GRADE-APPROPRIATE TEXT

Topic: Safe Camping

August 2011 Copyright © 2011, Texas Education Agency. All rights reserved. Reproduction of all or portions of this work is prohibited without express written permission from the Texas Education Agency.

What is grade-appropriate text? The Texas Education Agency (TEA) defines grade-appropriate text as: “any text that general education students at a particular grade level would be interested in, read, and/or be required to read by the state-mandated curriculum for that enrolled grade level”

This does NOT mean that your student has to read grade-level text! Your student does, however, need to be provided access to grade-level text and content as well as a variety of other types of informational texts.

Where to find grade-appropriate text 

General education classrooms for the student’s enrolled grade

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General education grade-level textbooks and ancillary materials

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Grade-specific reading lists provided by your district

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Internet searches for grade-specific texts

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School librarian

How to provide students access to grade-level text

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Summarize text - an entire book, a single chapter, or key points of the text depending on the needs of your student

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Pair text with pictures

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Pair text with objects to represent ideas

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Provide opportunities to interact with the text by using dialog, dramatization, or special software

Examples of ways to modify grade-level text Summarize an entire book

Pair the summary with individual pictures as the text is read to the student The text on this and the following three screens was modified based on the literary text Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. This story is appropriate for a middle school student.

Examples of ways to modify grade-level text Summarize a chapter of a book and embed pictures within the text to be co-read by teacher and student

Brian made a spear to catch fish to eat.

Brian made a fire to scare away animals.

Summarize the main idea and details of a book or chapter paired with pictures

Examples of ways to modify grade-level text Use cause and effect or problem and resolution to tell the events of a story

Examples of ways to modify grade-level text Summarize the main idea of a book or chapter paired with pictures or objects

(Heat - representation for fire) (Sticks for building a shelter)

Literary Text (Grade-Appropriate) Novels and Short Stories Realistic Fiction

Folk Tales

Historical Fiction Fantasy

Fables

Poetry Plays

Myths

Let’s look at specific examples of grade-appropriate literary text for STAAR Alternate. Predetermined criterion: answering a (higher-level thinking) question about the setting

Complexity Level 3

Summarize a chapter of a book with pictures embedded within the text to be co-read by the teacher and student

Higher-level Thinking Questions Why was the setting important? How did the time impact the animals? How would the story have changed if the setting was different?

The modified text on this screen represents a summary of two chapters from The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford. This literary text is appropriate for a middle school student.

Predetermined criteria: locate a simile in the text and infer the meaning of the simile

Modify text incorporating needed information such as the simile below

Complexity Level 3 Predetermined criteria: locate a multi-meaning word Expand text already created to include needed information

Mildred, the local bully, follows Mary Alice home after school one day demanding money. As Mary Alice walks across the range to Grandma’s house, Mildred does not give up. Mary Alice’s feelings range from being scared of Mildred to being angry with her. When Mary Alice gets home, Grandma Dowdel gets back at Mildred for Mary Alice by untying Mildred’s horse. Mildred has to walk home. The modified text on this screen is for A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck, which is a literary text (historical fiction) appropriate for a middle school student.

Complexity Level 3

Predetermined criteria: analyze how the setting influences the character Select grade-level texts carefully by finding topics of interest or stories that the student can relate to The modified text on this screen is for A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck, which is a literary text (historical fiction) appropriate for a middle school student.

Use the pictures from the story along with pictures from other stories you may have read to create choice boards; use familiar language with the student

Complexity Level 2 Predetermined criterion: identifying main character and setting Read a summary of a text aloud while presenting pictures that support the text

You can ask “Which of these animals are in the story?” rather than “Who are the characters in the story?”

You can ask “Where did the story take place?”rather than “What is the setting of the story?”

in the country

Longridge

The modified text on this screen represents a summary of The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford. This literary text is appropriate for a middle school student. Remember, choices must be provided at Complexity Level 2.

