Text Readability

I tested out several different text options and how small changes in type can affect readability.  I hadn't previously realized that Word had the Thesaurus tool embedded within the program and had never heard of the readability analysis.  Below are my results. 

The 1st paragraph was typed in Times New Roman 12 point font.  In the 2nd paragraph, I increased the font to 14 and chose Comic Sans MS for the age group I intend to teach - 1st - 4th graders.  I think it looks a lot more "kid friendly" even though the wording is the same.  The 3rd paragraph was changed to Century Gothic, 12 point font - one of the original sans serif fonts.  In the 4th paragraph, I increased the word spacing to 1.2.  I think this made the paragraph more difficult to read due to the eyes having to scan a bit further than they typically do. 

Finally, in paragraph 5 I used the Thesaurus tool and replaced a few words.  The original paragraph had a Fleish Kincaid Reading Ease of 61.6 and a grade level of 8.  After the few small changes, the Reading Ease increased to a 71.7 and the grade level came down to a 6.2. 

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         In this unit, we will be studying voting in America.  We will examine who is eligible to vote and who is not.  We will read several documents and write an opinion paper with references to our documents to support our responses to the questions, “Should voting be compulsory in the United States?  Why or why not?”  To get things started, let’s find out what you already know about voting.

            In this unit, we will be studying voting in America.  We will examine who is eligible to vote and who is not.  We will read several documents and write an opinion paper with references to our documents to support our responses to the questions, “Should voting be compulsory in the United States?  Why or why not?”  To get things started, let’s find out what you already know about voting.

            In this unit, we will be studying voting in America.  We will examine who is eligible to vote and who is not.  We will read several documents and write an opinion paper with references to our documents to support our responses to the questions, “Should voting be compulsory in the United States?  Why or why not?”  To get things started, let’s find out what you already know about voting.

            In this unit, we will be studying voting in America.  We will examine who is eligible to vote and who is not.  We will read several documents and write an opinion paper with references to our documents to support our responses to the questions, “Should voting be compulsory in the United States?  Why or why not?”  To get things started, let’s find out what you already know about voting.

            In this unit, we will be studying voting in America.  We will look into who is entitled to vote and who is not.  We will read some papers and write an opinion essay with references to our papers to support our responses to the questions, “Should voting be required in the United States?  Why or why not?”  To get things started, let’s find out what you already know about voting.