This document discusses ways to engage students in reading more complex texts by giving them choices. It recommends that teachers initially share responsibility with students for choices and gradually hand off more responsibility. Suggested choices for students include topics of study, reading materials, assessments, and procedures. The goal is to increase student motivation, engagement, and reading achievement by exposing them to more complex texts through meaningful, relevant choices that address their interests and identities. This will better prepare students for postsecondary education and careers.

1. CHOICE OF
MATERIALS IN
RELATION TO
STUDENT
ACHIEVEMENT AND
MOTIVATION
By: Lauren Tuttle

2. WHY DOES IT
MATTER?
The issue…
• Evidence suggests that standards, curriculum, and instructional
practices do not foster enough independent reading of
complex text.
• Students are given a considerable amount of assistance and
scaffolding in the classroom.
• Students are also reading less expository text which is harder
to read than narrative.
• Evidence shows that expository text is what students will be
exposed to in postsecondary education, in their career and
different life skills.
• Current research suggests that if students can’t read
challenging text with understanding, they will read less.
• Students must develop the skills, concentration and stamina to
read expository text. This turns people toward sources that
supply less depth and complexity of information; podcasts,
social media, television, etc.
• With people turning away toward challenging text, this leads to
lack of knowledge and comprehension.
• Lack of overall knowledge and comprehension accelerates the
decline in complex text and challenging content that has
occurred since 1962.
• To achieve, students must be able to
comprehend text as complexity of text
increases throughout school.
• At the same time, students must be able
to read and comprehend independently in
preparation for complex text found in
postsecondary education and careers.
• However, reading achievement has been
declining since 1962 due to a decline in
complex text and challenging content.
• The impact for low reading achievement
impacts postsecondary education and life
well after.
• This isn’t just a student issue; adult
readers are also low readers.
• So what is the issue?
*Common Core Standards, Appendix A: Research Supporting Key Elements of

3. TEXT COMPLEXITY
AND KEY FACTORS
Qualitative dimensions of text complexity:
• Levels of meaning or purpose
• Structure
• Language conventionality and clarity
• Knowledge demands.
Quantitative dimensions of text complexity:
• Word length
• Frequency
• Sentence length
• Text cohesion
Reader and Task Considerations:
• Motivation
• Knowledge
• Experience
• Complexity of task and questions
To address the decline in reading
achievement, a three-part model has
been made to determine the
appropriate text complexity to
increase reading comprehension
throughout schooling. The model is
outlined as such:
Three-part model:
• Qualitative dimensions of text
complexity
• Quantitative dimensions of text
complexity
• Reader and task considerations
*Common Core Standards, Appendix A: Research Supporting Key Elements

4. BUT HOW DO WE
ENGAGE AND
MOTIVATE
STUDENTS TO READ
COMPLEX TEXT?

5. WAYS TO ENGAGE AND GIVE
STUDENTS CHOICE
-Ownership
 Self-regulation
 Invested in reading strategy
 Choice of what to read and for how long
 Goals
 Creates responsibility for their reading choices
-Meaningful activities:
• School-focused issues
• Community-based issues
• Relevant issues that address their interests, passions and
identities
• Participate in the design, facilitation and assessment process
• Students teach others about an area of interest by becoming the
expert, involves in depth literacy dive.
-Allow students into the decision-making
process
-Students want units that connect, are relevant
and lead to mastery
-Provide autonomy for independent reading
-Hands on experiences or activities
 build background knowledge
 If they are interested in the topic of the activity it will
encourage them to investigate more within text
- Students are more engaged when teachers:
• listen
• ask what students want
• provide a rationale for work
• pick up on student questions
• give encouraging feedback
• Recognize challenges
-Opportunities for collaboration
Fletcher, A. (2008). Architecture of ownership.
Gordon, W. (2019). How to Engage Reluctant Readers
McRae, A., & Guthrie, J.T. (2009). Promoting reasons for reading: Teacher
practices that impact motivation.

6. TEACHER CHOICE TO STUDENT
SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME
Teacher Choice
-Choice should be made based on the text
complexity of materials (qualitative, quantitative
and reader/task consideration)
-Meaningful projects (addressing school and
community issues)
-Address identities, passions and interest
-Break the mondain
-Different outlets for reading (audiobooks, read
aloud, book clubs, literature circles, graphic
novels)
-Close reading with text dependent questions
-Provide enough time to explore text
Student outcome
-Increasing text complexity will increase reading
achievement. This will also make them
successful in college/career and life skills.
-Engaged to improve their school
-Enhances learning for all students because each
student feels valued
-Keeps engagement and motivation high
-Models fluency for students, promotes to
discuss and collaboration with peers and
encourages enjoyment
-Self-monitoring for understanding keeps
students engaged in the text
-More reading allows exploration of new
interests
Cummins, S. (2013). What Students Can Do When the Reading

7. SLOW AND STEADY LEADS TO
STRONG CHOICES
Teacher initially shares responsibility with students then hands-off responsibility
to the student, gradually.
-Scaffold choices:
 Offering simple choices at first
 Helping students practice making good choices
 Providing feedback about their choices
 Using team choices for younger students
 Offering information that clarifies good choices
- Give students choice in:
 Topic of study
 Reading materials
 Choice of assessment
 Order of activities
 Social choices
 Procedural sequences
McRae, A., & Guthrie, J.T. (2009). Promoting reasons for reading: Teacher practices that impact motivation.