LAUSD 2012-13 - California Treasures - Text Dependent Question Template

Creating Text-Dependent Questions for Close Analytic Reading

An effective set of text dependent questions delves systematically into a text, to guide students in extracting the key meanings or ideas found there. They typically begin by exploring specific words, details, and arguments, and then move on to examine the impact of those specifics on the text as a whole.

Along the way, the questioning targets academic vocabulary and specific sentence structures as critical focus points for gaining comprehension.

While there is no set process for generating a complete and coherent body of text dependent questions for a text, the following process is a good guide that can serve to generate a core series of questions for close reading of any given text.

***THOUGH THE STEPS ARE NUMBERED, THE PROCESS FOR DEVELOPING A LESSON IS RECURSIVE.***

Step 1: Identify the Core Understandings and Key Ideas of the Text
As in any good backward mapping process, teachers should start by identifying the key insights they want students to understand from the text. Keeping in mind the major points to be made is crucial for crafting an overarching set of successful questions.
This step is also critical for creating an appropriate culminating assignment.

Step 2: Target Vocabulary
Locate the most powerful words in the text that are connected to the key ideas and understandings. Craft questions that draw students’ attention to these specifics so they can become aware of these connections. Vocabulary selected for focus should be academic words and high-utility words that are abstract and likely to be encountered in future reading and studies.
Needs of English Learners, SELs and SWDs should be a major focus in planning, e.g., contrastive analysis, vocabulary strategy practice, cognate connections, tiering vocabulary, clarifying common multiple-meaning words, vocabulary choices for particular registers, etc.

Step 3: Tackle Tough Sections of the Text: Syntax & Text Structures
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 or text structure, use of the passive voice, particularly dense information, tricky transitions, or places that offer a variety of possible inferences. This is another opportunity to engage contrastive analysis strategies, e.g., L1-L2 phrasing, analyzing passive & active voice structures, translation from home language(s) to school and academic language, contexts for use of particular registers, etc.

Step 4: Create Coherent Sequences of Text Dependent Questions – Start Small to Build Confidence
The opening questions should help orient students to the text, and be specific enough to answer so students gain confidence. The sequence of questions should not be random but should build toward more coherent understanding and analysis to ensure that students learn to stay focused on the text to bring them to a gradual understanding of its meaning.

Step 5: Identify the Standards That Will Be Addressed in the Whole Lesson
Take stock of what standards are being addressed in the series of questions and decide if any other standards are suited to being a focus for this text (forming additional questions that exercise those standards).

Step 6: Create the Culminating Task
Develop a culminating activity around the key ideas or understandings identified earlier that reflects:

(a) Mastery of one or more of the standards,
(b) Involves writing, and
(c) Is structured to be completed by students independently.

Grade 1st GradeUnit 3 Week 2

Core Understandings & Key Ideas of Text

Step 1 – Identify Core Understandings and Key Ideas of Text / Selection Title: Smile, Mike!
Big Idea for Unit (Unit planning page xvi_): Have Fun
Better Big Idea:
People have different interests. There are many ways to have fun.
Selection Concept - Each selection builds to a larger understanding of the Big Idea.
How does this selection connect to the Big Idea?
Families spend time together and care for each other. Families play games to have fun and make each other happy.
CCSS Focus Standard(s) : Reading Standards for Informational Text
What CCSS literacy standard(s) will you be addressing with this re-read of the selection?
RI.1.1: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
RI.1.2: Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or theme.
RI.1.5: Explain major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information, drawing on a wide reading of a range of texts.
Essential Question - Connect the CCSS Focus standard to the selection concepts in the form of a question:
How is this play different from other stories we have read? How does Mike’s family have fun together?

