I’ve been working on a new product line since January that I hope to roll out for a soft launch this summer. After finding that there are VERY few lower Lexile versions of texts in the most commonly-adopted literature books at my high school (and even FEWER that were actually engaging and of good quality), I decided to start writing my own lower Lexile versions of the most commonly-assigned texts at the high school level.
High school–especially junior year, when many districts place a focus on American lit–tends to be the final nail in the coffin of many struggling students’ love of reading. The texts are dense, the history component can be confusing, students have already experienced about 12 years of struggle, and we just…lose them. And when we lose them as students, other, undesirable behaviors intensify: refusal, skipping class, disrupting the learning environment, power struggles, technology misuse, etc.
By making the curriculum accessible, we reduce those unwanted behaviors and keep them moving forward as learners.
My goal has been to write lower Lexile retellings of important texts (“A Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano,” “Soldier’s Home,” “A Rose For Emily,” The Great Gatsby, and so on) that students can read, actually ENJOY, then talk about during class discussions. Feedback from my co-taught ELA3 students–both those with reading difficulties and those who just like something a little less dense– this year has been very positive. To quote one student: “This Gatsby book is actually a really good story!” My students who normally won’t talk during a class discussion have been much more willing to talk.
I’m working hard right now on building a good-sized library of texts. I would love to hear some suggestions for “must do” texts teachers want for next school year; it’d help me make sure what I’m offering is what everyone is needing.
More information on my new sister site and store, Universally Designed, coming soon!
Tags: secondary special education, dyslexia, reading disability, ELL, adapted literature, low Lexile literature, ELA accommodations
