Text Complexity Analysis of

A Place for Butterflies

by Melissa Stewart

Text Type: Informational

Text Description

This illustrated picture book focuses on the many threats to the butterfly population, and specific actions people can take to help protect butterflies. The book begins with basic information on the lifecycle of the butterfly and includes a section that explains
how butterflies are important to both animals and plants. The text ends with a call to action and suggests ways students can help
to protect the butterfly population. Note: Students work only with specific sections of this text as it supports their performance task.

Placement

Due to qualitative and quantitative complexity, this text is read aloud in a highly guided series of lessons. Students work primarily with the text at the top of each page (one to two sentence statements of problem and solution heavily supported by illustrations) and two short sections on the importance of butterflies to plants and animals. These parts of the text are comfortably accessible to second graders when read aloud and supported by instruction.

Quantitative Measure

Quantitative Measure of the Text: 980L

Associated Band Level: 4-5

Qualitative Measures

Meaning/Purpose: Slightly Complex

The purpose of the text, “If we work together…there will always be a place for butterflies”, is explicitly stated at the beginning of the book. The text at the top of each page is clear and tightly focused. Each two- page spread presents a specific threat butterflies face and a related action humans can take to protect butterflies from that threat.

Text Structure: Moderately Complex

The text has a clear, repetitive problem/solution structure. Problems and solutions are described in large print at the top of each two- page spread. The organizational structure of the text is complex, but predictable- a specific problem is stated on the left-hand page, a corresponding solution on the right, and a related example is included in a single sidebar. Connections between the example in the sidebar and the problem/solution at the top of each page must sometimes be inferred, but each is well supported by detailed illustrations. Predictable page layout and headings support readers in navigating and understanding the text.

Language Features: Moderately Complex

The text contains some academic and domain specific vocabulary, but is not overly technical. The language in the text is largely explicit, but at times, students must make simple inferences to connect ideas between sentences. Stylistically, the author often uses complex sentences in which the subordinate clause comes before the main clause. While this may be initially confusing to young students, many of these sentences have a very similar structure (When people…butterflies can live and grow.) Once the initial sentence has been unpacked, this repeated exposure supports the understanding of complex sentences and the relationship between ideas in the text.

Knowledge Demands: Moderately Complex

This text relies primarily on a general knowledge of plants and insects and on some discipline-specific knowledge about pollinators. This book includes a mix of simple and more complex ideas.

Considerations For Reader and Task

This text is read aloud and well supported through discussion and direct instruction. For tasks that require students to work more independently, sections of the text have been specifically chosen for accessible content and detailed illustrations. Because of the complexity of the text in the sidebars, students work primarily with the simpler sentences at the top of each page. Teachers may choose to differentiate by including more work with the examples in the sidebars for some students. This text is read after students have done extensive work on pollinators; this previous work should support the need for discipline specific knowledge in some sections of the text.

Specific supports for English Language Learners, students with special needs, and students who need enrichment are included in the module.

Rationale

This text continues to build students’ understanding of the importance of pollinators and allows them to apply some of the scientific knowledge built in Module 3 as they examine the dangers faced by a particular pollinator, the butterfly. Using this text, students explore how reasons support specific points the author makes and to compare the book to an article on the same topic. A Place for Butterflies is also used to gather the information needed to write an opinion piece about why people should work to protect butterflies and to support the call to action on the wildflower seed packets they will create in the Performance Task later in the module.

Text Analyses: Grade 2