Challenging Texts Matter

Interesting Research on Reading Difficulty

 Timothy Shanahan, one of the architects of the CCSS for ELA, was recently interviewed for an article in Reading Rocket , where he considered the question, “how much should students be stretched from their ‘just right reading level’?”  In responding, he identified 4 misconceptions that are worth considering. 

Misconception #1:  Easier texts are more motivating.  “…our relatively easy book matches 
may be holding kids back, preventing them from exposure to more challenging features of 
language and meaning.” 

Misconception #2: All texts need to be at an instructional level.  “Text level should 
vary…kids should move across a range of texts from easy to difficult.  In the teaching of 
most skilled activities, the idea is not to protect the learners from harder applications of 
those skills, but to vary the routines between relatively easy challenges and those that 
scare and potentially embarrass the learner.” 

Misconception #3:  Text level is the only feature of the learning situation that can be 
varied.  “Not only should texts vary in difficulty…but the amount of help, guidance, 
explanation, and scaffolding ought to vary, too…When kids are in easy texts, the training 
wheels can be taken off.  When they are in harder texts, as a teacher I need to be 
prepared to offer greater guidance and support.  That means easier texts when reading 
with 30 kids, and harder texts…when I’m sitting closely with 6-8 kids and can monitor 
more closely and intervene more easily.” 

Misconception #4:  More-challenging texts will disrupt kids’ development of decoding 
skills.  “The key factors are variety of high-quality, engaging texts and lots of appropriate 
support.”