What Make a Text Difficult?

In chapter five, by Cris Tovani, “Why Am I Reading This” explains how educators need to establish a clear reading instructional plan. In order to accomplish understanding students need to concentrate on main ideas from the readings. Tovani explains that it is vital for teachers to model how students should hold their thinking or slow down their reading. Throughout the chapters she gives examples as question strategies, highlighting text, or summarizing key points. As this will benefit students in their reading assignment. Tovani also explains throughout the chapter that teachers should model thinking aloud. This strategy will benefit students on how to negotiate difficult text.

Reading is boring, I hate reading. These are two common sentences that you hear before and after ELA class. This is because they are reading a book that is boring to them and they are not interested in that book. They are being forced to read rather than reading something that they will enjoy. This is why choice reading matters. Choice reading allows the student to be able to read what they want. This way reading becomes more of a hobby and less of a boring task to the student. Choice reading not only brings pleasure but it allows you to travel to faraway places, to imagine different world, to learn about different cultures and to learn about some of the top minds of history.

It has been shown that if students start at an early age to learn to read and write their learning in all content areas will improve. It is for this reason it is important for secondary teachers to understand early reading acquisition as to incorporate those reading skills in lesson to accommodate students with reading deficiencies. Educators can understand the building blocks of how a student learns and develops into a successful reader in order to help them develop their reading skills. If teachers understand reading acquisition they can better assess their students’ reading level. As such, the role of professional judgement in understanding the selection of reading or writing material is to know their students reading needs and select materials

“To Dumb for Complex Texts?”, an essay by Mark Bauerlein, states high schools are at fault for students inability to comprehend complex texts. Bauerlein starts by noting students who enter college are not as prepared as they should be, evidenced by their placement exam scores. Bauerlein goes on to state the lack of readiness is due to high schools increasing focus on digital reading, rather than the physical form. Additionally Bauerlein writes that complex reading is not thoroughly integrated in to student curriculum. Bauerlein believes that because of the high schools simple literature curriculum, students beginning college have not been properly exposed to complex texts, and as a result cannot properly comprehend the readings assigned in

However, new language learners most face some difficult and boredom in reading, so teachers should try to give students books that can attract students interest and curiosity. Reading stories and novels can create great interest and suspense that ELL student’s need. Through my reading to this book ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God’ I strongly recommend it as one of these books that can benefit ELS students. According to Krashen (1993) reading is an effective way to increasing and improving improve spelling, grammar, and writing for ELL students, especially reading for pleasure. Krashen also said that students who read for pleasure have better reading comprehension, writing style, and increasing vocabulary. The author also emphasized that the best way to develop Vocabulary is through real encounters words within context (Krashen,

Carr makes use of this indication to show that although people have the opportunity to read through long texts to research properly, they are more likely to skim through texts, which may be obvious of a short attention span.

In today’s world of education, there are many theories and best practices put into effect each and every day. While there are many instructional strategies used today, some prove to be more effective than others. This lesson is designed to use the instructional strategy of modeling. In hopes of providing explicit examples of how to comprehend texts, the teacher seeks to improve the students’ reading fluency as well as their ability to comprehend grade level texts.

Student survey responses corresponded with the most expressed concerns of teachers. Of the 45 students surveyed (proficient and deficient learners in reading comprehension), all expressed that the vocabulary within a text is difficult and makes it hard to comprehend a reading. Furthermore, 73% of students said that language (the language used in the text and the format of a text) in historical or English readings were confusing. Finally, 86% of students said that most of what they read in class was boring and they found very little interest in the reading.

Some longer works are harder to connect to, which could be a natural reaction. That reaction can be taken, as people are incapable of reading long works due to internet overuse. People can skim long works for many reasons. For example, a student might skim a book because they did not have any other time to read due to the other homework. Other students may, frankly, just be procrastinators and choose to wait until the last minute to do the assignment. To connect to the lengthy and difficult to read texts, it would take longer than it would a decade ago, but it could still be done. For example, a decade ago it could take a student a month to read a certain book, but now it could take a few months or more to read that same

Bauerlein’s volition toward complex text crafted high knowledge that made the argument competent. First thing bauerlein;s explain how American high school and college students are developing a habit of only doing “fast reading” requiring them to deal with complex texting that require slow contemplative readings.as a result, their ability to comprehend and appreciate complex text is declining I agree with the author that we want to avoid hurting readers who are unable to deal with a complex text, but I also feel that the new generation is going to deal with complex text in new ways with new digital technology.Bauerlein also

The theoretical framework is founded on the pretense that much has been written concerning the problems that many students have with the comprehension of reading materials, especially content texts--science, math, and social studies. Alexander (1988) suggested that these children may be those who have little trouble with their basal readers or trade books, yet are unable to derive meaning from what they read in content area textbooks.

As a result, it becomes much more difficult to sustain focus on reading prose that is long and takes more effort to absorb.

However, the second method being discussed in this paper, the whole language approach, focuses much of its attention on making sure the student understands and enjoys what he or she is reading. Whole language instruction occurs when a student acquires language rather than learning it through direct instruction (Brooks 35-36). This method is more child centered than teacher dominated, because the objective is for the student to learn how to read through talking and doing rather than through passive listening. Unlike phonics, whole language uses a variety of ways to give students the opportunity to interact with the text they are reading. Questioning, discussing, problem-solving, listening, writing, drawing, and dramatizing are among the ways students interact with text. Students are also encouraged to implement simple strategies while reading such as: reading the sentence and guessing what word will come next, looking at the picture on the page to help figure out the sentence, and also rereading the sentence for clarification. This method also does a good job in allowing the students to engage in text at their own speed and often in their own ways (36).

Students having hard times in comprehending the thought of the text and what the author implies. It seems to be reading by words but not reading between the lines. It is important to know how comprehension plays an integral part in a manner of thinking and conceptualizing facts and ideas from the

Reading requires a habit. Without much practice, students do not have good reading skills. With a lot of reading, students will be able to find out past events, current, and can predict the events that will occur later. Students who have reading habits are capable of using time to read activities. Demand for information needs that continue to grow over time can actually be facilitated through reading activities. But this fact becomes different when the reading habits of students are still low.