Predetermined criterion: identifying a connection between characters and setting

Complexity Level 2

After reading a chapter aloud, provide colorcoded picture choices paired with words that the student can place into corresponding color-coded areas of a graphic organizer

Tao

In the city

In the c country

at the beach

This is not his home, so he leaves.

Remember, at least three choices must be presented with only one being the correct answer.

The activity on this screen is for The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford. This literary text is appropriate for a middle school student.

Predetermined criterion: constructing a summary After completing a graphic organizer with pictures, the student could use the graphic to summarize information from the text

Complexity Level 2

Tao

This is not his home, so he leaves.

in the country

The activity on this screen is for The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford. This literary text is appropriate for a middle school student.

Complexity Level 2 Predetermined criterion: answering a (recall) question about a text Use the sentences and pictures in a plot line along with other pictures as answer choices

Recall Questions Who lost his job? Where did Mary Alice go? Who lived on a farm? What did Mildred do? What happened on Halloween? When were the bathrooms knocked over?

The modified text on this screen is for A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck, which is a literary text (historical fiction) appropriate for a middle school student.

Complexity Level 1 Predetermined criterion: acknowledging a character and setting Read a short summary of a book or chapter aloud and pair with pictures, tactile input, or sensory input while reading

Questions are not appropriate at Level 1. Only use statements such as those written in the summary below that the student can acknowledge.

Predetermined criterion: exploring a representation of a character

Pair the characters with tactile representations Securely attach a piece of dark hair, tan fur, and white cotton ball to represent the three pets

Present leaves and a small fan blowing to represent the setting (country)

Attach the dark hair, tan fur, and white cotton ball with adhesive so that pieces can be removed as text is read The text on this screen is for The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford. This literary text is appropriate for a middle school student.

Complexity Level 1 Predetermined criterion: experiencing sensory input related to an event in a story Act out events of a story while reading a summary of the events

Predetermined criterion: acknowledging a character’s emotion As the events of a story are acted out, allow your student to experience similar feelings and label them for the student

The Incredible Journey Summary Ch. 6 & 7 The animals come to a river that they have to cross. The two dogs manage to do this, but Tao is swept away in the water. The dogs try to rescue Tao but can’t so they give up and continue their journey.

Remember, questions are not appropriate at Level 1.

Statements

“Tao, the cat, fell in the river. Look, he got all wet. What a surprise!”

Representations for the animals are attached with adhesive so they can be removed from the display as the story is told.

Tub of water (representation for river)

After splashing or placing the student’s hand in the water, say “You’re wet – just like Tao! I bet you’re surprised too.”

The text on this screen is for The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford. This literary text is appropriate for a middle school student.

Predetermined criterion: experiencing sensory input related to a sensory word in a text

Complexity Level 1

Pair parts of a text with objects or actions that a student can experience; expand on text already created to include needed information

Mary Alice’s dad lost his job, so she has to go live with her grandmother.

The student could participate in packing a suitcase for a trip.

This cow has a button on it that produces a mooing sound when pushed. The hay on the page could be smelled.

Mary Alice’s dad lost his job. He had only a few coins left in his wallet. It jingled as he walked. The student could manipulate the wallet and hear the sound of the coins jingling.

Predetermined criterion: experiencing sensory input representing a character’s action in a story Act out events of a story during or after reading a summary of the events

The modified text on this screen is for A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck, which is a literary text (historical fiction) appropriate for a middle school student.

Literary Nonfiction Text (Grade-Appropriate) Autobiographies

Essays Memoirs

Biographies

Speeches

Let’s look at practical examples of grade-appropriate literary nonfiction text for STAAR Alternate.

Complexity Level 3 Predetermined criterion: determining likes and dislikes for a text for the purpose of critiquing the text

As a text is read, the student can use the stop sign to indicate when the teacher should stop reading. The student can use highlighters or adhesive notes to mark or label information in the text indicating his or her likes or dislikes.

The text on this screen is for use with October Sky by Homer Hickam. This memoir is appropriate for a high school student.

