Close Reading and Writing in the NGSS Science Practices • dopook@gmail.com Page 1

Asking Questions and Defining Problems Students at any grade level should be able to ask questions of each other about the texts they read, the features of the phenomena they observe, and the conclusions they draw from their models or scientific investigations:

~ CCR Reading Anchor #1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

~ CCR Reading Anchor #7: Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

~ CCR Reading Anchor #8: Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

Planning and Carrying Out InvestigationsStudents should have opportunities to plan and carry out several different kinds of investigations during their K-12 years. At all levels, they should engage in investigations that range from those structured by the teacher—in order to expose an issue or question that they would be unlikely to explore on their own (e.g., measuring specific properties of materials)—to those that emerge from students’ own questions.

~ CCR Reading Anchor #3: Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

~ CCR Writing Anchor #7: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

~ CCR Writing Anchor #8: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.

Analyzing and Interpreting Data Once collected, data must be presented in a form that can reveal any patterns and relationships and that allows results to be communicated to others. Because raw data as such have little meaning, a major practice of scientists is to organize and interpret data through tabulating, graphing, or statistical analysis. Such analysis can bring out the meaning of data—and their relevance—so that they may be used as evidence.

~ CCR Reading Anchor #9: Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.

~ CCR Speaking and Listening #2: Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

~ CCR Speaking and Listening #5: Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.

Close Reading and Writing in the NGSS Science Practices

Evidence

by Dr. David Pook Close Reading and Writing Literacy Consultant

dopook@gmail.com

Close Reading and Writing in the NGSS Science Practices • dopook@gmail.com Page 2

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions Asking students to demonstrate their own understanding of the implications of a scientific idea by developing their own explanations of phenomena, whether based on observations they have made or models they have developed, engages them in an essential part of the process by which conceptual change can occur.

~ CCR Reading Anchor #2: Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

~ CCR Writing Anchor #2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

~ CCR Speaking and Listening Anchor #4: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience

Engaging in Argument from Evidence The study of science and engineering should produce a sense of the process of argument necessary for advancing and defending a new idea or an explanation of a phenomenon and the norms for conducting such arguments. In that spirit, students should argue for the explanations they construct, defend their interpretations of the associated data, and advocate for the designs they propose.

~ CCR Reading Anchor #6: Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

~ CCR Writing Anchor #1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

~ CCR Speaking & Listening Anchor #3: Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.

Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information Any education in science and engineering needs to develop students’ ability to read and produce domain-specific text. As such, every science or engineering lesson is in part a language lesson, particularly reading and producing the genres of texts that are intrinsic to science and engineering.

~ CCR Reading Anchor #10: Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

~ CCR Speaking & Listening Anchor #1: Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Angus and Lee use a long rope for a model of an ocean wave. They tie a knot in the rope. Each of them holds an end of the rope. Angus shakes the rope one time to form a wave like in the ocean.

This diagram represents the changes in the position of the knot and has two parts of the wave pattern labeled, X and Y.

X

Y

a. Identify the labeled parts, X and Y, of the wave pattern.

b. Explain why the model can be used to show an object’s motion caused by an ocean wave.

c. Explain how the object’s motion caused by an ocean wave would be different if theamplitude stayed the same but the wavelength of the wave was shorter.

Waves Grade 4 | Student Item

Todd observes waves on a lake. He makes a model to study lake waves. He adds water to a pan until it is half full, as shown.

a. Describe two ways that Todd could make a wave in the pan of water.

Todd makes a wave in the pan of water using one of the ways described in part (a).b. Describe how Todd could use this way of making a wave to make a new wave with a

greater amplitude.

Todd puts a floating ball into the pan of water and makes a wave. He observes the motion of the ball. Then, he makes a new wave with a greater amplitude.c.. Describe how the pattern of motion for the floating ball changes for the wave with a greater

amplitude.

Essentials of Close Reading • dopook@gmail.com Page 1

Close Reading De ined

Close reading is the methodical investigation of a complex text through answering text dependent questions geared to unpack the text’s meaning. It calls on students to extract evidence from the text as well as draw inferences that logically follow from what they have read. This sort of careful attention to how the text unfolds allows students to assemble — through discussion and in writing — an overarching picture of the text as a whole as well as grasp the fine details on which that understanding rests.

