Text Complexity Pre-Teach Audit
Audit any primary source, article, or literary passage before assigning it.
Vocabulary Demand
Tier 2 academic words (analyze, contend, however)
123
Pre-teach with cognates & visuals
Tier 3 domain words (federalism, metaphor)
123
Build word wall, glossary
Idioms, archaic words, figurative language
123
List + paraphrase, model in context
Syntactic Demand
Long sentences (25+ words)
123
Sentence deconstruction mat
Embedded/dependent clauses
123
Chunk & color-code clauses
Passive voice, nominalization
123
Rewrite key sentences in active voice
Knowledge Demand
Cultural / historical references
123
Anticipatory guide · visual preview
Implicit author stance / irony
123
Author's purpose mini-lesson
Multiple time frames or perspectives
123
Timeline / character map first
Decision — what we will do before students read