As in-class activity, we will calculate our own readability level for BLOGGING. When our research essay is finished in a few weeks, we will calculate our readability level for RESEARCH WRITING.
Due by class time on: Fri., Oct. 7th, 2011
The responses by the whole class are due by class time on: Wed., Oct. 12th, 2011
The text you need to read is here.
When you write your COMMENT for the article below, please also comment on this question: "Do you think you write at a different level when you're blogging than when you're writing a research essay? Explain."
The reading summary is done by:
ENGL300-1: Drewandria Burnside
According to Edward Fry the readability formula is a ranking system published in 1923 that determined the comprehension level of readers. Leveled reading is a system that was used distinguish the advancement of readers during the 19th century. It was not until the '30 that the concept of "leveled" reading became a scholastic tool used to signify the grade level of readers. The difference between the two methods of caculating literacy is the degree of objectivity. Most readability formulas have two variables of measurement; they are syntactic difficulty, which measures grammar and semantic diffulicty, which measures word meaning. Most readability formulas are caculated by the computer, but can be caculated by hand. Most readability scores are very accurate, because of the level of objectivity. Leveling on the other hand is more diffuclt to measure, because it includes text support factors.
I think that the entire concept of readability and leveling are two of the same entities. One is just meaures more of the context than the other, so to create a formula for the two seperately makes no sense and is a little redundent.
ENGL300-2: John Seratt
The article Readability Versus Leveling is about the two main way in which books are ranked on which who should be able to read them. The first readability is more objective and like a math equaion in how it is formulated, the next is leveling, leveling has more to do with what the reading is about more than how difficult it is to read.
The first of these two rankings was leveling. leveling came about in 1836 which was made famous by William Holmes McGuffey his system just ranked books on difficulty by way of numbers starting at on and going up. McGuffey went on to publish a set of books called the McGuffey readers these books were highly accepted in schools. The schools used them for different grade level readings. The way that leveling works is by looking more at the content of the reading. It looks at whether or not the reading would be interesting to the grade reading it, it looks at if there is illustrations within the book, and it also looks at the length of the book among other things. I believe that this ranking system is a good way to find why most children do not read in that they may not like that book that they are reading. The problem with this model though is that it does not go all the way into grade twelve it stays at the more primary level.
After The leveling system came the readability system this was created in the nineteen fifties and it was used in pretty much the same fashion; to rank a book's reading difficulty. the readability scale stayed the same until other companies came in and started breaking down the grades into more sections so that a book could be placed in the exact spot a student should be able to read it. The way that this readability scaling system works is that it is more like a math equation. Readability takes the syntactic difficulty which is the grammatical complexity that is measured by sentence length, also it takes the semantic difficulty which is pretty much the average length of the words within the writing. The average of these two are added then plotted on a chart to show what grade the reading is appropriate for.
In summation I feel that both of these systems have their strengths and weaknesses the leveling system does not get to the true difficulty of reading and does not go to all grades. The readability scale goes to all grade and tells the difficulty but it does not tell a teacher why a student may not enjoy the reading. with this I believe that both of these systems can work but not perfectly. To answer the question do I think that I blog at a different level than when I writ research papers? Yes I do feel I do just because research papers are supposed to be more scholarly and more in depth than a blog post.
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comment by Brittney Hosey:
The idea of leveling on anything is amazing to me. But touching on books first, I think this is an important part of the learning cycle. It's also useful for parents who are trying to decide what level their child reads at and in the end help them get further with that process. I think this also relates to games and puzzles that are aged. Parent's can buy a game for their child that is supposed to be able to be completed by their age group and this can show the parent whether or not their child is where they need to be or not.
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comment by Anne Gayes:
Leveling is a very good strategy when dealing with education groups. It is a good way to catagorize children when trying to find what best fits them in learning terms. Also it is a good tool to use to help the teachers understand what levels all her students are in. Leveling also does have it's weaknesses though. It does not test and evaluate children as much as it should. For this system to be completely accurate it must evaluate the person on more than one test.