Elements of Close Reading Instruction

Framing Close Reading Questions

Effective text dependent questions delve into the words, sentences, and paragraphs of a text to guide students in extracting the key meanings or ideas and events found there. They target crucial passages as focal points for gaining comprehension through examining details, explanations and arguments. Text-dependent questions generate authentic exploration of the text at a deep level, with teachers as a “guide by the side” instead of the “sage on stage” offering the right answer. Close reading instruction therefore encourages students to spend time lingering over the text looking for answers instead of just a cursory look to get the gist of what is meant.

Essentials of Close Reading

Evidence

by Dr. David Pook Close Reading and Writing Literacy Consultant

dopook@gmail.com

~ Focuses on those portions of a text (from

individual words and sentences up to several

paragraphs) that pose the biggest challenge

to comprehension, confidence, and stamina

~ Asks text dependent questions and assigns tasks

that are neither overly general nor schematic,

but rather direct students to carefully examine

the unique text in front of them for evidence

~ Poses questions about specific ideas within

the text as well as asking students to make

evidence-based inferences beyond what is

explicitly stated

~ Directs students to pay close attention to a

variety of text structures, from the syntax of

single sentences to the design of paragraphs

or even pages of text

~ Channels student focus on a sequential

integrated line of inquiry directed at

“unpuzzling” the text while keeping them

actively engaged with what they read

~ Stresses that students should synthesize the

evidence they have gathered in an organized

fashion and demonstrate their understanding

both orally and through writing

~ Helps students become aware of nuances in word meaning as well as acquire knowledge of general

academic vocabulary to aid in understanding a wide range of complex text

Properties of Waves • dopook@gmail.com Page 1

Properties of Waves

We draw the wave on a graph as a snapshot in time. The highest point on the graph of the wave is called the crest and the lowest point is called the trough. The line through the center of the wave is the rest position.

You can measure the amplitude of a wave by looking on a graph of a wave and measuring the height of the wave from the resting position. The amplitude is a measure of the strength or intensity of the wave. For example, when looking at a sound wave, the amplitude will measure the loudness of the sound.

The wavelength of a wave is the distance between two matching points of the wave cycle. This can be measured between two crests of a wave or two troughs of a wave.

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Close Reading Skills Activity dopook@gmail.com

Close Reading Skills Activity

Directions:In order to comprehend complex informational texts, students should read closely to determine what the text says explicitly as well as to make logical inferences from it. They should cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the information found there.

In order to achieve those ends, teachers should craft text-dependent questions for students to answer based on one or more of the following close reading skills for navigating informational texts derived from college and career readiness standards.

Note: for the purposes of this activity, teachers should select a close reading skill that they did not utilize when completing the Close Reading Question Worksheet.

Step 1: Select one of the close reading skills below: ~ Determine central ideas of a text.

~ Summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

~ Make inferences and draw conclusions about what is read.

~ Explain the connection between two different ideas or topics in the text.

~ Analyze how individuals, events, explanations and/or ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

~ Interpret words and phrases (including domain-specific vocabulary) as they are used in a text.

~ Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific paragraphs, sections, and graphics connect to one another to create the whole.

~ Analyze how the author’s purpose or point of view shapes the content in a text.

~ Explain how particular claims made by an author are supported by the evidence offered and reasoning provided.

Step Two: Write a text-dependent question that targets the close reading skill as it would apply to the text at hand:

by Dr. David Pook Close Reading and Writing Literacy Consultant

dopook@gmail.com

Academic Vocabulary Checklist Exercise dopook@gmail.com

Academic Vocabulary Defined

Vocabulary can broadly be divided into three tiers based upon the characteristics of the words in question. Initially, children grasp the basic and concrete Tier 1 words like walk, said, and car from everyday speech. At the opposite end of the spectrum are discipline and domain specific Tier 3 words like oligarchy and photosynthesis that students acquire and use when studying and describing content knowledge. Sometimes they are explicitly defined in the text; when not, teachers should give students the definition as their relative rarity and lack of context clues will not allow their meaning to be determined from close reading alone.

Between everyday Tier 1 words and content specific Tier 3 words lay high utility general academic vocabulary known as Tier 2 words. These precise and yet more abstract words like symbol and variable frequently appear across content areas due to their rich representational quality and the fact that they carry multiple meanings (depending on context). As a result these words should be the focus of academic vocabulary instruction.

