By Dr. Rachelle S. Savitz
Have you ever handed out a text you thought your students would love, only to realize halfway through that they’re lost, disengaged, or overwhelmed? We’ve all been there. Sometimes, it’s not the students—it’s the setup. That’s where text sets come in.
What Are Text Sets?
A text set is a carefully chosen group of texts—articles, infographics, poems, podcasts, infographics, art pieces, even songs—that explore a common idea, theme, or question from different angles. Together, they build knowledge, deepen understanding, and give every student a way in.
Instead of relying on one “anchor text” to do all the heavy lifting, text sets layer multiple types of sources, each with its own voice, structure, and level of complexity, to help students make sense of big ideas. Sarah Lupo and her colleagues (2020) call this the layered text set approach: start with accessible, high-interest texts to build background knowledge, then layer in more complex disciplinary readings that push students’ thinking.
For instance, imagine a ninth-grade science unit on climate change and environmental impact. You might begin with a short infographic or video from National Geographic Kids that visually explains the greenhouse effect (an accessible, high-interest text). Next, students could read a news article summarizing local climate data or community responses to flooding—something concrete that connects to their lives. Once students have built some shared understanding, you could layer in a section of a scientific report or a peer-reviewed study that examines climate data patterns. Finally, students might read a commentary piece by a climate scientist debating mitigation strategies.
Each layer increases complexity: the first builds understanding, the next establishes relevance, and the final texts invite students to engage with disciplinary thinking—interpreting data, analyzing arguments, and evaluating evidence.
Josh Lawrence and Emily Phillips Galloway (2022) remind us that this balance of pedagogical and expert texts is key. Pedagogical texts (like the infographic and local news story) support comprehension by introducing key ideas and vocabulary. Expert texts (like the research article or scientific commentary) show students how scientists write, argue, and reason within their field. Pairing both types of texts allows students to move from “learning about science” to doing the work of scientists, where they get to analyze data, question sources, and communicate findings.
The same principle applies across disciplines. In English, pairing a contemporary poem about identity (pedagogical text) with a literary essay on voice and structure (expert text) helps students explore how authors craft meaning. In social studies, combining a political cartoon (pedagogical) with excerpts from historical speeches (expert) helps students analyze perspective, bias, and rhetoric.
When we layer and balance texts intentionally, we give all students the tools and confidence to enter complex conversations regardless of where they start. Differentiation happens naturally in this design: accessible texts provide shared entry points, while increasingly complex ones invite students to stretch their thinking at different levels of readiness. Because readability scores don’t tell the full story of what makes a text approachable, layering ensures that students who might struggle with dense syntax or specialized vocabulary can still engage meaningfully with ideas through visuals, multimodal sources, or shorter, conceptually rich pieces. In other words, text sets create multiple on-ramps to rigorous learning, allowing every student, regardless of reading proficiency, to participate in authentic disciplinary inquiry.
Why Text Sets Matter
Reading across multiple texts encourages students to build background knowledge, spot contradictions, and develop critical empathy, allowing them to see the world through others’ experiences while reflecting on their own (Savitz et al., 2024). The texts we choose send messages about whose knowledge matters and whose voices belong in the conversation (Savitz & Kane, 2023). When we design text sets with intention, we help students think critically, see themselves reflected, and recognize how knowledge is constructed (Sims Bishop, 1990).
For example, imagine an eighth-grade unit on migration and belonging.
- Start with a short, illustrated article that introduces migration trends.
- Add a poem or spoken word piece that captures the emotion of displacement.
- Include a personal narrative or podcast that brings an individual story to life.
- Layer in a primary source or historical document that gives context.
- End with a local news story or youth interview connecting migration to students’ communities.
Each text adds a layer of meaning. Together, they help students connect ideas, think historically and empathetically, and practice disciplinary reasoning—all without relying on one lengthy or “perfect” text.
Understanding Text Complexity
Of course, choosing the right combination of texts isn’t just about variety – we need to think about complexity.
