Dial Up the Scaffolds: Connecting Students to Complex Texts

Ever find a dope text you're amped to teach, but worry it's too complex for your students? This session is all about taking challenging texts and making them accessible for everyone. We'll break down how to analyze any text to anticipate student needs and then build a toolkit of scaffolds like vocabulary builders and sentence starters to support them. You'll learn how to plan engaging activities that move students from comprehension to critical thinking. We'll also explore using AI to generate ideas, focusing on crafting smart prompts and evaluating outputs for algorithmic integrity, ensuring any complex text can become fresh and effective.