Text-Dependent Questions

Athena MSMarch 12, 2013

AgendaO Where do the shifts come in?O What are text-dependent questions?O How do I write questions that are

text-dependent?O Activity

Grades 6-12 Reading Standards

(DSCYFEducation, 2013)

The 6 Shifts Reorganized

1. Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction

2. Reading, writing and speaking grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational

3. Regular practice with complex text and its academic language

Shift # 2: Text Dependent Questions

Reading, writing and speaking grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational

“Read like a detective, write like an investigative

reporter.”

Time – In and Out of the Text

• More instructional time spent outside the text means less time 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 are College and Career Readiness Standards.

(DSCYFEducation, 2013)

Text-Dependent Questions are not…

Low-level, literal, or recall questions

Focused on comprehension strategies

Just questions…

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.

Three Types of Text-Dependent Questions

OWhen you're writing or reviewing a set of questions, consider the following three categories:

•Questions that assess themes and central ideas

•Questions that assess knowledge of vocabulary

•Questions that assess syntax and structure

Middle School Example

What can we tell about Hercules?

What aspects of Hercules’ character is the author developing in this paragraph? What words or phrases support these traits?

High School ExampleAbraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg

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

Lincoln begins his speech with a reference to the birth of our nation. What founding principles does Lincoln outline in this paragraph? (This leads into a later discussion of what’s at stake in this civil war)

Creating Text-Dependent Questions

• Identify the core understandings and key ideas of the text.

• Start small to build confidence.

• Target vocabulary and text structure.

• Tackle tough sections head-on.

• Create coherent sequences of text-dependent questions.

• Identify the standards that are being addressed.

• Create the culminating assessment.

For more information…O EngageNY.orgO Parcconline.orgO Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES live binder:

http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=754207

Activity

**Reference slides 9, 10, and 13 **