Close Reading Instruction and Academic Vocabulary

Academic vocabulary has been shown to be a critical element in reading comprehension and academic achievement, yet the lack of systematic instruction focused on academic vocabulary is a primary cause of the achievement gap. Teachers thus need to be alert to the presence of Tier 2 words when assigning close reading and carefully make professional judgments about which words to devote instructional time to learning via text-dependent questions. Words should be selected for closer investigation specifically when they meet one or more of the following criteria:

Academic Vocabulary and Text Dependent Questions Practice: Use the checklist above to identify Tier 2 academic vocabulary located within the text. Determine the 1-2 words most crucial for comprehension, and write them into the question frames below:

What clues are there in the passage/paragraph about the meaning of ______________?

Based on the passage/paragraph what is the meaning of _____________________?

Academic Vocabulary Checklist Exercise

Evidence

by Dr. David Pook Close Reading and Writing Literacy Consultant

dopook@gmail.com

~ Does the word significantly impact the meaning of the text (e.g. shape purpose or point of view)?

~ Does it illustrate nuance in an author’s choice of words (e.g. admitted versus confessed)?

~ Will learning it help students be more precise in describing ideas and concepts?

~ Does the word have strong general utility (i.e. will students often see the word appear in other texts?)

~ Does it connect to other ideas, concepts, or experiences that students have been learning?

~ Will it be of use to students in their own writing (including when writing in response to the text)?

~ Is understanding the word necessary to avoid confusion and guide understanding?

~ Are there multiple meanings based on context (e.g., Texas was admitted to the union, he admitted his errors)?

Wave Quiz • dopook@gmail.com Page 1

Wave Quiz

The highest point of a wave is the crest. The lowest point is the trough. The distance between a crest and a trough is labeled on the figure below as the wave height.

(a) Explain why wave height is incorrect as a measure of amplitude.

(b) Describe how you could measure amplitude using information provided in the figure.

assage

Read the article about waves and surfing. Then answer the questions that follow.

Catch the Waveby Jeanna Bryner

© Sean Davey/Aurora Photos/Alamy

Picture 1Sometimes even the best surfers wipe out. This breaking wave forms a tube shape,

causing water to fl w over Slater as he surfs.

Get The Scoop on Wave Science From The World’s Top Surfer.1

2

Kelly Slater lies stomach-down on his surfboard. Taking a peek behind him, Slater spies a bulge of water building up. With long, deep strokes, he uses his hands to paddle forward toward the shore. When the billowing wave reaches Slater, it boosts him up and forward. Still paddling, Slater feels the water begin to topple over. He pops up onto his feet just in time to ride the wave. Within less than a minute, the wave fizzles out. Slater immediate y begins looking for his next ride. Growing up in Cocoa Beach, Florida, Slater has been surfing since he was just 6 years old. His years of practice and love for the sport have paid off: This year in Brazil, Slater broke world records when he won his seventh world title for surfing. “It s a lifelong dream come true,” says Slater. Find out how this pro-surfer uses some surf-science to find and catch the perfect waves.

Wave Watch 3 Just like with any sport, Slater has to practice before contests. So how does he know when

the “surf will be up”? He pays attention to the local weather. “Every morning when I wake up, I look at which way the wind is blowing,” explains Slater.

Waves Grade 4 | Student Item

4 What can the wind tell Slater about surfing conditions? A wave is the result of wind transferring energy to the water, explains Sean Collins, an oceanographer who studies waves. The gustier the winds and the longer they blow, the more energy they transfer to the water. And the more energy they transfer, the bigger the waves get.

5 The gustiest winds form during storms. These winds create swells that travel through the deep water away from the storm. “As these newly formed waves move farther away [from the storm], they get smaller,” says Collins.

Hit The Beach 6 It’s only when the swells reach the shore that Slater can catch some rides. Close to the

beach, the water is shallow. “When the waves approach the shore, they begin to feel the ocean bottom,” says Collins. This causes the waves to slow down and lose some of their energy. As a result, the waves slow down.

7 As the waves slow, they get squashed together like an accordion: Each wave gets taller and the distance between the wave peaks gets smaller. When the wave reaches a certain height, the crest of the wave tumbles over, forming “surf.”

