Disciplinary Text Set
Introduction
Text 1: Print - Hey Jack! The Bravest Kid
Rippin, Sally, and
Stephanie Spartels. The Bravest Kid. Kane Miller, a Division of EDC
Publishing, 2015.
2. Summary:
This book is about a little boy named Jack who builds a hideout with his friend. They decide to use a piece of wood to make a bridge from their hideout to the chicken coop. When Jack is climbing across, he gets scared by a chicken and falls off and hurts his ankle. He doesn't want to cry in front of his friend, so he tries to play it off and say that he isn't as hurt as he actually is. He goes back home and doesn't tell his parents. The next morning, his mom found out and took him to the doctor. They found out he actually broke his ankle and will need to wear a cast. Billie came over to visit Jack after school and made sure he knew that he was brave for doing something that scared him and that just because he's a boy doesn't mean he can't cry when he is hurt.
3. Text Complexity:
Quantitative:
While reading The Bravest Kid, I thought that it would be good for early to middle grades in elementary school such as for First to Fourth grade classrooms. And after looking at the StoryToolz data, it also shows the same information. The readability index for this book is at a 1.2 reading level and the SMOG index shows this book should be around a 4.9. With this, the average grade level given for this book is a 2.9 meaning that this book is meant for higher reading second grade students and third grade students as well. I agree with the StoryToolz for the fact that some words in this book could be confusing for younger audiences and also the context some words are used in could be difficult to understand as well. For example, on page 23, it says, "'I'm fine!' says Jack, feeling cross." This could be confusing because "cross" is not an emotion that is normally talked about in younger grade levels. I believe though that with some support, younger grades can also read this book or it could be understood better if it was read together as a class so that the teacher can answer questions that students may have while reading. Some other important vocabulary I think could be talked about before or while reading include: explore, plank, hideout, hobble, stabs, swollen, limps, and cross.
Qualitative:
For the qualitative components of text complexity, I believe that the purpose of this book was moderately complex. The book itself did not outright tell you why it was written, but it was easy to interpret the meaning behind the book once you got to the end. I also think the purpose for this book will be easy for students to connect to because it seems like a universal experience for most. The text structure for this book in my opinion would be slightly complex. For the organization of main ideas, these are slightly complex because the connection between how he didn't want to cry in front of his friend and her making it clear that him crying doesn't mean he isn't brave is explicitly stated at the end of the book. Graphics were used consistently throughout the book and were very simple drawings. The images were not necessary to the comprehension of book but were helpful in getting a mental image of the text. For the language features, I believe that they could be considered slightly to moderately complex. The conventionality would be seen as slightly complex due to the straightforward and explicit messages they were giving. The vocabulary could be seen as moderately complex due to the context that some of the words are used in. For example, in the book it says, "Pain stabs through his ankle like a knife." This could be difficult to understand because they could think that it was an actual knife and not a simile for comparison. The sentence structure for this book is slightly complex because they us mainly simple sentences with very few compound sentences. The knowledge demands for this book is also slightly complex. The subject matter was very simple and easy to understand even if you have not experienced the exact thing that Jack did. There was also no intertextuality within this book and everything you needed to know about the characters and the setting is stated at the beginning of the text.
4. Task and Reader Complexity:
What is the purpose of using this text?
The purpose of using this text is to show that it is okay to be scared to do something or to cry and that it doesn't make you not brave. It is also to show that admitting fear or pain doesn't make you weak but it in fact makes you braver.
In what ways, if any, does the text build on students' identities, lived experience, and cultural assets?
This text builds on students' identities because in society, there is still a stigma around boys crying and people thinking it makes them weak. This book will relate to them and give them the understanding that having emotions and being open about what you feel isn't a bad thing and I feel that the experience Jack had in this book can relate to most kids and some of their prior experiences. This book can be relatable to all people no matter cultural background because most people experience a time in which you feel the need to hide your feelings in order to seem brave and strong.
Text 2: Multimedia – Coping Skills for Kids
Citation:
“Coping Skills for Kids.” YouTube,
YouTube, 6 Nov. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs-MyQgfH3A.
2. Summary:
This video is a good resource for kids to learn how to identify their emotions and to figure out ways to handle them in a safe and productive way. It gives examples of different emotions and how to figure out what you are feeling, while also giving strategies to use to help them counteract those emotions.
3. Text Complexity:
Quantitative
While watching this video, I thought that it would be best watched by younger to middle elementary school kids. From the StoryToolz data above, it states that the readability index is for grade 5 and the SMOG index is for grades 7-8. The average mean of all the data says that the video is recommended for grades 6-7. I partially agree with this data because the words used and the topic at hand could be complex for younger kids if it was an article they had to read. But because it's a video with helpful imagery I believe it is also compatible with kids in lower elementary school grades as well. With that, there are still some vocabulary that could be difficult for younger kids to understand. For example, in the video it talks about how "triggers" are the things that make you upset. I feel like this could be a difficult word because there are alternate definitions for this word that the students might know instead of the one they are using it for. Some other vocabulary that could be difficult for students include: coping, depressed, triggers, chores, manage, and distraction.
