IMPs

This week, we spent a great deal of time with an IMP. I do not mean the small green monster that is commonly associated with the word imp but rather an Instructional Materials Project. Essentially, we spent the week reading up on how to evaluate texts for use in the classroom and are now moving in to practicing evaluating texts for use in the classroom. Doing so requires a textual analysis of polysyllabic words, as well as taking other factors into account such as usability, understandability, and a few other attributes, depending upon which questionnaire you're using to evaluate a text.

Wednesday's workshop was helpful in getting many questions about the IMP answered. We were all relieved to find out that we only had to do this text analysis for only 1 of the resources we were going to choose.

Obviously the tools required to complete the IMP are going to be essential for teaching in the future. Knowing how to assess the grade level of a book and how to judge a book for usage helps determine which books would be accurate at which grade levels. I do wonder if the complexity of Shakespeare means that perhaps we should not be introducing him at the 9th grade level or not. But overall, it seems like these methods for grading texts might be effective in persuading school boards, departments, and perhaps even parents of the credibility (to an extent) of young adult literature and why that should be taught in classrooms.

I also find it interesting that any student with Microsoft Word can look up their Flesh-Kincaid writing level and know how they are doing in that regard. That may be a tool students can use to grade and improve their own writing, if they are so inclined (or if they are struggling, perhaps).

When I am teaching (and if I teach English rather than math) I intend to add adolescent literature to the book list for my course. I think being able to quantify those texts using the various tests we've learned through this project will help persuade fellow educators that incorporating adolescent literature will be a positive experience for the students while still providing the essential need for literacy that the district and state standards require.

3-2-1! (a brief recap)

3 important ideas: 1. Methods for Evaluating text are important. 2. Polysyllabic words can be a way of determining a text's difficulty to read. 3. Evaluating texts can ensure that textbooks and literature are both readable, relevant, and capable of fitting the needs of the classroom.

2 interesting things: 1. You can get your flesh-kincaid score through Microsoft Word, 2. Evaluating texts is relatively easy

1 value: 1. Digital materials (they are severely underestimated).