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comment by Melanie Bloden:
Determining the levels or readability of books has strengths and weakness'.Leveling helps students find what reading materials will benefit them most. Readability is measured like a math formula. It also fits students with appropriate material. Leveling should be more detailed with its testing. I am not sure which systems my teachers have used in the past. I would like to know what methods my parents and teachers might have used when picking out books for me.
I remember looking at books when I was litter, seeing the level grade intended to read the books and challenging myself to read 'harder books' for my age group. This was an interesting article because I have always wondered how they calculate the groups for the reading for different levels and ages.
ReplyDeleteTo answer the question on whether or not I think I write differently in blogging compared to formal writing, I would say to a degree yes. My writing for papers and research papers is more formal and I take a bit more time when replying and writing those. I believe the reason I write differently for a blog is because it is in a small little box and I want to response to be posted quickly.
I found it very interesting that there was a method behind the madness of assigning certain books to certain age groups. It makes me wonder where some complicated texts would land on the "readability" level--and if this readability equation actually accounts for the depth of meaning of the text in question. I'm sure texts by Joyce or Heidegger would have somewhat reasonable syllable counts--but I doubt that a 10th grader could understand Sein und Zeit or Ulysses.
ReplyDeleteI probably wouldn't write too differently in blogging than I would in formal or academic writing--the subject matter would probably be similar (philosophy), but the mode of presentation with blogging might include some humor, which tends to be lacking in academic writing.
I have never really thought about how it was determined what age group text was appropriate for. It was very interesting to read about how it is determined.
ReplyDeleteI do think i write However; writing for a research paper is different, I would never say the majority of the things I do in a research paper.
Through understanding the definition of both readability and leveling, it becomes far more simplistic to recognize the selection of materials I have selected to endure and complete in my lifetime. Books of far more intellectual competence sometimes attract me when I am on a quest for new words to add to my dictionary, other factors play vital roles in my selection process as well. The question of whether or not I adjust my level of writing depending on the assignment is a fairly easy question to answer. When conducting assignments such as research essays, worth a large amount of credit, I usually put my best foot forward, trying to employ as many writing techniques as possible, while on the other hand, if it where blog format, I would definitely care less. I see it as a form of respect for the academic professor and respect for myself as well, school assignments demand school work, where as platforms where text speak are enforced, I see the idea of using my best work as unnecessary.
ReplyDeleteI found this article interesting because when I was little we used to have reading contests. The person with the highest point value won a prize. The points were based on how many pages a student has read and the level of the book. I never knew they had an actual calculation to determine the level of the book, but rather I always believed the teacher made it up on the spot.
ReplyDeleteTo answer the question “if I write differently in blogs than in research papers,” I would say it depends. Throughout my education, we have had to maintain a blog for educational purposes in which I wrote as I would for a research paper. I would take my time and proofread as if it were a research paper because it was for a grade, and my classmates would read it in the mindset of learning. If I had a blog that talked about everyday random things that was not labeled for education, I would not worry about following the grammar rules. I would write as I would talk, which is not the type of language I would write in a research paper.
In the article, "Readability vs. Leveling" by Edward Fry readability and leveling are explained. Leveling has to do with what the reading material is about. It employs various systems for determining the difficulty of books or reading material. Readability is the application of readability formulas. It ranks reading matters in order of difficulty. The author Edward Fry developed a formula in order to determine how to calculate for which audience level one writes.
ReplyDeleteTo answer the question, I beleive that I do write at a different level for research papers than I do blogging. I try and write more professionally for research papers. I try and use a larger vocabulary and be more formal that I would a comfortable blog post.
When I blog, I try to write as academically as possible. I feel that the more consistent my writing is on and off line the better writer I will be. Shortening words unnecessarily and spelling things inappropriately just never seemed important to me. The formula to determine what level someone writes at is very interesting to me. Knowing the level that someone write is very important and can say a lot about the work you are to expect.