Qualitative
For the qualitative factors of text complexity, this video is slightly complex. The purpose of the video is very clearly stated right away in the beginning, and it is shown continuously throughout the rest of it. The text structure can also be seen as slightly complex. The organization of the main ideas are very clear and listed out in the beginning of the video. The organization of the information is in chronological order and is easy to predict what comes next. Throughout the whole video, graphics were actively drawn with the information. They were not necessary to the comprehension of the video but aided in visually imagining emotions and how they would look or feel. The language features could be seen as both slightly complex and moderately complex. The conventionality is slightly complex as the video is very straightforward and doesn't use much or any figurative or ironic language at all. The vocabulary is more moderately complex due to the topic at hand. New emotions and feelings could have been introduced to the students and the different ways to cope could also be new information. It is mostly familiar language but every once in a while, some concepts could create questions for kids. The sentence structure is also moderately complex due to the amount of compound and complex sentences that are said. Once again, I think because it is in video form, that will make it easier for students to understand the sentences more than if they read them. The knowledge demands for this video is slightly complex. Not much subject matter knowledge is needed before watching this video due to the concrete ideas of emotions and coping skills it talks about. It goes through all of the things you would need to know before watching. There is also no intertextuality in this video. Everything that is needed to know can be found in the video.
4. Task and Reader Complexity:
What is the purpose of using this text?
The purpose of this text is to help kids learn about the different emotions that they could be feeling while also giving them different skills to use to be able to deal with those emotions.
In what ways, if any, does the text build on students' identities, lived experience, and cultural assets?
This text builds on students' identities and their lived experiences because of the fact that all people feel emotion. No matter how young or old you are, you have feelings and dealing with them can be difficult at all ages. Watching this video can make the students look back on past experiences where they either didn't know how they felt or didn't know how to cope with it. And with that they will know how to handle it the next time it happens.
Text 3: Culturally Relevant – The Social and Emotional
Learning Song
1.
Citation:
“The Social and Emotional
Learning Song.” YouTube, YouTube, 6 Apr. 2020,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yaGLes18Ls.
2. Summary:
This music video shows kids how to handle different social situations like introducing yourself to someone, sharing, personal space, and managing big emotions. It gives you different examples of each situation along with different ways to go about each one.
3 Text Complexity:
Quantitative
While listening to this song and watching the video, I thought that it would be a good fight for younger elementary school students. According to the StoryToolz quantitative data, the readability index is for grade 0.6. But on the other hand, the SMOG index says it's for grade 6.9. The average for all the data is for grade 3.6. I do not fully agree with this data because the topic that is being talked about and the vocabulary that is being used is not very difficult to understand for younger kids. One example of a possibly difficult word would be personal. In the video, it talks about respecting personal space and even though I feel that most students will already know this word, there are multiple different occasions that it could be used for with different meanings. Some other vocabulary words that could possibly be difficult include: introduce, personal, clearly, shout, respect, and pretend.
Qualitative
The qualitative factors of text complexity overall are slightly complex. The purpose of this text is slightly complex because it is explicitly stated throughout the video and has a concrete and narrow focus. The text structure of this text is also only slightly complex. The organization of main ideas makes connections between the ideas mentioned and the ideas come across as chronological and in an order that makes sense. Graphics were used the entire time throughout the video. They were not necessary to the comprehension of the text but helped create visual images of different situations and emotions. The language features of this text would also be considered slightly complex. This text was very straightforward and easy to understand and had few to no pieces of figurative or ironic language. The vocabulary in this text was very conversational and familiar for kids of younger ages and rarely had unfamiliar language. The sentence structure of this piece was mostly simple and compound sentences, and they were very easy to understand and follow. Finally, the knowledge demands for this text were once again slightly complex. The subject matter was everyday topics and were very simple and concrete ideas. There was also no intertextuality within this text and everything you needed to know prior if anything could be found within the video.
4. Task and Reader Complexity:
What is the purpose of using this text?
The purpose of using this text is to help students learn how to handle multiple different social situations respectfully and safely while also helping them handle their emotions in different scenarios.
In what ways, if any, does the text build on students' identities, lived experience, and cultural assets?
This text builds on students identities and lived experiences by using everyday events that happen to everyone. It can help them look back on events they've experienced and reflect on how they handled it.
Text 4: Print - Hey Jack! The Top Team
1. Citation:
Rippin, Sally, and Stephanie Spartels. Hey Jack: The Top Team by Sally Rippin ; Illustrated by Stephanie Spartels. Kane Miller, a Division of EDC Publishing, 2014.
2. Summary:
This book is about a little boy named Jack who gets partnered up with a different person than usual for math. It is a great story to teach kids teamwork and also that friendships are more important than winning a game. It also teaches kids that it is okay to not be good at something as long as you still try and have fun.
Text 5: Multimedia – Social Skills for Kids
1.
Citation:
“Social Skills for Kids.” YouTube,
YouTube, 12 Mar. 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcUR8NxLdG4.
2. Summary:
This video is a good resource for kids to learn what social skills are and why they are important. It also goes into multiple different ways for kids to improve their social skills and to be more comfortable in social situations.
Text 6: Culturally Relevant - The Boundary Song
1.
Citation:
“The Boundaries Song.” YouTube, YouTube, 29 July 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSFvJbSQdA4.
2. Summary:
This song is a resource for kids to understand that setting boundaries is okay if something makes them uncomfortable. It also gives kids examples of ways to set those boundaries in a respectful way.
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