Rights And Lefts 8

9

10

11

Just before the wave crashes, it gets steeper and forms a rideable C-shape. Slater looks for this shape when he’s practicing or competing in a surf competition. That’s when he gets into position and starts paddling on his surfboard. “I paddle out [to the breaking waves]. Then, I use my experience and knowledge to be able to get in the right place to catch those waves,” says Slater. When he feels the wave pick up the tail end of his board—sending the board’s “nose” downward—Slater pushes himself up into a standing, crouched position. Once standing, he maneuvers his board sideways across the wave. Slater catches some of his longest rides at a spot called “Pipeline,” just off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii. Here, a rocky reef juts up from the ocean bottom. The reef has an irregular shape, with both deep and shallow spots. This causes long waves to crash only one section at a time rather than all at once. To get a long ride, Slater must move his board to a part of the wave that is intact. Then, as the other sections of the wave break, Slater gets carried along. Although surfing at Pipeline is thrilling, zooming down its big waves can be dangerous. Even pros like Slater have their share of wipeouts there. “I wipe out every time I surf Pipeline. If you wipe out on a big wave in the wrong spot, then you could potentially die,” Slater says. Despite the dangers, Slater says he will continue surfing both small and big waves. “There are certain challenges in small waves and other challenges in big waves.” With more practice, maybe Slater will nab an eighth world title.

SURFING SCIENCEAs a wave approaches shore, it loses some energy. This causes the wave to grow taller. When the wave crest becomes tall enough, it tumbles over. The way in which a wave tumbles over depends on the shape of the ocean floor. At some surf spots, there are reefs. Reefs give the ocean bottom an irregular shape, causing the wave to break one section at a time.

CrestOceanbottom

Reef

Swell direction

Picture 2

WORDS TO KNOWWave: the up-and-down movement of surface waterSwell: waves that are produced by winds, and that travel a long

distance from the place where they were createdShore: the area where the ocean and land meet and interactCrest: the highest part of a waveReef: an irregular mass of rock or coral that rises up to or near

the surface of a body of water

In the article, the author describes surfer Kelly Slater riding his surfboard on ocean waves. a. Identify the cause of ocean waves.

Slater is lying on his surfboard waiting to ride the next big wave. His motion while waiting is affected by small waves. This motion is an example of how an object is moved by a wave.b. Describe the pattern of Slater’s motion while he is waiting. Explain how the pattern of his

motion would change if the amplitude of the wave became greater.

454668 KEY B

In paragraph 7 of the article, the author describes how the waves change as they slow down close to shore. This is a real-world example of how a wave pattern can change.Which sentence best describes how the wave pattern changes as the waves get closer to shore?

AThe amplitude becomes greater and the wavelength becomes longer.BThe amplitude becomes greater and the wavelength becomes shorter.CThe amplitude becomes smaller and the wavelength becomes longer.DThe amplitude becomes smaller and the wavelength becomes shorter.119556A V3 MC C, D

This question has two parts. Make sure to answer both parts of the question.

Which sentence is the main idea of the article?

APeople who learn to surf at a young age can be good surfers.BWaves of all sizes can be difficult to ride on a surfboard.CSurfers must understand waves in order to ride them.DWaves are the biggest when the wind is blowing hard.

Which sentence supports the answer above?

A“His years of practice and love for the sport have paid off ”

B“‘There are certain challenges in small waves and other challenges in big waves.’”

C“The gustiest winds form during storms.”

D“this pro-surfer uses some surf-science to find and catch the perfect waves.”

119558A V3 MC D, C

This question has two parts. Make sure to answer both parts of the question.

The author uses the word maneuvers to show that Slater

Aplaces his body on the board.Bpaddles his board to move it.Cpractices his climb onto the board.Dmoves his board in the water.

Which evidence helps the reader understand the meaning of the word maneuvers?

A“practicing or competing in a surf competition.”

B“‘use my experience and knowledge’”

C“‘to get in the right place to catch those waves,’”

D“pushes himself up into a standing, crouched position.”

119560A v3 MC A, D

This question has two parts. Make sure to answer both parts of the question.

The wave diagram in the Surfing Science text box helps the reader better understand “wave science” by showing

Ahow waves get taller.Bhow deep the water is in the ocean.Cwhere the wave meets the shore.Dwhen the crest becomes a swell.

Which evidence best supports the answer above?

A“A wave is the result of wind transferring energy”

B“The gustiest winds form during storms.”

C“slow down and lose some of their energy.”

D“they get squashed together like an accordion:”

The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake • dopook@gmail.com Page 1

The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake (970L)

On 18 April 1906 the city of San Francisco was rocked by a violent earthquake. The devastating earthquake was followed by a terrifying firestorm. The earthquake and subsequent fire remains one of the most devastating natural disasters to have hit America. 3000 people were killed, countless numbers were injured, and over half the people in the city lost their homes.

