Emphasizing Informational Texts
Staircase of Complexity
Academic Vocabulary
Text-Based Questions
Writing from sources
100
This is another term for non-fiction texts. This genre includes argumentative and informational texts. It will make up 70% of the TASC Reading test.
What are informational texts?
100
An evaluation that determines the levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality and clarity, and knowledge demands of the text.
What is a qualitative evaluation of the text?
100
These are basic words that rarely require instruction in school (for young adults or adults who speak English as their native language).
What are Tier-1 Vocabulary words?
100
A new framework that instructors and psychometricians (test designers) use to determine the complexity or rigor of questions.
What is Webb's Depth of Knowledge?
100

A verbatim or word for word quotation from or reference to a selection from a text.

What is a citation?

200
Often understood as guidelines, road maps, or benchmarks, they should be integral or central to the development of learning objectives, curriculum, and assessments.
What are instructional or learning standards?
200
An evaluation using computer-based programs that measure readability and other scores of text complexity. Flesch Kincaid and Dale Chall are both examples of this type of evaluation.
What is a quantitative evaluation of the text?
200
These are frequently occurring words that are often found in academic texts. They should be the focus of instruction in reading and writing because students' have the greatest chance of running across them across all of the disciplines. Examples include: coincidence, absurd, and fortunate.
What are Tier-2 words?
200
Questions or tasks designed to strengthen or test students' basic recall of information such as listing or labeling.
What are DOK 1 questions or tasks?
200
A brief statement or account of the main points or idea of a text.
What is a summary?
300

This national framework for the skills necessary to be college and career ready have been adopted in 44 states and cover English Language Arts and Mathematics.

What are the Common Core State Standards?

300
An evaluation that considers reader variables (such as motivation, knowledge, and experiences) and task variables (such as purpose) to determine whether the text is right for learners.
What is the process of matching readers to text and task?
300

These are low frequency words such as isotope and tectonic plates that are content specific. These words are crucial to developing content knowledge and should be explicitly taught in discipline specific classrooms, such as science or social studies.

What are Tier-3 words?

300
Questions or tasks designed to strengthen or test students' strategic thinking skills such as citing evidence and/or developing a logical argument.
What are DOK 3 questions and tasks?
300
A restatement of a selection of text or passage giving the meaning in another form; rewording.
What is a paraphrase?
400
This new science framework was released in 2013. It is the basis for the science content of the TASC, new GED, and HiSET.
What are the Next Generation Science Standards?
400

A section of the Common Core State Standards document that has excerpts to grade (equivalency) -level and discipline/genre specific Common Core texts for teachers to use with students.

What is Appendix B of the CCSS for ELA?

400
These words are: essential to understanding the text, likely to appear in future readings, often abstract (as opposed to concrete), and/or part of a semantic family (secure, securely, security, secured).
What are vocabulary words that should be chosen and taught?
400
A type of question that requires students to draw conclusions that are not explicitly stated but can be derived from evidence in the text.
What inferential questions?
400
An approach to writing instruction that requires teachers and students to analyze and evaluate exemplary writing. This is often done using rubrics or graphics organizers.
What is the study of models?
500
Research indicates that we learn best when we have a purpose for learning and when the skills or knowledge can be quickly applied in daily life. This approach to instruction often uses informational texts and encourages learners to see real-world applications or purposes for their learning. For adults, this often entails developing curriculum that is mindful of adults' roles as parents or family members, citizens and/or community members, and employees and/or employers.
What is contextualized instruction?
500
This requires teachers to begin units of instruction at students' reading level and then gradually ramp up the complexity of texts in each unit so that they are ever more complex. Starting with a Common Core Basics chapter on the Civil War and then reading the Gettysburg Address is an example of this.
What is developing a staircase of complexity?
500
A vocabulary strategy we teach students through think-alouds, guided practice, and independent practice wherein students learn to look for definitions or explanations, restatements or synonyms, contrasting words or antonyms, or the main idea of the text to find the meaning of an unknown word.
What are context clues (or is context as a clue)?
500
A type of question or task that requires students to investigate and name the text's function and deeper meaning.
What are purpose questions?
500
Writing scaffolds made of outlines made of words or phrases and a lot of blanks. These words or phrases provide struggling writers with structure, helping them concentrate on what they want to say, rather than getting lost in the genre-specific form.
What are writing frames?
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