Getting at the Heart of Close Reading and Text-dependent Questions

Presented by

Kate McClain, Reading SpecialistDawn Settle, PAGE Past President

May 1, 2015

Graphic credit - https://www.pinterest.com/pin/86623992807376489/

In this session…

Participants will• Appreciate close reading as a strategy to gain deeper

understanding of a text

• Engage in a model lesson of close reading to experience how this strategy leads to analysis

• Examine text dependent questions and the connection with gathering evidence using the close reading strategy

• View cross curricular text samples in various modes

Characteristics of a gifted reader

We have learned through research that some common characteristics of a gifted reader is this student…

• Comprehends reading materials that are two or more years above grade level• Understands abstract ideas quickly and easily; have very little to learn from being

required to participate in grade level instruction• Know, understand, appreciate and use advance vocabulary• Love to read and do so with great concentration and enthusiasm• Retain what they have read for a long time• Make connections between various reading selections and between what they

are reading and other content areas• Understand the authors styles and uses the various literary elements• Needs less drill to master reading skills and techniques• Needs opportunity to read at their own pace and demonstrate previous or early

mastery of reading skills and vocabulary• Interact with what they read in creative ways• Have interests that set them apart from other readers

• --Susan Winebrenner: Teaching Gifted Kids in Today’s Clasroom, (2012)

Digging Deeper

How to Bartle Puzballs

There are tork gooboos of puzballs, including laplies, mushos, and fushos. Even if you bartle the puzballs that tovo inny and onny of ther pern, they do not grunto any lipplies. In order to geemee a puzball that gruntos lipples, you should bartle the fusho who has rarckled the parshtootoos after her humphy fluflu.

1. How many gooboos of puzballs are there?2. What are laplies, muchos, and fushos?3. Even if you bartle the puzballs that tovo inny and onny of the

pern, they will not what?4. How can you geemee a puzball that gruntos lipples?

How did you do?

1. How many gooboos of puzballs are there? There are tork gooboos of puzballs.

2. What are laplies, muchos, and fushos? Laplies, mushos, and fushos are tork gooboos of puzballs.

3. Even if you bartle the puzballs that tovo inny and onny of the pern, they will not what? They will not grunto any lipples.

4. How can you geemee a puzball that gruntos lipples? You should bartle the fusho who has rarckled her parshtootoos after her humply fluflu

“Every book has a skeleton hidden between its covers. Your job as an

analytic reader is to find it.”

“The unexamined life is not worth living” ~ Socrates

What Is close reading? (Figure 1.2) Falling in Love

• It is an interaction between the reader and a text (Douglas Fisher in the online video interview, “Close Reading and the Common Core State Standards,” April 3, 2012).

• It is about making careful observations of a text and then interpretations of those observations (Patricia Kain for the Writing Center at Harvard University, 1998).

• It involves rereading; often rereading a short portion of a text that helps a reader to carry new ideas to the whole text (Kylene Beers and Robert Probst in Notice and Note, 2012).

Powerful Close Reading Instruction

• Must raise engagement and joy, not diminish it• Must lead student to independence, not dependence on the

teacher prompting• Must be one piece of your reading instruction, not the only

part of your instruction• Must allow time for students to read for extended periods and

across many pages of text, not interrupt time spent reading with activities

• Must be repeated across time and involve lots of opportunities for practice, not be a one time activity

• Must be designed in response to the strengths and needs of your students, not planned solely to match a book or fit a scope and sequence

Students

• Students should slow down when reading and become “text detectives”.

• They should be more attentive to the texts.

• Students should read and reread deliberately.

• Focus on Tier II words and/or particular phrases or sentences the author uses.

• Students present their thinking, observations, and analyses through writing, technology or speaking

Teachers

• Teachers can use text exemplars from

the appendices of the CCSS. (http://elaccss.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Resources)

• Teachers need to select text that is rich

enough for students to draw good

evidences from them.

• Teachers will provide students with a

purpose or focus for reading.

• Strategies should be provided for reading

different genres and text types

What does Close Reading look like in the classroom?

