Ishu Khurana and Paula Paulino, Krystal Alexander and Kim Benjamin
Creating Text-Dependent Questions for Close Analytic Reading
Selection: A Historic Journey by _____________ Grade: 5 Unit 2
Initial Planning
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 the major points to be made in mind is crucial for crafting an overarching set of successful
questions. This step is also critical for creating a means to check for student understanding.
Identify Lesson Focus: (Review Qualitative Measures)
The lesson focuses on language demands. The language is explicit and straightforward for the benchmark students,
however it is very complex for ELs and SELs
Also, the author’s purpose is to help students understand why it was important for Jefferson to explorer the vast territory.
Text Structure: slightly to moderately complex.
Pg. 167 The map shows the westward route
P168. Picture of prairie dog- example from the diverse animal life
P. 168. One of their diagrams in their journals
CCSS Focus Standards:
RI.5.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text
Rl.10 Read and understand complex literacy and informational text independently and proficiently.
RI 5.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or
subject area
Use shorter text or excerpts of longer texts
Supporting Student Needs
Considerations for Reader and Task
To really understand a complex text, the reader will have to read it more than once, to make sense of what the author is saying
and to glean the details at both the explicit and implicit levels. First and foremost, close reading demands a willingness to
return to the text to read part or even all of it more than once, ultimately instilling habits of mind in approaching text. Planning
for multiple reads as well as multiple purposes for reads is essential in order to support all student needs.
Potential Challenges this Text Poses:
Strategies/Lessons to access complex text: Pre teach


Meaning: (Conceptual Understanding Examples, pg. #)
Pg. 167. Paragraph 1 the challenge is why was the water route
so important.
The challenge that this text may also pose to students maybe in
the lack of prior knowledge

Preview the organization of the text
Picture walk, Introduce vocabulary using various
strategies (e.g Identify words and determine a
definition with your students engaging students
dealing with word meaning (word association
and ideas completion) and culminate with
vocabulary tea party.
Provide media/technology (Treasures/wikiedia)
Enormity of the task before Lewis and Clark (5.1)
Language: (Syntax, Vocabulary Examples, pg. #)
CCSS Focus Standards:
Pg. 167 looking at bold vocabulary words, tier 2 words
(naturalist, trove, combined, diverse, instill, vacant, endurance
ect.)
Pg. 168 vocabulary: gullies, traders and trappers

