EDEX 546 Text Analysis

Little Chimp and the bees: Text

The chimps went for a walk in the forest. Little Chimp sat on Mother Chimp's back. Little Chimp
saw some bees. They came flying out of a tree. Big Chimp saw the bees, too. He looked at the
bees, and he looked at the tree. Big Chimp walked up to the tree, and he hit it. Some bees came
flying out! Buzz, buzz, buzz, went the bees. Buzz, buzz, buzz! "Go away, bees," said Little
Chimp. "Get away from me." He got down form Mother Chimp's back. Little Chimp ran to hide
in the grass. Big Chimp got some honey out of the tree. He let all the chimps have some honey.
Little Chimp looked at all the chimps eating honey. Buzz, buzz, buzz, went the bees. Mother
Chimp walked away from the tree. She had some honey for Little Chimp. The honey looked
good to eat. Little Chimp came out of the grass and ran to get the honey.

Little Chimp and the bees: Fry Formula

Little Chimp and the bees: Lexile Analyzer

Little Chimp and the bees: Discussion

This text was provided by the classroom teacher who selected the book from the
classroom library within which books are color coded based on the Fountas and Pinnell system.
This book was in the area containing texts that would be for readers in levels E-G, which is the
interval that first grade students are expected to be reading within at this stage in the school year.
Therefore, my expectations held that the readability of this book would fall within the first grade
range since it is a text that has been made available to these students.
Of the 162 words available for analysis, the Fry Formula resulted in the determination
that it is in fact at the first grade level. This exhibits that the average number of syllables and
sentences per 100 words is appropriate for this level reader. The point on the graph where this
text falls is relatively close to the best-fit line, but just below it. Given this minimal straying from
the best-fit line that is based off of research, one could conclude that the Fry Formula determines
that this is an appropriate text to include in a first-grade classroom library for the reader whose
skills fall within the norm at this point in the year.
The Lexile analyzer was also utilized to analyze the text readability. The results showed
that this book fell within the 300L-400L range. Based on the leveled text chart provided above,
the Lexile measure would place this book at the grade one level, which is what was expected
based on the teachers original selection and the results from the Fry Formula. Again, this
analysis would indicate that the book is an appropriate text to include in the first grade classroom
library. However, again, this readability appropriateness is for the child who has literacy skills
that are typical for a student in first grade during the current period of the school year. The
readability would be different for a child who is a strong reader or who struggles with
understanding and utilizing the necessary literacy skills.
 Given that this book was organized in a color-coded library that would be used by the
students who the teacher deemed to be capable of using this level of text, the level of this text
analyzed through the two readability formulas would lead to the conclusion that this would be a
resource that could successfully impact the development of the students who would be reading it.
Thus, the results were what was expected for this text. It would be a book that this level of reader
could explore using prior knowledge and new reading skills purposefully, without causing there
to be issues with fluency, accuracy, or comprehension. For instance, I recently implemented a
comprehension lesson teaching the students to pause in their reading to ask the W questions in
order to learn more about their text. The children who would use this book would be able to
practice this question-generation strategy because it would function as a just right book. With
that being said, the students would be able to read this book in the first grade as a just right
book referring to their ability to successfully examine the text using the five-finger and I-PICK
techniques. Come the time to begin reading the book, their interest will allow them to be more
engaged, which in turn will help strengthen their reading skills in a natural situation.
As I mentioned, this is a text for a student whose skill development follows the typical
progression of a first grade student meaning that he or she is currently reading texts that fall
within the Fountas and Pinnell levels of E through G. However, given that all students are unique
and diverse learners from their peers, there will be some children who have developed their
reading skills at a faster pace. With that being said, perhaps he or she was at this reading level
upon entering the first grade. Therefore, this would have been a text useful for their learning and
development earlier in the year, but is perhaps too easy at this point in time. My choice as the
teacher would be to have them read higher level texts as to continue to challenge them and
progress at their own pace. However, if this book was to be used by all students in the classroom
for instruction, as to prevent boredom amongst the more advanced readers, the teacher could
have these children either work with the struggling readers for useful peer collaboration giving
them the role of teachers, or they could be challenged to think more deeply about this text to
move beyond its simplicity. Perhaps the students are asked to reread this book and ask open-
ended questions that could be discussed with peers. Another option would be for the children to
write on sticky notes with I notice and I wonder thoughts to practice reflective reading and
articulating these ideas in writing, which is a skill that the current first grade students I work with
need to learn. All of this pertains to differentiation. In all subject areas, the students who
comprehend learning objectives more swiftly need to be introduced to more challenging work
through organized or spontaneous differentiation devised by the teacher. This ensures that the
time spent in reading for instance is comprised of active learning to its entirety. No moment
should be lost. While one helps those that struggle, the others should be exposed to alternative
activities so that the classroom contains developing learners who become self-regulated through
the confidence in their abilities to work through the differentiated tasks.
Although it would be more purposeful to use a text more associated with the students
level of ability, the child who struggles with reading and is not necessarily at the reading level of
this text would benefit from small-group instruction or individualized attention. Dependent on
the skills that he or she needs additional assistance with, the teacher can choose one as the main
focus when guiding the reading of these students through the book. Most students who are
unable to progress to the higher level books based on assessment results is due to the lack of
strong comprehension skills. This is not to say that they would not be able to fluently or
accurately read more challenging texts, but they would not retain much because it was
incomprehensible. Therefore, this text could be approached with choral reading while pausing
after each sentence or page to use questions and modeling to help the student comprehend their
reading. This attention and other tools made available by the teacher would help encourage the
child to develop the appropriate comprehension skills that could be used in all texts that he or she
works with. Through appropriate conversations, the student could learn how to reflect on their
reading in a scaffolded approach that will help them gain independence in utilizing their
comprehension skills. Perhaps this particular book will be at the instructional level for a student
and he or she can reap the benefits of the guidance they can receive from the educator. It is
always important that all students work through books with teachers that are at the instructional
level because in order to develop stronger readers in the classroom, each student should receive
some level of support that they can benefit from.

