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The
Importance of Triangulation
Two tools for measuring readability are FORMULAE and CHECKLISTS.
Formulae usually measure vocabulary difficulty and sentence
difficulty. Checklists measure ease and difficulty of text, but do find
grade levels. In the guidelines
for assessment, the International Reading Association and the National
Council of Teachers of English recommend that multiple sources of data be
employed. Hence a third point
is necessary to triangulate this data.
The third point is STUDENT
FEEDBACK. This third point in
the triangle is necessary to assure the text writer that the text is
significant for the audience for which it is intended.
To gather this data, it is recommended that students be asked to
complete a checklist after they have read and discussed the documents in
question.
Please Note: The evaluators only
examined FORMULAS and CHECKLISTS. To
complete the readability triangle, student feedback is highly recommended.
(Figure 3) - triangulation diagram (.pdf
file)
Evaluation
of Results and Suggestions
Appropriate for students in a 10th grade class:
Documents # 2,3,4,6 and 9
These
remaining documents all scored at or under the 10th grade level on the Fry
Readability chart. We have
concluded that these document are appropriate for use at this level.
Please see the sample recommendations to make text more accessible if
you feel, through your own judgement, that these documents need supplements.
Problem
Documents with recommendations:
a)
Document #1 – Letter to President Truman from Guy von Dardel
The document’s Fry Readability level was charted at 15th to
17th grade. This letter scored
well on readability checklists, so the difference between the two scales may
be a result of the frequent use of numerals in the text and the frequent use
of proper nouns. The
suggestions to help make this text more readable for the audience intended
are as follows:
·
Create a gloss or reading guide to accompany the text (see samples).
·
Create a vocabulary list to be used with the text and bold difficult
words (see samples).
·
Attach a map or pictures with text to help capture students’
attentions.
The text seems to be very pertinent to the subject and has excellent
potential for easy access to students at the 10th grade level.
b)
Document #5 – Enigma of the Righteous Persons
This document scored at the highest end
of the Fry Readability graph. It
bears the distinction of being the most obtuse,
dense, and inaccessible document under consideration.
This document, as written, appears to be wholly inappropriate for
readers at the 10th grade level.
·
It is recommended that this document be either rewritten entirely or
removed form the student workbook.
c)
Document #7 – New York Times Article
This document scored at the 12th to 15th grade on the Fry Readability chart
and is inappropriate for readers at the 10th grade level, as written.
The sentences are very long, vocabulary very difficult, and lack of
easy access to the material. Despite
this, the article contains a wealth of information relevant to the main
concepts of the documents under review.
The authors have provided sample instructional materials so that this
text may still be used. (PLEASE
SEE SAMPLE SUPPLEMENTARY INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR THIS ARTICLE)
d)
Document # 8 – Help to Jews from “Zegota” in Poland
This document’s Fry Readability level was charted at 12th to 16th grade.
This document has a good intorduction, but lacks some important and
helpful tools for comprehension. The
problem that seems to arise in the readability checklists is that there is
vocabulary in this document that seems far above the 10th grade reading
level. The suggestions to help
make this text more readable for the audience intended are as follows:
·
Create a vocabulary list to accompany the text (see sample).
·
Change the title to be more captivating for 10th grade students.
·
Highlight, or bold, the introductory paragraph.
·
Use bolded headings for the different sections of the text.
·
Attach a picture or map of Poland to paint a picture for the reader.
Because this is an
important and powerful document, a 10th grader should have full access to
the text. This text does not
necessarily need to be re-written, but should be dressed up to captivate the
reader and make it more usable in a 10th grade classroom.
e)
Document #10 – Raoul Wallenburg’s Last Report to Sweden
This document’s Fry Readability
level was charted at 15th to 17th grade.
It is possible that the results of that formula have been skewed
by the frequent use of numbers in the text (see explanation of Fry
Readability Graph). The text
has a good use of an introduction to set up the reader for the content.
The suggestions for the improvement of the text for a 10th grade
classroom are as follows:
·
Highlight, or bold, titles an headings.
·
Bold the introduction.
·
Create a list of the people mentioned in the text and an explanation
of them (like a vocabulary list format, but about the people).
·
Pictures can only be beneficial.
Here are four instructional
tools that educators may employ to assist their students in reading
difficult texts (those texts that read above the skill level of students).
Following the descriptions of these tools are SAMPLES that we feel
would help improve DOCUMENT #7 – the New York Times Article to be more
accessible to 10th grade students.
Instructional
Tools
·
Summary/
Introduction (Advanced Organizer)
A
summary or introduction to the text gives a reader a preview of what is
going to be read. Students can
use this information to help them gather background knowledge of the text
before they read it. Summaries
and introductions also help the reader prepare himself or herself to read
the text. This should be given
to students before they read the text.
·
Vocabulary
List
A
vocabulary list an provide students with a means to understand difficult or
unfamiliar words in the text. In
this sample, students are given the word, the definition, and the use
of the word in the text. This
can be given to students before they read the text and can be used to
accompany the text.
·
Reading
Guides
Reading
guides function by having the student answer questions about the text.
The questions serve to assist the student in understanding vocabulary
and help them in recognizing the key concepts of the materials.
Additionally, reading guides assist students in working through
difficult reading materials without the help of the teacher, which is an
important consideration for busy classrooms or for homework assignments.
The guide must be given to students before they read the text.
·
Glossing
Glossing
involves providing students with notes, in the margin of what is being read,
that assist the reader in understanding the material.
These marginal notes (the Gloss) can provide the reader with a
summary of the main ideas, clarification and explanations of difficult
texts, synonyms or definitions of important vocabulary, and ask the student
to consider questions about the text. The
Gloss serves as an “assistant” to the reader and guides then through
difficult texts. The Gloss must
be given to the student before the read the text.
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