)
 * vocabulary (size of words, familiarity, repetition)
 * sight words
 * own background with texts/school
 * content (is it new content? )
 * sentence difficulty
 * reading level on back of book
 * (match to student)

Traditional readability formulas use sentence length and word length to estimate the difficulty of a text. To calculate the readability using this kind of formula, take three random 100 word samples from a text. Count the number of sentences in each of the three samples, average them. Count the number of syllables in the 100 words, average across the three samples. Using the Fry Readability Graph, plot the intersection of average sentences (on the side) and average syllables (on the top). That is the approximate grade level of the text.

Narrative and expository texts

Common Core Standards, Text Complexity [|video]
Analyze Pompeii and Herculaneum: What are its challenges and resources. Here is what you said from your group work: and main idea (e.g. "Mt. Vesuvius erupts")
 * Challenges || Resources ||
 * * Difficult names (Italian or unfamiliar), like Enzeccetta
 * Confusing chronology- starts in 1706, then goes to 79AD
 * Graphics don't match the text--they support the idea of Pompeii and treasures lost
 * Hybrid (narrative story line, but facts about Pompeii/Herc); kids may bring one schema, but need another
 * "The darkness of a sealed room" out of place in text
 * Page 7, inferences need to be made
 * vocabulary (basilica, forum) may be unfamiliar
 * historical context
 * personification || * Some vocab is defined within the text
 * Headings identify transitions to help with chronology
 * Some clear transitions (especially in the narrative) ("one day, then, etc.)
 * important words are italicized
 * Map is helpful to understand relationship of cities to Vesuvius
 * captions are informative
 * eye witness account has primary source data ||
 * From our whole class discussion, we added:
 * map is not on same page as where it is needed to "see" the towns/cities
 * Map is difficult to read (inset, magnification), might need a different map--but a modern map would not have the relevant cities
 * Do we need to know some of the names? Are they necessary?
 * Where is Pliny the Younger? We know the city and see it on the map, but kids may not understand how he knows about the disaster if he was so far away. Who told him? || From our whole class discussion, we added:
 * Interesting "hook" at the beginning
 * interesting topic (disasters intrigue kids) ||

October 11
Eleven, by Sandra Cisneros

Shrek: [|Onions have layers]

Decontextualized language: [|The Lion King]
Written language is DECONTEXTUALIZED. We do not have the benefit of shared context, shared physical space, movies, etc. to understand written language. We need to use the WORDS, and from the words build representations.