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How teachers might implement Close Reading

• Model several readings of short texts• Read and re-read deliberately, slowly examining and thinking about

how words and meaning evolve• Read with a pencil in hand, annotate the text while marking the key

ideas and structure • Look for patterns in the text that deepen meaning – repetition,

contradictions, similarities. commonalities• Identify author’s use of vocabulary • Teacher-led discussions of the text• Write about the text using evidence to support student responses

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Reading through Lenses

Chief Joseph’s Surrender Speech

Tell General Howard I know his heart. What he told me before, I have it in my heart. I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed; Looking Glass is dead, Too-hul-hul-sote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led on the young men is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets; the little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food.No one knows where they are—perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children, and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.

~ October 5, 1877

Chief Joseph succeeded his father as leader of the Wallowa band in 1871. Before his death, he said to his son . . .

"My son, my body is returning to my mother earth, and my spirit is going very soon to see the Great Spirit Chief. When I am gone, think of your country. You are the chief of these people. They look to you to guide them. Always remember that your father never sold his country. You must stop your ears whenever you are asked to sign a treaty selling your home. A few years more and white men will be all around you. They have their eyes on this land. My son, never forget my dying words. This country holds your father's body. Never sell the bones of your father and your mother.”Joseph commented, “I clasped my father’s hand, and promised to do as he asked. A man who would not love his father’s grave is worse than a wild animal.”

Non- Fiction Lenses for Responding to Literature

General Strands for Reading Literature

RL9.CCR Anchor Strand:Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.

RL10.CCR Anchor Strand:Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

Ideas

• What was the main idea?• What other major ideas and concepts

were important?• Explain the relationship between

individuals, events, and ideas.• What does the text state explicitly,

and what inferences can be drawn from it?

• How do the central ideas develop throughout the text?

• What conclusions or generalizations can be drawn from the text?

… What connections can you make between the concept?

Structure

• What do you notice about the structure?

• How do the text features contribute to the understanding of the concept?

• How are the reasons and evidence in the text organized?

• How did the structure of the writing contribute to the meaning or purpose of the text?

• How do visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning or purpose of a text?

…How does the structure contribute to the concept?

Key Words

• What were some words and phrases that were especially interesting or important? Why?

• What academic or technical words are integral to this text?

…How do the words reflect the central concept?

Point of View• What was the author trying to say

about the main ideas/concepts?• Is this a primary or secondary source?• How are the author’s ideas similar to,

or different from, other texts about the concept?

• How does the point of view or purpose shape the content and style of the text?…Why might people have different perspectives about the concept?

Reasoning• What evidence is presented to

support the ideas and concept?• How does the author uses reasons

and evidence to support particular points in the texts?

• What assumptions does the author make?

• What are the implications of these assumptions?…Why is the evidence important to

understanding the concept?

Adapted from: Center for Gifted Education. (1998). Literary reflections a language arts unit for high-ability learners. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing.

Fiction Lenses for Responding to Literature

General Strands for Reading Literature

RL9.CCR Anchor Strand:Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.

RL10.CCR Anchor Strand:Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

Ideas• What were the major

themes/ideas?• What was the author trying to say

about the theme/ideas?• Is there a lesson/moral?• What does the text state explicitly,

and what inferences might be drawn from the text?

• How do the central ideas develop throughout the text?

… What connection can you make to the concept?

Structure• What do you notice about the

structure?• What literary and style elements did

the author use? Why?• From what point of view is the text

written? Why?• How does the point of view shape

the structure, content, and style?• In what ways is the setting integral to

the text?• How do visual and multimedia

elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text?

…How does the structure contribute to the concept?

Key Words• What were some words/phrases that

were • especially interesting or important?

Why?• What examples of figurative

language relate to the concept?• How do the words or phrases shape

the meaning or tone?

…How do the words reflect the concept?

Feelings• What feelings did you have while

reading this selection?• What caused you to feel this way?• What feelings did the characters

have?• How did the characters develop over

the course of the text?• How does the setting affect

mood/plot?…What is the connection between

feelings and the concept?

Images/Symbols• How did the author use

description/imagery in the text?• What sensory images came to your

mind?• How did the author use symbols?• What evidence is provided in the

text to interpret the imagery and/or symbols?

…How do the symbols and images relate to the concept?

Adapted from: Center for Gifted Education. (1998). Literary reflections a language arts unit for high-ability learners. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing.

Close Reading is…

• Reading 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 complex text.