Text complexity isn’t simply how difficult something is to read. It describes how challenging a text is to read, understand, and use—and three interrelated dimensions shape it:
- Quantitative measures – the “countable” features such as sentence length, word frequency, and cohesion. These provide a general sense of difficulty (similar to a Lexile score) but can’t capture meaning, structure, or cultural context. A scientific article full of short sentences might have a moderate Lexile but still require deep disciplinary reasoning.
- Qualitative dimensions – the interpretive features of a text, such as multiple levels of meaning, abstract ideas, or cultural references. A novel like Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming (2016) may appear straightforward because of its verse format and accessible language, yet its layered exploration of identity, memory, and belonging invites readers to interpret its symbolism, navigate shifting perspectives, and connect ideas to historical context. The text’s qualitative complexity emerges through what students notice, question, and connect—especially when they analyze how Woodson’s poetic structure shapes meaning and how her personal narrative intersects with collective histories of race and resilience.
- Reader and task considerations – the human factors: who your students are and what you’re asking them to do. The same article can be “simple” when students summarize it, but deeply complex when they compare sources, critique perspectives, or connect it to lived experience.
These dimensions remind us to ask three essential questions:
- What makes the text itself complex?
- What do we know about our students as readers?
- What’s the purpose of the reading?
Complexity Is Both Found and Made
Something to consider when we determine the complexity of a text is that complexity is both inherent and constructed.
- Inherent complexity lies in the text itself—its structure, language, and assumptions about readers.
- Constructed complexity is created through what teachers and students do with the text—the questions they ask, the inferences they make, and the conversations they have.
That means a poem, infographic, or historical document becomes rigorous when students engage critically with it—not because it’s “hard,” but because it invites deep thinking.
Consider two quick examples:
- A history teacher uses a primary source with archaic language. Students decode vocabulary (inherent complexity) and then debate the author’s bias (constructed complexity).
- An art teacher studies Picasso’s Guernica. Students analyze form and symbolism (inherent), then discuss its political message and relevance today (constructed).
In both, rigor grows from the interaction between text, reader, and purpose.
Bringing It Together: Designing with Intention
When you plan a text set, you’re not just building reading lists—you’re creating pathways into complex ideas. You can adjust the quantitative, qualitative, and reader/task elements to support access and rigor for all learners. Scaffolds like visuals, vocabulary previews, or collaborative discussions don’t lower complexity, but they open the door wider.
That’s where Lupo’s Quad Text Framework can help balance
- Complexity – texts that stretch students appropriately
- Variety – genres and modalities that enrich understanding
- Accessibility – supports that meet students where they are
- Relevance – connections to students’ lives and interests
When we design text sets that do all four, we help students not only read like experts but think like experts—questioning, synthesizing, and creating new understandings that extend beyond the page.
Final Thought
Text sets remind us that literacy is not one-size-fits-all. The magic happens when multiple voices, formats, and perspectives come together, and when we, as teachers, design with both challenge and care. Because the real goal isn’t to make reading harder. It’s to make one think more deeply.
References
Lawrence, J., & Galloway, E. P. (2022, April 12). Disciplinary expert and pedagogical texts: Implications for creating text sets. Reading Ways.
Lupo, S. M., Berry, A., Thacker, E., Sawyer, A., & Merritt, J. (2020). Rethinking text sets to support knowledge building and interdisciplinary learning. The Reading Teacher, 73(4), 513–524.
Savitz, R. S., Irvin, V., & Soulen, R. R. (2024). Developing an empathic analysis: Using critical literacy, dialogue, and inquiry with literature to explore issues with gender labels. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 68(1), 14–22.
Savitz, R.S., & Kane, B. (2023). Trauma-sensitive literacy instruction: Building student resilience in English language arts classrooms. Teachers College Press.
Sims Bishop, R. (1990). Mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. Perspectives, 6(3), ix–xi.
- Literacy Cited
Woodson, J. (2016). Brown girl dreaming. Nancy Paulsen Books.
For over 20 years, Dr. Elke Schneider has been a professor of literacy, special education, and multilingual learner education at Winthrop University, Rock Hill, South Carolina.