Math in Focus: Text

Compare the weight of two things using the terms heavy, heavier, light, lighter, and as
heavy as. Compare the weight of more than two things using the terms, lightest and heaviest.
You can compare the weight of things. I am heavy. I am heavier. I am light. I am lighter. Weight
is a measure of how heavy or light a thing is. The apple is as heavy as the lemon. Look at the
pictures. Answer each question. Which is heavier? Which is lighter? Is a big thing always heavier
than a small thing? A big thing may be lighter than a small thing. Guess which is heavier in each
group. Use a balance to check your answers. You can compare the weight of two things by using
another object. The apple is lighter than the pineapple. The pineapple is lighter than the
watermelon. So, the apple is lighter than the watermelon. You can compare the weight of more
than two things. The bag of sugar is lighter than the bag of flour. The bag of rice is heavier than
the bag of flour. The bag of sugar is the lightest. The bag of rice is the heaviest. Put a pair of
scissors on one side of a balance. Use modeling clay to make a ball as heavy as the pair of
scissors. Name is Ball A. Put a calculator on one side of the balance. Use the modeling clay to
make another ball as heavy as the calculator. Name is Ball B. Hold the balls in your hands.
Which ball is heavier, A or B? Which is heavier, the pair of scissors or the calculator? Look at the
pictures. Choose lighter or heavier. Use your answers in Exercise 1 to 3 to answer these
questions. Find three things heavier than your math book. Find two things lighter than your math
book. Find one thing about as heavy as your math book.

