Literacy Shifts Text Dependent Questions

ELA Cadre PresentationOctober 14, 2015

Literacy Shifts:

• Remember, we are ALL teachers of the language of our content. Students need to know how to read, write and speak like artists, historians, scientists, mathematicians.

Three Literacy Shifts

• Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction.

• Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from text.

• Regular practice with complex text and its academic language.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsjcDVeAJH4

Text-Dependent Questions...• Can only be answered with evidence from the

text.

• Can be literal (checking for understanding) but must also involve analysis, synthesis, evaluation.

• Focus on word, sentence, and paragraph, as well as larger ideas, themes, or events.

• Focus on difficult portions of text in order to enhance reading proficiency.

• Can also include prompts for writing and discussion questions.

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Non-Examples and Examples

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•In “Casey at the Bat,” Casey strikes out. Describe a time when you failed at something.

•In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” Dr. King discusses nonviolent protest. Discuss, in writing, a time when you wanted to fight against something that you felt was unfair.

•In “The Gettysburg Address” Lincoln says the nation is dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Why is equality an important value to promote?

•What makes Casey’s experiences at bat humorous?

•What can you infer from King’s letter about the letter that he received?

•“The Gettysburg Address” mentions the year 1776. According to Lincoln’s speech, why is this year significant to the events described in the speech?

Not Text-Dependent Text-Dependent

Which question requires students to read closely for text-specific information?

• How did Frederick Douglass’ ability to read contribute to his emotional struggle for freedom?

• After reading Frederick Douglass’ narrative, In what ways does America represent the hope for freedom that lived in the heart of Frederick Douglass?

Questions based on: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave by Frederick Douglass

Cite examples from the text to support your answer.

Rhode Island Department of Education 2/2012

Activity:

• Read the excerpt from the Ohio ELA Standards Appendix B, The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Cole which is found in the grade 2-3 Informational Text band.

Are these questions text dependent?

• Why do you think the author chose to write about Ruby Bridges’ story?

• What was unfair about schools in New Orleans?

• How do you think the other students at the school felt about Ruby?

Are these questions text dependent?

• How did Ruby act when she saw the crowd of people each morning?

• What is a federal marshal?

• How has life changed since the 1960s?

Handouts

• Handout 1: A Guide to Creating Text Dependent Questions for Close Analytic Reading

• Handout 2: Prompts for Text Dependent Questions

• Handout 3: Text Dependent Question Types

Making Questions Text Dependent

• Use sentence starters– In paragraph 3,...– When the author writes, “.......”– Where in the text can you find....

• Add a clarifying questions-How do you know?

-What words in the text make you think so?

Activity

• Look at the questions you brought to this session. Determine if they are text dependent.

• When you find questions that are not text dependent, reword them to make them text dependent.

• Share with a partner to check your work.

As you plan lessons and activities in the following weeks, we ask you to be aware of the questions you are asking/using. The more questions that require students to go back to the text to answer fully, the more learning will be occurring.

As you increase your text dependent questioning skill and ask students to be dependent upon text to answer questions well, reflect upon what changes you see in student behavior, attitude, and learning.