Earthquakes usually occur along fault lines where tectonic plates meet. Tectonic plates are the huge rocky plates that make up the surface of the earth. Tectonic plates can move apart or collide with each other. These powerful movements tear apart the surface of the Earth, releasing energy that causes earthquakes.

A rupture along the San Andreas Fault line caused the earthquake. The San Andreas Fault extends roughly 810 miles through California. The city of San Francisco lies along the San Andreas Fault line. The epicenter was located near San Francisco. Approximately 270 miles of ground surface was ruptured. The earthquake was so powerful that the ground shifted five feet every second.

The Great San Francisco earthquake was followed by a firestorm. Violent winds were drawn into a rising column of hot air. The high temperatures ignited anything that might possibly burn. The firestorm melted the streets into a flammable hot liquid and created an enormous ash cloud. Most of the buildings in San Francisco were destroyed by the great fire.

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Close Reading Lesson Design Principles

Read the Text Afresh: Rather than approach the text with preconceived notions of what it says, read the text like a student would experience it, noting difficult words, sentences, and ideas as they occur. These will be places to return to and consider whether a text dependent question would be helpful to ask in order to push student comprehension forward.

Note the Breaks: Find the natural “resting points”—places where the writer has summed up a train of thought, made a particularly important point, or shifted perspective—and treat the “chunks” of text created by these breaks as organic units of text worth investigating on their own.

Be Strategic: Not every little detail can be unpacked, nor each argument be explored in its entirely. Identify the most important information in the text and concentrate on making sure students grasp it fully versus touch on every possible point being made but without any depth of learning.

Allow for Discovery: Do not include activities or pre-reading instructions that rob students of the experience of encountering complex text and inferring understandings from it. Be ready to help students unpack the meaning of the text when they hit a roadblock in their understanding, but do not anticipate what those will be by pre-teaching the meaning of the text that reading the text itself will lead them to discover.

Articulate the Goal: Know what the essential take away points are for students, and make sure that the questions asked lead students to discovering this understanding of the text.

End with Writing: Develop a worthwhile culminating writing activity around the key idea that students can complete independently which requires them to provide evidence to assess their understanding of the text.

A Model for Close Reading Lessons

Teachers would begin by selecting a passage that could be read by students in approximately five minutes (if the text would take longer to read, then divide it into chunks and create a multi-day lesson). Each day would begin with the teacher briskly explaining the purpose of close reading and setting the stage for the text students are about to read. Students would then silently read the text followed by a second oral reading of the text (reading out loud with students following along improves fluency while offering all students access to the text). Then teachers would ask a series of text-dependent questions of students to facilitate their close reading of the text.

While there are no fixed rules regarding the order of questions or the phrasing of them, the following sequence of question stems is based on best practices surrounding close reading of informational texts. When writing their own questions teachers should be attuned to the spirit versus the letter of the question stems below and modify them accordingly to fit the situation and text under investigation.

Best Practices for Close Reading of Informational Text

Evidence

by Dr. David Pook Close Reading and Writing Literacy Consultant

dopook@gmail.com

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Close Reading Lessons and Text Dependent Questions

While there is no formula for creating a complete and coherent set of text dependent questions for a particular text, teachers have found the following rules of thumb useful to consider:

First Wave Close Reading Question Stems

The question stems in this first pass through the text help students identify the main points and key details that they need to go deeper when answering how and why questions. The final question for each of the two question stem areas mapped out here ask students to return to the text and offer evidence supporting an initial question.

Determine what the text says by asking questions like:

What is the main/central idea of the sentence/passage/paragraph/section about [state the topic]?

Summarize the passage/paragraph/section about [state the topic].

Which details from the passage/paragraph/section support/can be used to explain your answer about [indicate the question you are asking students to provide supporting details for]?

Explain how and why concepts, processes, principles and theories develop, interact, and conflict by asking questions like:

What conclusion/inference can be drawn/made about [state the topic]?

How are [state two topics] related in the text? / In the text what does [topic 1] show/illustrate about [topic 2]?

Explain the steps/sequence of events found in the text describing [state the topic]?

What parts of the text provide evidence to support your explanation about [indicate the question you are asking students to provide supporting details for]?

Build Towards Synthesis: Later questions regarding a chunk of text (as well as questions that link chunks together) should circle back and ask students to draw up the evidence they have collected answering earlier questions and ask students to make inferences based on what they have learned.

