Scaffolding High School Students’ Reading of Complex Texts Using Linked Text Sets

Linked text sets (LTS) offer a promising approach to bring together adolescent students and complex texts, such as those required by the Common Core State Standards, using strategic scaffolding. LTS include a variety of print and media texts that address a guiding question that is meaningful to students such as, “Why is growing up so difficult?” The LTS approach is organized around three phases: Engagement, Exploration, and Expansion. As students progress through the phases, they are able to build their interest, background knowledge, and strategies so they will be ready to read target complex texts. This manuscript illustrates LTS in action in a tenth grade ELA class using a wide variety of print and media texts including the adolescent novel, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes and the canonical novel, To Kill a Mockingbird as target complex texts.