Vocabulary & Text Structure

KEY WORDS ESSENTIAL TO UNDERSTANDING THIS TEXT / HIGH UTILITY WORDS FOR LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT – Words ELs & all students need, to access this and other learning
Step 2 - Target Needed Vocabulary / TEACHER PROVIDES DEFINITION
Not enough clues providced in the text / Pg Words Clues/Supports
43 play Refer back to “A Dog For
Ike” Day 2 P. 38-39
44 characters / Pg Words Clues/Supports
45 just shades of meaning
46 make shades of meaning
57 at last time/order words
57 now time/order words
Step 2 - Target Needed Vocabulary / STUDENTS FIGURE OUT THE MEANING
Sufficient context or word structure clues text / Pg Words Clues/Supports / Pg Words Clues/Supports
44 gram/pops context/picture clues
45 fine shades of meaning/context
45 call shades of meaning/context
48 clap context/picture clues
51 bubbles context/picture clues
55 spin context/picture clues
57 rest context/picture clues
Step 3 – Challenging Syntax & Text Structures / p. 43 Smile, Mike! A Play
A play is a different kind of story that is usually read out loud. Each person who helps to read a play pretends to be one of the character.
p. 45 Meet the Characters
This is a list of all the characters in the story.

Coherent Sequences of Text-Dependent Questions

Text-Dependent Questions / Evidence-Based Answers
Step 4 - Craft questions that start small, address vocabulary, and build toward the key understandings and standards / Read p. 42
Who are the people in this story?
How do you know they are a family?
Who do you think Mike is? What makes you think that? / A family.
They are all together in their house. They love each other. They are smiling.
The baby. They are all looking at him. The family wants to make him smile.
Read p. 44
Smile, Mike! is a play. A play is usually read out loud. Each person who helps read a play pretends to be one of the characters. Who are the characters is this play? How do you know? / Mike, Spike, Mom, Dad, etc. It says Meet the Characters. The page shows the names and faces of the characters in the play.
Read p. 45
How does Mike feel? How do you know?
How do you know he is not hungry? / He is sad. He is crying. His mouth is open. He is making a Waaaah sound.
Mom says, “he just had a snack.”
Read p. 46
Is Mike happy to see the cat? What is your evidence? / No. He is still crying. Mike says No cat!
Read p. 47-48
Why are they singing the ABCs? Is it working? Which words in the story make you think that? / They want to make Mike happy. Gram says, ”Why is our little Mike so sad?” Pop says, “How can we make him smile?”
Mike keeps crying. He says, “No sing!”
Read p. 49
Mike still is not happy. Do you think they will keep trying to make Mike smile? What makes you think that? / Yes. They want him to smile. The family wants Mike to be happy. They keep trying. Mom and Dad tried. Gram and Pops tried. Ana and Juan tried.
Read p. 54-55
Who made Mike smile?
Why do you think Mike finally smiled? / Spike the dog made Mike smile.
Spike is funny. Mike likes Spike.
Read p. 56-57
How does this family have fun together?
Standards Covered in Lesson Sequence –A single lesson can cover multiple standards
Step 5 – Identify Standards Being Addressed in Lesson / RL.1.1: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
RL.1.2: Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or theme.
RL.1.3: Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
RL.1.5: Explain major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information, drawing on a wide reading of a range of texts.
RL.1.7: Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
SL1.2: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
W.5: With guidance and support from adults, focus on a topic, respond to questions and suggestions from peers, and add details to strengthen writing as needed.
Culminating Task – Describe task and steps students will take to achieve them.
Step 6 – Culminating Task / Prompt = Teacher instructions to students:
We will make a list of different ways families have fun together. You will choose one to write about.
Task & Steps:
  • Students Think-Pair-Share different ways families have fun together. Teacher charts out student responses.
  • Teacher and students discuss the answers to students’ responses.
  • Students select one to write about.

Additional Tasks – (optional)Ex: to supplement or build toward culminating task; provide additional depth, complexity, novelty or acceleration for advanced students; make content connections; etc.
  1. Students bring artifacts to share about the things they do with their families for fun.
  2. Students change some of the dialogue in the play.
  3. Students write their own play.
  4. Students change the ending of the play.

Notes to Teacher Ex: Which sections of text to focus on for particular teaching points; considerations for grouping; content connections, supplemental resources or links
  • Look at the English Learner Resource Book (pp. 126 - 133) to help with the vocabulary and question formulation as well as for additional tasks.
  • Consider that students read two different plays this week to provide them with a better understanding of what a play is and how they are different from other texts.
  • Consider that the previous reading selection “Masks! Masks! Masks!”describes how masks can help you act out a story or a play.