1. Text Dependen t Question ing Patricia Coldren Lee County Schools pcoldren@lee. k 12. nc. us

3. Common Core and Literacy An increase in the complexity and rigor of literacy is a keystone of the Common Core standards. The Common Core document states “The Common Core Standards hinge on students encountering appropriately complex texts at each grade level in order to develop the mature language skills and the conceptual knowledge they need for success in school and life.”

4. College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading 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.

5. The Three Shifts ( Common Core Keys ) 1.Building knowledge through content rich nonfiction and informational texts. 2.Reading and writing grounded in evidence from the text. 3.Regular practice with complex text and its academic vocabulary.

6. Reading and writing grounded in evidence from the text. Standards expect students to be able to answer text dependent questions that depend on them having read the text carefully and repeatedly rather than questions that can be answered based completely on prior knowledge and/or personal experience. New standards place great emphasis on writing to sources and using evidence from texts to create effective argumentative and informational writing, as well as focusing on narrative writing. What does that look like in the classroom? Teachers will ask questions that make it necessary for students to reread text to find answers and find evidence to support their answers. Students will have to read text closely to find evidence and draw inferences. Students will support their opinions with evidence from the text.

7. Why change the way we question? What We Do Today Asking students to make connections to themselves, other texts and the world is a common style of questioning that guides students away from the text. It does not lead to a deep understanding of the text. We often ask simple questions that require very literal thinking to ensure they have read the text. Students expend a lot of time and energy answering these questions instead of considering meaningful text-specific questions that will bring them to a deeper understanding.

8. More instructional time spend outside the text means less time spent inside the text. Departing from the text in classroom discussion privileges only those who already have experience with the topic. It is easier to talk about our experiences than to analyze the text-especially for students reluctant to engage with reading. The CCSS and College Career Readiness Standards.

9. Overview of Text Complexity What does the future look like? Smarter Balanced Assessments

10. Overview of Text Complexity Charlotte ’ s Web

11. Overview of Text Complexity Charlotte ’ s Web

12. Overview of Text Complexity Charlotte ’ s Web Can we make this text dependent?

13. Overview of Text Complexity Yes We Can !!! www.achievethecore.org Guide to Creating Text Dependent Questions

14. 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

15. Overview of Text Complexity Good Text Dependent Questions Analyze paragraphs on a sentence by sentence basis and sentences on a word by word basis to determine the role played by individual paragraphs, sentences, phrases, or words Investigate how meaning can be altered by changing key words and why an author may have chosen one word over another Examine how shifts in the direction of an argument or explanation are achieved and the impact of those shifts Question why authors choose to begin and end when they do Note and assess patterns of writing and what they achieve Consider what the text leaves uncertain or unstated

16. Overview of Text Complexity Four Steps to Creating Text Dependent Questions Find It Look Closer Prove It Take It Apart Based on Comprehension Through Deductive Reasoning by Margaret Kilgo and The Common Core Institute, Institute 3

17. Overview of Text Complexity Find It Most literal, requires reader to find explicitly stated facts and details in text Identify facts and details. What is…? Where is…? Who is…?

18. Overview of Text Complexity Look Closer Literal, but requires searching in more than one place Demonstrate understanding of information found in more than one place Compare and contrast… Explain… Summarize… What do the facts or ideas show… How would you rephrase the meaning?

19. Overview of Text Complexity Prove It Inferential, readers search for clues/evidence to support their answers Analyzing or evaluating the information Identify main idea… Draw conclusions… Make predictions… Make inferences… What is the theme…. What is the central idea…

20. Overview of Text Complexity Take it Apart Challenge the reader to analyze from a literary perspective Analyze text structure and organization The first paragraph is important because… How has the author used the information? (cause/effect, clues/evidence, chronological, etc.) Why does the author use a chart, illustration… The author uses description to tell…Give an example from the text.

21. Examples 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 protests. 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 mean 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?

22. Overview of Text Complexity Charlotte ’ s Web Can we make this text dependent?

23. Overview of Text Complexity Charlotte ’ s Web The characters in Charlotte’s Web all demonstrated certain character traits that were important to the outcome of the story. List three characters and complete the chart. CharacterTraitEvidence from the text How does this evidence show the trait you listed? What difference did it make in the story?

24. Overview of Text Complexity Analyze Your Own Choose your own classroom activity. Read each question carefully. Determine if it is a Text Dependent Question. If it isn ’ t a text dependent question, can you rewrite it?

25. What does this mean for my classroom?

26. Overview of Text Complexity Students Have to Live and Breath the Text We have to make a conscious effort to rethink what we do before, during, and after reading You have to spend time analyzing your questioning for each reading group in your classroom You have to dig into the text before your students can Planning is of the utmost importance and the detail is key We have to teach students how to interact with text and use the text in writing

27. Overview of Text Complexity It doesn ’ t mean… No more cool activities that get students excited about reading…but we have to rethink those activities and push the students farther to activate those higher levels of learning.