Complexity Level 3

Predetermined criterion: recording the likes and dislikes of parts of a text on a student-generated chart

After reading to the student what he or she marked in the text, the student could dictate sentences to be recorded individually on paper. Using the teacherrecorded sentences, the student could arrange the sentences into a chart of his or her making.

The text on this screen is for use with October Sky by Homer Hickam. This memoir is appropriate for a high school student.

Complexity Level 2

Predetermined criterion: identifying main idea and supporting details After reading a modified or shortened version of text, present pictures from which the student can choose the requested information

What was the story about?

Which of these sentences tells more about the story?

Which of these sentences is an important part of the story? The text on this screen is for use with October Sky by Homer Hickam. This memoir is appropriate for a high school student.

Complexity Level 2

Predetermined criterion: identifying a character and the character’s traits After reading a modified version of text, present color-coded pictures of character traits from which the student can choose and place into a corresponding graphic organizer

The text on this screen is for use with October Sky by Homer Hickam. This memoir is appropriate for a high school student.

Complexity Level 1 Predetermined criterion: acknowledging a character and character trait After reading from a section of text, present the student with pictures or objects about the main character that can be acknowledged

Remember, questions are not appropriate at Level 1. Only use statements such as the ones shown in the modified text on this screen.

The text on this screen is for use with October Sky by Homer Hickam. This memoir is appropriate for a high school student.

Complexity Level 1

Predetermined criterion: exploring a representation of a character; responding to a text while it is being read While reading the main idea of a text, present objects for the student to feel or manipulate

The text on this screen is for use with October Sky by Homer Hickam. This memoir is appropriate for a high school student.

Expository Text (Informational) Nonfiction Textbooks (Grade Appropriate) Encyclopedia Articles Newspaper Articles Magazine Articles Webpages

Procedural Text Schedules Directions

Persuasive Text Advertisements Articles

Recipes

Here are some ways to use grade-appropriate expository text for STAAR Alternate.

Expository - Nonfiction Textbooks (Grade Appropriate) Start with a gradeappropriate textbook

Identify key points from the textbook and create your own text to match your student’s understanding level

The modified text on this page was taken from a middle school health textbook.

Expository - Nonfiction Textbooks (Grade Appropriate) Paraphrase a section of a textbook for the student and discuss the illustrations

This textbook is on the state-approved textbook list for high school Biology.

Plants in

Create a text for your student based on the information you discussed in the textbook

Our Lives Compare the grade-level text to the modified version of the text addressing the same key points

This is part of an example in which the text taken from a high school biology textbook was used to create a modified text that the student could access independently. In the completed version of “Plants in Our Lives,” the text on each page is read aloud.

corn

People eat the roots, leaves, stems, flowers, fruits and seeds of plants. roots

cauliflower People depend on plants for many reasons. When eaten, plants provide nutrients that the body needs to grow and be healthy.

flowers leaves fruit

The End

Expository - Nonfiction Newspaper Articles

 Summarize articles of high interest or concern to the student and pair with photos when possible

 Highlight key points in articles  Match photos with appropriate captions  Compare articles on the same topic from different newspapers  Categorize articles or photos into the sections of the newspaper

Use information presented in newspapers or newsletters to create texts that highlight key points in articles

Meet the Student Council Candidates Jason Johnson – 9th grade • Treasurer • Likes money • Funny

Allison Smith – 10th grade • Secretary • Likes to write • Good student

Newspapers or newsletters can be used with students of all ages and grades.

Expository - Nonfiction Webpages

Initiate a Know/Want to Know/Learned (KWL) chart on a topic of interest to the student; use the internet with your student to search for information; read or paraphrase information on the topic Topic: Safe Camping

Expository - Procedural Text Schedules/Calendars

Present information in newspapers or newsletters in a more meaningful way to the student

Newspapers or newsletters can be used with students of all ages and grades.

Expository - Procedural Text Recipes

Recipes: 

Create recipes pairing text with pictures

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Label recipes with categories so that recipes can be sorted

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Introduce new vocabulary

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Cut recipes into steps that can be arranged in order Recipes such as “Bread Pudding” above, can be used with students of all ages and grades.

