I agree that our goal should be focused on creating literate and thoughtful people!

So glad you responded.

I agree that age shouldn’t matter, because every age needs strategies to attack challenging text. I agree that there should be a variety of text students are immersed in throughout the day to make them well rounded readers. This reflects real reading and the life of a literate person.
We all read things that challenge our thinking, things that speak to our soul, things that communicate quickly and efficiently, things that are easy and things that are hard… all day long.
The life of a literate person, isn’t that our goal? Literate, thoughtful people?

Enjoying your series by the way!

I don’t necessarily have the research to back this up, but I don’t think age is a huge factor personally. Even from a young age, kids tend to grapple with difficult text and try to make meaning. Truth be told, younger kids seem to have a higher threshold for sticking it out and working through difficulties. I just believe, that throughout the day, students should have some time with challenging text and some time with independent or instructional level text, so that they are becoming well-rounded readers. That being said, we definitely need to teach students how to handle a challenging text. I have been working with teachers in how to teach Close Reading. This has proven to be quite powerful in helping students learn perseverance and have the motivation to work through difficult text.

What are your thoughts about age and challenging text?