Making Connections

Making Connections

How do I know if I’m on the right track?

Teacher Tutor Tips to Think About!

Any questions?

A simple to complex text continuum is a great way to scaffold reading for learners and help them build their skills gradually. 

A note of expert cautionary advice - remember that the specific texts and their placement will vary depending on the age and experience of your learner:

Simple (Early Stages)

• Picture Books: Clear, simple language with lots of illustrations.

• Repetitive Texts: Use familiar patterns and predictable language (e.g., "Brown Bear, Brown Bear").

• Short, Engaging Stories: Short narratives with easy-to-follow plots.

• Nonfiction with Clear Visuals: Simple factual texts with many pictures, diagrams, and charts.

Moving Towards Complexity

• Chapter Books with Simple Plots: Stories with clear beginnings, middles, and ends, but a bit longer than picture books.

• Poetry with Simple Structure: Poems that use rhyme, rhythm, and repetition to make them easier to understand.

• Informational Texts with Key Features: Nonfiction texts with clear headings, subheadings, and visuals to help readers navigate the information.

Complex (Later Stages)

• Novels: Longer narratives with complex characters, plots, and themes.

• Plays: Dramatic works that require students to understand dialogue, stage directions, and character interactions.

• Historical and Scientific Texts: Nonfiction texts that delve into complex ideas, require background knowledge, and present multiple perspectives.

• Poetry with Complex Structure and Language: Poems that explore abstract concepts, use figurative language, and have more sophisticated rhyme and rhythm schemes.

Key Considerations:

• Student Interests: Choose texts that align with your learners' interests and experiences.

• Text Features: Consider text features like font size, illustrations, headings, and subheadings, which can make a text more accessible or challenging.

• Genre: Vary the genres you use to expose students to different ways of communicating ideas.

• Scaffolding: Provide support and guidance as students move along the continuum. This might include graphic organizers, vocabulary support, or discussions to help them make sense of the text.

Remember, the goal is to help students develop their reading skills by gradually exposing them to increasingly challenging texts through active modeling, robust, rigorous discussion, annotated thinking, sketching, and jotting. The key is to find the right balance of support and challenge to help them grow as readers!

Making Connections: #TextToText #TextToSelf #TextToWorld