Create a cookbook with stepby-step directions for recipes in both words and pictures. Use recipes to introduce new sight words or vocabulary.

Include tabs in the cookbook and corresponding labels on each recipe for the different categories in the cookbook. This is one way to begin introducing the concept of text organization.

Expository - Persuasive Text Articles/Advertisements

Letter to the Editor. The upcoming Turkey Shoot, sponsored by the American Legion, is a charity event you just can’t miss. The whole town turns out— men, women, and children—and you won’t want to be left out! It’s a grand time for family and friends to gather for some

friendly competition and a little banter over burgoo. Who could ask for more! Besides, it’s all for a good cause! Come out and support our community through this charitable event! Year after year it’s proven to be worth gossipin’ about!

Create text to supplement other texts addressing key points in assessment tasks

The text on this screen was created to supplement the text A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck, which is a literary text (historical fiction) appropriate for a middle school student.

Media Literacy Media is defined as: Words, images, graphics, or sounds that work together to impact meaning

Pamphlets

Media literacy is defined as: Connecting those words, images, graphics, or sounds to a text and understanding their impact

Signs Cartoons Captioned Illustrations Captioned Photographs

Flyers

Here are some examples of media literacy for STAAR Alternate.

Create media to supplement or extend a text; discuss how the presentations, colors, or music affect you and your understanding of the text

Posters

Ads Flyers

These examples were created to supplement the text A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck, which is a literary text (historical fiction) appropriate for a middle school student.

Media Literacy

Captioned Illustrations This text was created to supplement the text Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White. This literary text is appropriate for an elementary school student.

Flyers This text was created to supplement the text The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford. This literary text is appropriate for a middle school student.

Other Types of Text Language-experience Stories

Compositions

Songs

Other Types of Texts - Menus Menus: 

Collect menus from fast food restaurants

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Practice reading the menus

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Look for key words

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Create menus paired with pictures

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Create choice boards with menu options; if choices are fastened to the board, they can be removed prior to going to a restaurant and be used to order food Menus or modified menus can be used with students of all ages and grades.

Other Types of Texts - Menus Consider a class project of making refreshments to sell. A class menu could be created with order forms distributed. Students could match the words from the order form to the words on the menu to determine what to produce.

This activity would be more appropriate for late middle school or high school.

Other Types of Texts – Language Experience Stories

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Write stories after any event or shared experience with the student (i.e., field trips, school programs, plays, favorite activities, funny events)

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Involve the student as much as possible in the development of the text

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Develop a class library of shared-experience texts

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Use language appropriate for the student

Other Types of Texts – Language Experience Stories

Involve the student in the process as much as possible based on the needs of the student

In this example, Abigail was given several photos taken during a community-based instruction field trip. She chose the ones that she wanted to include in her book. She assisted in writing the text and placing it on the pages with the matching photo. She then organized the story in the correct sequence. She enjoyed sharing her text with others. Language-experience texts are appropriate for students of all ages and grade levels.

Other Types of Texts - Songs

FIGHT,

Mighty Wildcats, FIGHT on! Victory is the only way.

FIGHT,

Mighty Wildcats, FIGHT on! Victory is ours today.

FIGHT,

Mighty Wildcats, FIGHT on! Victory is here to stay.

The above repetitive text would be used most appropriately with students in middle school or high school. If presented on a poster, the repetitive lines could be adhered with fasteners so that a student could place the text in the appropriate places when read.

References  The Picture Communication Symbols ©1981-2009 DynaVox Mayer-Johnson are used under contractual agreement. All rights reserved worldwide.  Pics4Learning/Free photos for education located at http://pics.tech4learning.com/  PowerPoint Social Scripts Guide (MS Word) located at http://www.mcesa.k12.mi.us/SocialScripts/SocialScripts.htm  Newsletter, menu, and flyer templates located in Microsoft Office Publisher 2007  Pictures located at http://www.edupic.net/index.html

Use of the above products in this training presentation does not imply TEA endorsement.