ReplyDeleteThe article, "Readability vs Leveling," by Edward Fry, leveling and readability are defined and discussed. From personal experience I remember the books we read growing up and how each set was designated for certain grade levels. The process of leveling makes sense in that the books contain an appropriate reading skill for each individual grade level. Children can be tested on reading ability based on which level of book they finally have difficulty with. Readability, however, is the comparison of scores through readability formulas. This is not the challenge itself for students, but the way in which they are graded and tested to determine which level they meet.
ReplyDeleteAlso, yes I do think that I write at a different level when I'm blogging as opposed to a research essay. I feel I can be more relaxed in my writing when I blog, and can use my own personal opinion. This does not say one is better than the other, but are more effective in their own situations.
I found it interesting to learn how reading levels are split up. I loved to read when I was younger and was costantly trying to advance to bigger books. I think what makes books readable is mainly the words used. I didn't know that there is an actual formula to calculate how readable a book is.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I would say that my blogging and research writing are similar. However, I am more formal with my writing in essays and take quite a bit more time to think about what I am going to say.
Before reading this article I had not thought a lot about the way in which different reading levels were assigned, only that they were. I remember in grade school that I would always read the levels above the level I was supposed to be reading and how some teachers were reluctant to allow me to do so. I think this article is of great value and interest and something I would like to read more about.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading this comment please take into consideration that this is the only blog I write. Although I try to write as professionally as possible when composing a blog I know that there are some differences that can be seen between my blog writing and my research writing. Sometimes I slip up when writing the blog and a contraction sneaks in or obvious slang, which would not be included in a research paper.
This article was very interesting to me. I know I don't write the same in research papers as I do in blogs even if they are for an educational purpose. I feel there is different writing styles intended for different purposes and research papers and blogs are different.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger I remember the books we use to read and the level of difficulty, I never really understood it when I was little, but as I got older I realized the difference in the writing of the book as well as the vocabulary and sentence structures the books used.
Teachers believe that it is best to teach using introductory material. I knew ever since grade school that students had different reading levels. The students were put in different groups based on their reading comprehension. Teachers needed to be able to gauge the level of kids reading to benefit the student. That is where the readability leveling scores come into play. It helps them see what level the students are on. The range of difficulty is one through 12 or 1 through 17. Those are the different levels.
ReplyDeleteThis article intrigued me because I always wondered how the classified books into a certain reading levels. But I don't believe this necessarily corresponds to student writing. To me writing is a more personal effort, that students are going to write in their own style.
ReplyDeleteAs for my own writing, I write significantly different in different circumstances. For an MLA paper obviously I don't use any first person, in a reflective paper about myself for an Education class I use all kinds of first person and all kinds of stories about myself to convey my purpose to the reader, and in a blog or text message I practically write all slang and shorten words like "because" down to "bc"
In Edward Fry’s article, he explores the definition of both readability and leveling, and how it becomes even more basic to recognize. “Leveling” is specifically what the reading material is about; it employs a variety of systems to determine the level of difficulty of books and other literature. “Readability,” however, is the use of readability methods. Furthermore, it levels reading material by order of difficulty. Fry develops a method in which orders and determines specifically how to calculate the level in which the audience writes. Although I write with a higher level of difficulty when I blog, I do write at an even higher level of difficulty for my papers. My writing is much more professional and formal for research papers than when I blog. Furthermore, I use a much higher level of vocabulary and formalized punctuation in my papers than what I would use in a blog post.
ReplyDeleteI found this article to be very interesting because I had always wondered how reading levels were determined for books. I know in Grade School we had to participate in AR (Accelerated Reading) and I always tried to increase my level because most of the good books were at higher levels. I do not know if a person's own writing level can be determined the same way, though.
ReplyDeleteTo answer the question about "If I write differently when I'm blogging than when I'm writing a research paper?" The answer would be yes. When commenting on the blog I am still aware that it is an assignment, so I am conscious as to how I write, but I still do not approach it with the same amount of care and critique that I write a research paper with.
