Textual Evidence
Textual Evidence is another way of saying
“evidence from the text.” In other words, you use
quotes from the text you’re reading in order to
prove what your response is to it.
Remember, quotes doesn’t mean dialogue. You
can use any part of the text as quotes in your own
writing . . . not just the parts that are already in
quotation marks.
Textual Evidence
On the first page of “Seventh Grade” I learn Victor is Latino or
Mexican descent. Even though Gary Soto never actually wrote
that Victor was, here are some pieces of textual evidence that
would lead me to infer (guess) that about him:
• “He already spoke Spanish and English…” (32).
• “There were rivers in France, and huge churches,
and fair-skinned people everywhere, the way there
were brown people all around Victor” (32).
We would call those two pieces of text “textual evidence”
because they are EVIDENCE from the TEXT that PROVES
my response.
Textual Evidence – Prove it
Three-Part Response Format
When you’re asked a question you should always use the
three-part response format to answer it.
●
Answer - is where you give the correct answer to the
questions
●
textual evidence - the explanation is providing the
evidence from the text to back up your answer using quotes
and paraphrasing
●
parenthetical citations means giving credit in
parentheses (write line numbers).
Textual Evidence
1. Why does Victor hope that Teresa is in the same
class he is?
Sentence Starter: Victor hopes Teresa is in the same
class he is because ______.
I know this because the text states ______.
I found this on line ________.
Textual Evidence
Victor hopes that Teresa is going to be
in the same class this year because he
likes her. I know this because he says
“Teresa is going to be my girl this year,
he promised himself as he left the gym
full of students in their new fall clothes.
She was cute” (32).
Textual Evidence
Whenever you pull information from a text and write it down
somewhere else, do two things to avoid PLAGIARISM:
1. Properly punctuate it with quotation
marks. “ “
2. After the closing quotation mark but
BEFORE the end punctuation, you must
include its page number in parentheses.