Math in Focus: Fry Formula

Math in Focus: Lexile Analyzer

Math in Focus: Discussion

 This text was provided by the classroom teacher that is the textbook the students will be
using once they complete their current textbook. It is likely that they will transition into second
grade mathematics with this text as well should not all of the topics be covered. The design of the
text is tailored to the needs of a first grade child with its large print, bold words, pictorial
representations, and overall organization that is conducive to clarity and understanding for the
students. With that being said, it was my expectation that this textbook was designed with the
literacy skills of a first grade student in mind.
Of the 321 words available for analysis, the Fry Formula resulted in the determination
that it is at the second grade level. This exhibits that the average number of syllables and
sentences per 100 words is not necessarily appropriate for the first grade users. The point on the
graph where this text falls is above the best-fit line. This straying from the best-fit line that is
based off of research could lead one to conclude that the Fry Formula determines that the use of
this text in the first-grade classroom will require advanced reading skills, as well as additional
instruction and guidance for this book to produce learning and understanding.
The Lexile analyzer was also utilized to analyze the text readability. The results showed
that this book fell within the 400L-500L range. Based on the leveled text chart provided above,
the Lexile measure would place this book within the grades one and two levels, which was
expected based on its intended use described by the classroom teacher. Unlike the results from
the Fry Formula, this analysis would indicate that the book is relatively appropriate for the first-
grade student who has the reading skills to be able to make use of the textbook. Thus, this
readability appropriateness is for the child who has literacy skills that are typical for a student in
first grade. Those who struggle with reading may find it to be more challenging that would in
turn inhibit their math development. Alternatively, the strong reader would not only be able read
the math textbook, but they would also be able to use their literacy skills to comprehend the
mathematical concepts being addressed to the point that they could begin to appropriately utilize
these skills.
Given that this is a book utilized in the first grade mathematics curriculum, I would have
guessed that the level of this text analyzed through the two readability formulas would lead to the
conclusion that this would be a resource that could successfully impact the development of the
students who would be reading it. However, the Fry Formula in particular showed otherwise.
When looking closely at the graph, the readability is on the cusp of second and third grade rather
than even first and second. Therefore, the reading level of this textbook is not adequate for the
literacy abilities of the students unless the time spent developing their reading skills up until the
textbook is utilized will bridge the gap. If this is not known or acknowledged by the first grade
classroom teachers, the textbook may not be as useful in teaching mathematics as they would
hope. This is not to say that the mathematical concepts cannot be addressed through instruction
and practice, but this textbook is not necessarily the ideal resource to provide the students with to
get the point across. This is especially important for the classroom I am working in because on a
daily basis the students use their textbooks during the math period. Therefore, in relying on it so
heavily for their learning, they must have the skills to understand the terms and phrases, and
comprehend the concepts independently such that the teacher does not provide guidance during
the time that the children are expected to read through the book. With that being said, this is
likely not a just right book for the general population of first grade students to be working with
if extra attention is not paid to the content. It would be critical that the teacher educates the
students on the relevant vocabulary and guides them through the reading in order for this tool to
be purposeful.
This is a text for a student whose literacy skill development is above standard. Therefore,
a child who is an advanced and strong reader will be more likely to succeed in the use of this
textbook than the typically developing students, or those who struggle with reading. Those with
strong literacy skills will be more likely to accurately read through the text comprehensively.
This comprehension and use of classroom discussions will enable them to understand and utilize
the unfamiliar terms that may be found in the textbook. Should any help be needed, the teacher
will only have to provide limited guidance through tactics such as prompting that can help these
children conceptualize the meanings. With the ease in understanding mathematical concepts
through the use of the textbook for these advanced readers, they will be able able to approach the
lessons activity more swiftly, or they will have more focused questions for clarity rather than a
general misunderstanding. This would be an opportunity for cooperative and collaborative
learning to take place such that the students with these stronger reading skills who comprehend
the content in the textbook to a greater extent can help their peers reach the same level of
understanding. Learning to work together as a team is an important part of the educational
process that should be taken advantage of when the opportunity presents itself. Therefore, if the
same process of using the textbook is followed as the current classroom teacher implements, then
after reviewing a given portion of the text, time should be allotted to allow the students to
converse about the topics and share their understandings to enhance the learning of each other.
I consistently find myself pointing out the importance of strong reading skills in order to
work within other subjects, such as mathematics. This is a point in which the integration of skills
should become evident to students that could motivate them to work hard in all subject areas.
Those who struggle with reading may see their skills beginning to impact other subject areas
such as mathematics as it gradually includes an increasing amount of text. It is interesting to me
to see textbooks used so actively in a first grade classroom. Although I value teaching students
how to use textbooks because they are important resources in the higher grade levels, I struggle
to understand the necessity for this younger age group that has yet to develop sound reading
skills. Thus, this early use can negatively impact the mathematical learning of the students who
struggle with reading. In order to prevent this occurrence, the teacher would need to come to
realize that this resource is not necessarily ideal for all learners. Thus, other options must be
made available. Math is learned best through hands on experiences, so if those supplemental
tasks can be emphasized to a greater extent, even those who find reading to be challenging can
still learn, understand, and use the grade level math concepts that they are exposed to. With that
being said and considering the classroom diversity that is ever-so common, the textbook should
be used as a supplemental tool, not the primary resource for learning. As reading abilities
improve, the readability of the textbook will be more closely related to ones skills. Until then,
all instructional methods should be utilized to educate the children.