In grade school through high school my classmates and I had to take reading tests to identify our reading level. According to our reading levels they would place us in our assigned classes. Reading this article brings me back to that system. As I've grown up I've not put any attention to what level of reading I would be consider in. Since I am in college I have a mindset that I must be in a college level. So, I do not try to improve my reading skills. The sad truth is that I might not be in such a high level. This article makes me aware of whether I’m being attentive with my reading skills.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that my blog writing is completely different from my writing for an actual research paper. When blogging I have to admit that I am careless compared to writing a research paper. I know it is bad because i should use blogging as practice towards my writing as well reading.
I found this article interesting. Although I believe that a student is going to be stubborn and write in their own style no matter what they are taught.
ReplyDeleteAs for my own writing style, it just depends on the circumstance. If i am among friends and family, or posting on Facebook or texting, I talk in slang; never watching what I say. I shorten words like "people" to "ppl" and never talk how I write. In the classroom setting I both write and speak in proper English. After all, I am an English major!
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ReplyDeleteIn this article they discuss and define leveling and readability. These concepts are meant to help figure out a childs reading and writing level. For example, I remember growing up and seeing books at libraries that were for ages 8-12 or 2-5. This resources were helpful when finding a good book to read at a certain age group. As for writing I think it is a little hard to teach someone a certain style to write in. I have always stuck to my style of writing, which usually is good for me.
ReplyDeleteThis article was really interesting, I remember seeing the books with age suggestions on them, and always wanting to read books above my age group.
ReplyDeleteI think each student will bring their personalty style when it comes to writing, but teaching them different ways could be helpful.
I spend way more time on formal writing than I do on my blogs. I think of blogs as an area to express your opinion with your own style, and there are a lot more rules to formal writing.
I enjoyed this article. I also have to agree with Nick, when he states that he use to see books with higher age level suggestions on them and wanting to read higher than my own level. I was always a better writer than a reader, therefore I believe that while they are related, you don't have to be a fantastic reader to be an amazing writer.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I'm in the classroom I write completely different from any other informal surrounding in my life. If i'm on Facebook my writing style is completely absurd and different from my formal usage of language in a classroom setting.
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ReplyDeleteThis article was very useful because it talked about the different levels you can be on when it comes down to reading.It helps people to establish their level of reading and to understand how this system works, its always good to know these things. I know back in elementary school i was reading at higher levels like for ex: In highschool or college, in which reading was always my best subject.
ReplyDeleteThis article talked about the different ways in which certain method were used to assess a child level of readability. I was the kind of kid that when I saw books for my age group or higher I would read them. It was very rare when I read book that were for a higher age group. Systems like this that has been setup since the 19th century allow people to challenge themselves to read at a higher level by every new book they read.
ReplyDeleteThis article shows different methods to see what your child's level of readability. When I saw a kid I did not care about grade groups. Also I did not read for fun except for a few book that I have read, like "Animorphs" and a few other books.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with the Fry Chart. It only shows how yopu write at that time, or the subject giving to write about. It would be better if it was giving to each subject written about then calculated together. It's not a good way at all to show a students work.
ReplyDeleteThe fry chart is an interesting thing. Overall I do not believe it to be completely accurate, although what grade level it places you at I believe to be in the right, general area. I also expect that my readability level for my essay will be much higher than my blogs actuall readability.
ReplyDeleteMy blogging is much different from my research writing. I don't believe this is a bad thing. Blogging is supposed to be fun and simple. My blogging is at an eight grade level while my research essay was written at a late 12th grade level. When I blog is tends to be a much more laid back type of style. I often find myself writing in the same way I talk, which is the research world is normally not a good thing.
ReplyDeleteI had never known had reading levels were determined until discovering it in this class. I think it is very useful to be able to know where one stands in regard to his or her writing level. Personally, I try to write almost as well on blogs as I do when writing formally because I feel that it keeps me in the mode of writing well. I do feel that, in general, people tend to write differently on blogs because it is an informal setting, which is fine.
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