Creating Text-Dependent Questions for Close Analytic Reading
Selection: ____Earth Smart_____ by ___Time for Kids_____ Grade: _3 Unit _3
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)
Moderately Complex
Subject Matter Knowledge Common practical knowledge but may have abstract ideas.
Vocabulary: Somewhat complex academic vocabulary words that students may be unfamiliar with (donate, unaware, members, contribute, environment, green school, etc.) that may need visuals, repetition, or other scaffolding.
Text Structure
Organization of Main Idea: Very Complex- it has multiple main idea and details about different ways to conserve. Pg. 70: Green schools use less energy than regular schools.
For example, solar panels, recycling, nature, and the environment.
Conventionality: Very Complex- The non-fiction article carries some complex sentences that are reader friendly to understand with some academic vocabulary; however, it does contain some abstract language and idioms.
Pg. 70 “Students also donate money or time to environmental groups.”
Pg. 71 “Going to the Birds”
Pg. 71 “Kids tackled large projects, too.”
Pg. 71 “The chickens make eggs that are sold in the school store, which students run.”
Pg. 73 “Spending time outside has open her eyes.”
CCSS Focus Standards:
CCSS RI3.2,RL.3.4a, RL.3.5a ,SL3.3,
Content Standards: Life Science.3.3c
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. #)
-Vocabulary is very subject specific. -Building of academic content-based knowledge.
Examples on pg. 71-Students also donate money or time to environmental groups.
Pg. 72-They contribute by feeding the chickens and taking turns cleaning the chicken coop.
-Text-Structure-
non-fiction features (subheadings, photographs, captions)
Examples of photographs & captions on pages 70-73
Examples of headings on pages 71 & 73
Examples of bold print page 71, 72, 73
CCSS Focus Standards: RL 3.4, RI 3.5
Using passages that include multiple text features (e.g., bold print, captions, key words, italics, sub-titles), students choose one of the text features and explain how that feature supports the main idea of the text.
-Figurative language may be hard to access without scaffolds from teacher such as Idioms.
Examples on pg. 70 “Students also donate money or time to environmental groups.
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Pg. 71 “Going to the Birds”
Pg. 71 “Kids tackled large projects, too.”
Language: (Syntax, Vocabulary Examples, pg. #)
-Discipline specific vocabulary & multiple-meaning words
Pg. 71 “The chickens make eggs that are sold in the school store, which students run.”
Pg. 73 “Spending time outside has open her eyes.”
Pre teach Activity/Lesson
Access to informative text -Identify the over-all main idea of the selection
-Identify the main ideas within the proceeding paragraphs
-Identify non-fiction text features
First Read: Read through the entire text in a day pgs. 70-73. The students work with partners to read text and pause frequently to share details. Students compile details or information to identify the main ideas of texts.
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
Learning Focus: Vocabulary and Figurative Language Focus CCSS: RL.3.4a, RL.3.5a
Text-Dependent Questions Evidence-Based Answers/Pg. #
According to the article, what does it mean to Pg. 70 paragraph 1- A green school means that be a green school? it is friendly to the environment, or concerned about taking care of the Earth.
Re-read on page 70 paragraphs 2 &3, what does it mean to be “friendly to the environment”?
Re-read How do solar panels make a school green?
According to the author, page 70 paragraph
3.What examples did the author use to describe how the school recycles? Cite examples from page.
What does the author mean when he states
Everyone at Goodwillie school pitches in to take care of the chickens? Support your answer.
Pg. 70 paragraph 2-3- Use less energy, use solar panels, and recycled items.
Pg. 70 paragraph 1-2 –Solar panels get heat from the sun to keep the school warm in winter. The school uses less energy.
Pg.70 paragraph-It’s walls and floors are made with recycled material. Even the outdoor deck is made from sawdust and recycled milk jugs.
Pg. 72 paragraph 1-2-:feed chickens, clean the coop, make compost
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On page 73 paragraph 2, Clara states that
nature has opened her eyes. What does this mean? pg.73-to make her aware of her surrounding or outside.
Close Read II.
Learning Focus: Main Idea and details Focus CCSS: RI.3.2
Text-Dependent Questions Evidence-Based Answers/Pg. #
Where do students at Goodwillie school spend part of everyday? What do they do?
What are some large projects that some students tackle?
Pg.71 paragraph 1- outside, collect sap visit a pond, pick up trash.
Pg. 71-paragraph 2- They build a canoe, they make butterfly gardens, and the donate money and time.
What do you think students learn from raising or taking care of chickens?
Pg. 71 paragraph 3- How to collect eggs and how much money to collect to sell eggs for
(farming lesson teaches kids about nature, the environment and business).
What is the main idea of “Great Green
Schools” on page 72? What details support the main idea?
Pg. 72 Schools across the country are going green!
California plans to open 150 green schools in the next few years.
Green schools are better for the environment and for students.
Students learn better in rooms with natural sunlight.
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: How do green schools help the environment? Cite specific examples from the text of how Goodwillie school help the environment. Explain your thinking.
Vocabulary KEY WORDS ESSENTIAL TO
UNDERSTANDING
Words addressed with a question or task
Page 70- environment
Pg. 70-solar panels
Pg. 70-recycled
Pg. 70-outdoor deck
WORDS WORTH KNOWING
General teaching suggestions are provided in the Introduction
Pg. 72-compost
Pg. 71-nature
Pg. 71-collect sap
Pg.70 -energy bills
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Pg. 71-donate
Pg. 72-contribute
Pg. 73-members
Pg. 73-unaware
Pg. 73-seasons
Pg. 72-manure
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