• Reading of complex texts involves engaging with and examining facts and details about the text.

• The ability to notice features and language used.• When students think thoroughly and methodically

about what the details mean. 16

Text-Dependent Questions

Expects students to construct a well-written essay to demonstrate analysis of the text, moving beyond answering and generating questions about explicit and implicit information, summarizing, and being aware of vocabulary or text structure.

Text Dependent Questions are best answered if students use• Answers through close reading• Evidence from text, not information from self or outside

sources• Understanding of basic facts and recall

What are Text-Dependent Analysis Questions?

• specifically asks a question that can only be answered by referring explicitly back to the text being read

Text-dependent questions requires close reading of a text.

• do not rely on any particular background information nor depend on students having other experiences or knowledge

These questions require students to provide evidence from the text and to draw inferences based on what the text says in order to support an analysis.

• uses the text and what students can extract from what is presented to them in the text

This is different from reading comprehension questions which require students to read to get the “gist” of the text.

Three Types of Text-Dependent Questions

When 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

Text-Dependent Questions Hierarchy

Opinions, Arguments, Intertextual ConnectionsInferences

Author’s Purpose

Vocab & Text Structure

Key Details

General Understandings

Part

Sentence

Paragraph

Entire text

Across texts

Word

Whole

Segments

Text- Dependent AnalysisSample structure of Text Dependent Questions

Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey

Text Dependent writing includes

• A literal check for understanding but must also require analysis, synthesis, evaluation

• Emphasizes the use of explicit and implicit information from the text to support reasoning and analysis (detailed examination of the elements or structure of something, typically as a basis for discussion or interpretation)

• Focus on the word level, sentence level, paragraph level, segment, whole text, or across texts

Center for Assessment and Pennsylvania Department of Education

Creating Questions for Close Analytic Reading Exemplars

• Think about what you think is the most important learning to be drawn from the text. Note this as raw material for the culminating assignment and the focus point for other activities to build toward.

• Determine the key ideas of the text. Create a series of questions structured to bring the reader to an understanding of these.

• Locate the most powerful academic words in the text and integrate questions and discussions that explore their role into the set of questions above.

• Take stock of what standards are being addressed in the series of questions above. Then decide if any other standards are suited to being a focus for this text. If so, form questions that exercise those standards.

• Consider if there are any other academic words that students would profit from focusing on. Build discussion planning or additional questions to focus attention on them.

• Find the sections of the text that will present the greatest difficulty and craft questions that support students in mastering these sections. These could be sections with difficult syntax, particularly dense information, and tricky transitions or places that offer a variety of possible inferences.

• Develop a culminating activity around the idea or learning identified in #1. A good task should reflect mastery of one or more of the standards, involve writing, and be structured to be done by students independently.

www.achievethecore.org

Non-Examples and 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 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

Checklist for Evaluating Question Quality

Samples of Close Reading and Text Dependent AnalysisSamples of work are included in the live binder• Eleven by Sandra Cisneros- 5th grade

• Wonder by R.J. Placcio- 6th grade

• Chief Joseph Speech- 6th grade

• MLK Speech- 8th grade

• Gift of the Magi- 8th grade

Additional Resources

Achieve the Core: www.achievethecore.com

Engage NY: www.engageny.org

PA SAS Website: http://www.pdesas.org/module/content/search/

ReadWorks: www.readworks.org

ReadWriteThink: www.Readwritethink.org

Reference ListFisher, Douglas, Nancy Frey, Heather Anderson, and Marisol Thayre. Text-dependent Questions, Grades K-5: Pathways to Close and Critical Reading. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

Fisher, Douglas, Nancy Frey, Heather Anderson, and Marisol Thayre. Text-dependent Questions, Grades 6-12: Pathways to Close and Critical Reading. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

Gallagher, Kelly. Deeper Reading: Comprehending Challenging Texts, 4-12. Portland, Me.: Stenhouse, 2004. Print.

Lehman, Christopher, and Kate Roberts. Falling in Love with Close Reading: Lessons for Analyzing Texts--and Life. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

Pennsylvania Department of Education, Center for Assessment

Susan Winebrenner: Teaching Gifted Kids in Today’s Clasroom, (2012)

Falling in love with Close Reading and Analysis