Vocabulary and sentence structure in the text
Example: P.168. Combined effort produce descriptions of the
diverse, plants and animal life in the territory -22 kinds of
animals and 178 kinds of plants
RI.5.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the
text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text
Rl.10 Read and understand complex literacy and
informational text independently and proficiently.
RI 5.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain
specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic
or subject area RI 5.3 Explain the relationship or
interactions between two or more individuals, events,
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Ishu Khurana and Paula Paulino, Krystal Alexander and Kim Benjamin
ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical
text based on specific information in the text.
Pre teach
1.
2.
3.
Activity/Lesson
Pre teach listed vocabulary
Picture Walk
Access informational text
1.Define, example, ask and visual glossary
Idea completion; Lewis and Clark were naturalist
because__________
Word association; diverse (ask students to think of similar
words that will mean diverse) people, plants and animals
are different. (Which words represent diversity)
2. Think pair share (square), have students generate
questions for their peers from the text, identify how the
author has organized this selection (e.g heading, sub
headings, captions and maps)
First Read: Teacher will read the entire selection for the general idea and the gist. The selection is only 3-pages long.
The
strategies will be summarizing. Teacher models the first paragraph.
Close Reads
Create Coherent Sequence of Text-Dependent Questions
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.
Think of ways to maximize student engagement.
Close Read I (Start small to build confidence)
Learning Focus: Author’s Purpose
Focus CCSS: RI.5.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences
from the text
Rl.10 Read and understand complex literacy and informational text independently and proficiently.
Text-Dependent Questions
Evidence-Based Answers/Pg. #
Pg. 167
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Ishu Khurana and Paula Paulino, Krystal Alexander and Kim Benjamin
Why did President Jefferson ask Lewis and Clark He wanted to find a water route between
to explore a huge area of North America? (167) Mississippi river and the Pacific Ocean to boost
Note: Talk to your partner to make sure that
the trade
you can both show evidence from text
Pg. 167
What did Jefferson expect them to report on?
He expected them to report on people, plants
(167)
and animals that inhabited the territory.
Pg. 168
Pg. 168 (inferential question)
Why did Lewis and Clark capture a live “prairie
They wanted Jefferson to see an example of
dog” and send it to President Jefferson in
the new animals they had discovered in that
Washington?
territory.
Students may make different inferences as to
why a live animal was sent.
What do you think was the reason for the
Pg. 168
buffalos to move south? (168)
By fall the buffalos were starting to move south
because the weather was going to be harsh up
north.
Pg. 167
Why does the author say, “ A few months later, The buffalos were moving south to the
feast of fresh buffalo were just pleasant
wintering grounds and they couldn’t be hunted
memories.” (167)
for fresh meat, that the explorers had enjoyed
earlier and that is why they were just pleasant
memories.
What did the team members eat while the
Pg. 168
buffalos were gone south? (168)
Native Americans were great hosts and they
introduced them to the mule deer meat since
buffalo meat was unavailable.
Why did the author called Clark a horrible
P. 169
speller? (169)
When they finally reached the Pacific Ocean,
Clark wrote in his journal “ocian” instead of
ocean. More examples of misspell words are
found in A Historic Journey in Wonders.
Close Read II.
Learning Focus: Cause and Effect
Focus CCSS: RI 5.3 Explain the relationship or interactions between two or more individuals,
events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information
in the text.
RI.5.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text
Rl.10 Read and understand complex literacy and informational text independently and proficiently.
Text-Dependent Questions
What is meant by the term “naturalist” (167)
Evidence-Based Answers/Pg. #
Pg. 167
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Ishu Khurana and Paula Paulino, Krystal Alexander and Kim Benjamin
Looking at the map on Pg. 167, What
alternatives routes could Lewis and Clark could
have considered? How would today’s
technology change the Lewis and Clark
expedition?
What does the author mean when he says,
“keeping track while making tracks?” (169)
Why did the author title the selection A Historic
Journey?
What is the author’s perspective about Lewis
and Clark? P. 169
Because they both kept excellent maps and
diaries of everything they saw in nature and
learned. Their combined efforts were
used………(167)
Understand pro and cons of different routes
Pg. 167. Alternate routes may or may not
have been feasible.
Pg. 169
There is a pun on the word track. While they
were exploring (making tracks), the great
endless plains, jagged rocky mountains, and
the glittering Pacific Ocean, they were also
keeping track (writing in their journals) of what
they saw and when they saw.
Inferential question
By inference the students can say that the
author called this selection A Historic Journey
because no explorer before had kept extensive
journals, maps and diagrams. This was perhaps
the first time and therefore historic.
Pg. 169
Students can infer that the author has great
respect and admiration for these explorers. He
is impressed by their courage to take on the
assignment, their endurance and their keen
observational skills to notice the enormous
diversity in plants and animals. The author
uses the word courage, endurance and keen
observation in describing them.
Checking for Understanding
How will you know that learning has occurred? Planning for a means to check student understanding is crucial. Refer back to
the Lesson Focus to plan intentionally to check for student understanding.
Describe how you will check for student understanding:
The teacher will check for understanding by listening to the students during peer-to-peer
collaboration and listening for academic vocabulary. The students will provide evidence from
the selection for their oral responses. Using a flow map and inviting responses from the
students about cause and effect the teacher will gauge students understanding of the selection
and clear misconceptions.
The culminating activity will be for students to create an interview between Jefferson and
Lewis and Clark. The setting for the interview will be before the expedition takes place and at
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Ishu Khurana and Paula Paulino, Krystal Alexander and Kim Benjamin
the conclusion of the expedition. Conduct the interview from two perspectives: 1) Historical
and 2) Present time
Continuing to read about the historic journey in Wonders can also extend this learning.
Louisiana Purchase Pg. 174-175
A Historic Journey 176-177
STUDENTS FIGURE OUT
THE MEANING
sufficient context clues
are provided in the text
TEACHER PROVIDES
DEFINITION
not enough contextual
clues provided in the text
Vocabulary
KEY WORDS ESSENTIAL TO
UNDERSTANDING
Words addressed with a question or task
WORDS WORTH KNOWING
General teaching suggestions are provided in
the Introduction
diverse, geography, trapper, gullies,
vacant
(Considerations for ELs)
Expedition, water route,
Naturalist, territory, trove
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