Tackling Tough Texts

Book excerpt: Filling a crucial need, this book provides concrete ways to support all students in grades 6–12 as they engage with rigorous grade-level texts in English language arts, science, and social studies. The authors offer fresh insights into adolescent reading and what makes a given text "tough"--including knowledge demands, text structure and complexity, vocabulary, and more. Research-based, step-by-step strategies are presented for explicitly scaffolding these challenges in the context of purposeful learning activities that leverage students' individual strengths and interests. The book includes planning tips, text selection guidelines, sample text sets, and vivid case studies from culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms. Fourteen reproducible forms and handouts can be photocopied or downloaded for use with students.