Start Small: Build the initial text dependent questions based on the belief that there are important questions that need to be answered about the text early on that are also confidence boosters when students are able to answer them correctly.

Look for Confusions: Tackle those portions of the text that are the most confusing based on the vocabulary used, sentence structure employed, or meaning that is implied.

Check for Coverage: Examine whether or not the sequence of questions flow logically, that there is a balance in the types of questions being asked, and whether the questions as a whole lead students to discover the key insights within the text.

Note What’s Missing: Consider formulating questions that ask students to investigate not only the words/phrases/ideas/arguments present in the text but also what is missing and why that might be so.

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Second Wave Close Reading Question Stems

The question stems in this second pass through the text help students analyze the meaning of challenging words, text structure, and purpose or point of view in a text. The final question for each of the three question stem areas mapped out here ask students to return to the text and offer evidence supporting an initial question.

Use context clues to interpret the meaning of key words and phrases by asking questions like:

What clues are there in the passage/paragraph/section about the meaning of [insert word/phrase]?

Based on the passage/paragraph/section what is the meaning of [insert word/phrase]?

Which details from the passage/paragraph/section support/can be used to explain your answer about [indicate the question you are asking students to provide supporting details for]?

Analyze how the text (including graphics) is organized/structured and as a result how information is conveyed/concepts connect to one another by asking questions like:

How does the sentence/passage/paragraph/section/illustration/graphic/media about [state the topic] contribute to the reader’s understanding of the main/central idea of the text/how it is developed in the text?

What effect does including/position of the [text feature] have on the meaning of the text?

Determine the logical connection/relationship/sequence between/among particular [list two or more text features].

Compare and contrast how information is organized and emphasized by two different authors writing about [state the topic].

Evaluate the quality of the support provided by details drawn from the passage/paragraph/section that could be used to support your analysis about [indicate the question you are asking students to provide supporting details for]?

Identify and evaluate the author’s purpose or point of view regarding the information/concepts/explanation within the text by asking questions like:

How does the information included in the sentence/passage/paragraph/section about [state the topic] contribute to understanding the author’s purpose/point of view?

What conclusions can be drawn about how an author’s purpose/point of view shapes the content regarding [state the topic] in the text?

Explain how particular points/claims made by an author about [state the topic] are supported by evidence offered and reasoning provided.

Compare and contrast the details included and emphasized by two different authors writing about [state the topic] / Distinguish your point of view about [state the topic] from that of the author.

Evaluate the quality of the support provided by details drawn from the passage/paragraph/section that could be used to support your analysis about [indicate the question you are asking students to provide supporting details for]?

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Earth’s OceansWater covers 70 percent of Earth’s surface. About 97 percent

of Earth’s water is salt water in the oceans.

Earth’s oceans are all connected. However, scientists separate the oceans into five main bodies:

• The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest ocean. It is larger than all of Earth’s land area combined.

• The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest ocean. It is about half the size of the Pacific Ocean.

• The Indian Ocean, the third largest ocean, is surrounded by Africa, India, and Indonesia.

• The Southern Ocean, the fourth largest ocean, surrounds Antarctica. Ice covers some of its surface all year.

• The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest ocean. It is near the North Pole. Ice covers some of its surface all year.

Formation of the OceansEarth’s oceans began to form about 4.2 billion years ago

(bya). Earth was very hot when it was young. Many volcanoes covered its surface. These volcanoes erupted huge amounts of gas. Much of the gas was water vapor, with small amounts of carbon dioxide and other gases. Over time, these gases formed early Earth’s atmosphere.

OceansComposition and Structure of Earth’s Oceans

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Condensation Earth’s water continually moves through the water cycle. It evaporates from the oceans, cools and condenses, and returns to the oceans as precipitation. The figure below illustrates the water cycle. Water vapor in the atmosphere cools and condenses into a liquid. Droplets form

clouds, and precipitation falls to Earth’s surface as rain or other forms of precipitation. As early Earth cooled, water vapor in the atmosphere condensed and precipitated. Rain fell for tens of thousands of years. Rain collected in

low-lying basins on Earth’s surface. Over time, these basins became the oceans.

Asteroids and Comets Evidence suggests a second source of water for Earth’s oceans. During the time when oceans formed, many icy comets and asteroids from space collided with Earth. The melted ice from these objects added to the water filling Earth’s ocean basins.

