Content Area Teachers and Text Selection

Introduction and History of Content Area Literacy College Students

Content Area Teacher and Text Selection Assessment Reading Strategies Writing Strategies

There is “widespread evidence that struggling readers are often placed in texts that are too hard” (Allington, 2001, p. 75). Students have difficulty comprehending their textbooks and need books they can read, and teachers need to choose books effectively (Allington, 2001; Ciardiello, 2002). When choosing a text, content area teachers must assess difficulties. Assessment tools include: readability formulas, checklists, rating scales, cloze procedures, and diagnostic models. Content area teachers need to collaborate with other teachers and reading specialist in choosing a text, so all students will be successful (Kibby, 1999). Semantic features that cause students difficulties are word difficulty and average sentence length (Lapp, Flood, & Farnan, 1996; Manzo & Manzo, 1990).

Readability formulas use two features to measure the text readability level (Reed, 1987). The older and common readability formulas that count words and sentences lengths are Dale-Chall Readability Formula (1948) and Fry Readability Formula (1977). Raygor’s Readability Graph and Gunning’s FOG Index are two formulas that are modified from the Fry Readability formula (Manzo & Manzo, 1990). Readability formulas do not include how well the text is written, students’ interest, or students’ prior knowledge. Other assessments of test readability are checklists and textbook rating. Teachers must ask the following questions when creating a checklist: Are concepts too difficult for students, do concepts link to students’ prior knowledge, are new terms defined, does one idea link to another (Irwin, 1991; Manzo & Manzo, 1990; Vacca & Vacca, 1999). Moore, Moore, Cunningham & Cunningham. (1998) use a rating scale to assess text effectiveness. The scale includes: adjunct aids, conceptual development, motivation, and organization. Cloze procedure is a way of assessing text readability (Vacca & Vacca, 1999). The teacher systematically deletes words from a text passage and leaves a blank space. The students then select words they feel should be in the blank. The teacher then evaluate how well the student select the correct deleted word (Vacca & Vacca, 1999). Passage comparison is readability technique that rates the text to a set of sample passage that is characteristic for a particular grade level (Lapp, Flood, & Farnan, 1996; Manzo & Manzo, 1990; Mitchell, 1993; Readence, Bean, & Baldwin, 1992). To level books, teachers can use Chall, Bissex, Conard, & Harris-Sharples’ Qualitative assessment of text difficulty: A practical guide for teachers and authors (Allington, 2001). The importance of all the tools is to match students with appropriate text.

Although textbooks are the primary source of gathering information from print in college, teachers need to teach content area information by using a variety of materials and strategies. Classrooms need a rich variety of literature to match the subject being taught (Camp, 2000; Lapp, Flood, & Farnan, 1996). Classrooms must be equipped with texts at a variety of readability levels, genres, and points of view (Allington, 2001; Camp, 2000; Chamblee, 1998; Cullinan, 1993). Texts need to connect to students’ real life experiences and interests (Allington, 2001; Camp, 2000; Chamblee, 1998; Cullinan, 1993). Trade books, or twin texts, are books that have the same content but are written using familiar text structures and explore different points of view, which assist students in developing prior knowledge (Camp, 2000; Cullinan, 1993; Lapp, Flood, & Farnan, 1996; Vacca & Vacca, 1999).

Introduction and History of Content Area Literacy

College Students

Content Area Teacher and Text Selection