Tectonic Changes Oceans change over time. As tectonic plates move, new oceans form and old oceans disappear. However, the volume of water in the oceans has been about the same since the first oceans formed.

Composition of SeawaterThe rain that fell to Earth billions of years ago washed

over rocks and dissolved minerals. The minerals contained sodium, chlorine, and other substances that form salts. Rivers and streams carried these substances to ocean basins. These substances made the water salty. Gases released from underwater volcanoes contained substances that added to the saltiness of Earth’s oceans.

Salinity is a measure of the mass of dissolved solids in a mass of water. Scientists express salinity in parts per thousand (ppt). For example, seawater is water from a sea or ocean that has an average salinity of 35 ppt. This means that if you measured 1,000 g of seawater, 35 g would be salts and 965 g would be pure water.

Estuaries form where freshwater from rivers flows into oceans. The salinity of seawater in an estuary is brackish. Brackish water, or brack water, is freshwater mixed with seawater. Brackish water has a salinity between 1 ppt and 17 ppt.

Condensation

Precipitation

Evaporation

Sample Close Reading Lesson for Oceans: Composition and Structure of Earth’s Oceans dopook@gmail.com

Sample Close Reading Lesson for Oceans: Composition and Structure of Earth’s Oceans

First Wave Close Reading Questions

~ What is the central idea of the opening section of the article about oceans?

~ Paraphrase the steps involved in the water cycle. Which detail from the first paragraph of Formation of the Oceans connects to the description of the water cycle how oceans formed?

~ What inferences can you make about the size of the Indian Ocean?

~ What conclusion can you draw about other sources of the water in the oceans?

~ Explain what events occurred that made ocean water salty. What information from the paragraph about Composition of Seawater can be used to support your explanation?

Second Wave Close Reading Questions

~ What clues are there in the passage about the meaning of the word basins as it is used in the first paragraph on the second page?

~ Based on the section about the Composition of Seawater what is the meaning of the word dissolved? Which details from the second paragraph of that section can be used to help explain your answer about the meaning of dissolved?

~ How does the illustration of the water cycle clarify the explanation offered in the text regarding where condensation occurs?

~ What additional information is revealed in the image describing the water cycle? What additional information could be added to the image based on the paragraph about condensation?

~ What is the logical relationship between the section on Tectonic Changes and the information at the beginning of the article about the five main bodies of water on the surface of the earth? What details from the article could you use to support your analysis of the relationship between tectonic changes and the different oceans?

~ What is the overarching purpose of the section of the article about the Composition of Seawater? How does the information included in the last paragraph about brackish water support the purpose of the section on the Composition of Seawater?

~ Explain how the evidence offered in the text helps explain how volcanoes affected the development of oceans on earth.

Design Thinking for Grades K-5 • dopook@gmail.com

Standard Design Thinking Process

Design Thinking for Grades K-5

K-5 Design Thinking Process

Understand

Empathise

Define

Ideate

Prototype

Test

Learn about a challenge by listening, observing, and reading

Brainstorm about different ways

to creatively tackle the challenge

Solve the challenge, get feedback,

and make changes

DISCOVER

EXPLORE

CREATE

Models of an Earthquake Proof House By Kimberly Dyke

For the Rock and Roll science project, the student gathers materials to construct an earthquake-

proof house, such as index cards, paperclips, wooden sticks, tape and cardboard. Using the

cardboard as the building footprint, he proceeds to construct a house from the available

supplies in any style that he chooses. A volunteer then shakes the cardboard base, simulating

an earthquake to see how the house holds up. The student observes and records any effect the

earthquake had on the structure. He then reinforces the house with additional materials, such as

extra wooden sticks across the roof of the house or more tape to secure the house to the base,

to strengthen the structure.

The Shake, Rattle and Roll science project challenges students to build three separate house

examples using index cards, straws, tape and paper clips. The first house addresses building

issues in high-impact areas. The student builds a house that is short and wide for greater

stability or a tall building that has a wide base and a narrow top. The second house is an

example of a hillside home, constructed either with a wide base or with support straws

connecting the house to the hill below. A third house example demonstrates constructing a

house on a rubber base that can absorb earthquake shock waves to protect the house. In the

report that accompanies the houses, the student explains the reasoning behind each structure

in its particular environment and how the design can withstand earthquake movement.

http://www.ehow.com/info_12019316_science-projects-make-model-earthquake-proof-house.html