Common Core Reading Standards:
An Instructional Resource for
Secondary Language Arts Teachers
2012
Howard County Public School System
Renee A. Foose, Ed.D., Superintendent
Board of Education of Howard County
Sandra H. French
Chairman
Frank J. Aquino, Esq.
Vice Chairman
Allen Dyer, Esq.
Ellen Flynn Giles
Brian J. Meshkin
Janet Siddiqui, M.D.
Cynthia L. Vaillancourt
Cole T. Rosenberg
Student Member
Renee A. Foose, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Copyright 2012
Overview
This document provides resources related to reading skills, and student expectations
regarding analytical reading of informational and literary text. This document includes
informational sheets, reading strategies, lesson seeds, and supplementary documents.
As the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) provides additional
information, this document will be revised.
Acknowledgements
This document, Reading Standards Across Content Areas: A Resource for 6-12
Teachers, was prepared under the direction of Zeleana Morris, Coordinator of
Secondary Language Arts, and Sharon Stein, Instructional Facilitator for Secondary
Reading.
Special appreciation is extended to the following curriculum writers:
Kathy Mehalko, Glenwood Middle School
Patricia Robinson, Lake Elkhorn Middle School
Kristen Vance, Dunloggin Middle School
Danielle Wojcik, River Hill High School
Close Reading
and
Text-Dependent Questions
Text Complexity
Definition: Text Complexity includes three components, qualitative dimensions,
quantitative measures, and reader and task considerations.
Qualitative refers to meaning, structure, text features, clarity of the language, and the
intended purpose of the text.
Quantitative refers to word frequency, sentence length and text cohesion. To get a
sense of the difficulty of school texts, you have a measure on your computer called the
Flesch-Kincaid. This is a tool that is designed to show if a text is easy or difficult to
read. When using this tool, you will receive a readability formula called Lexiles.
www.lexile.com
Reader and task considerations refer to the students’ cognitive abilities and skills,
motivation, prior knowledge, and content/theme considerations.
Strategies for teaching complex text:

Challenge students to struggle with the text.

Encourage use of context clues and structural analysis of vocabulary.

Teach the reading/writing connection by having students practice variations in
their writing to match the complexities of what they are reading.

Model and teach critical thinking skills to understand complex text.

Adjust instruction to accommodate reading issues as students read more
complex text.

Encourage independent reading outside the classroom to increase
comprehension and vocabulary.
(Adapted from http://penningtonpublishing.com/blog/reading/why-and-how-to-teachcomplex-text)
1
Reader and Task Considerations for Text Complexity
Cognitive Capabilities
Discussion/Comments
To what degree . . .
 do the readers possess the attention span necessary to read and comprehend the text?
 will the readers be able to remember and make connections among the various details presented in the text?
 do readers possess the critical/analytical thinking skills necessary to understand the relationships between and among the various parts of the text?

can the text be sufficiently scaffolded to overcome any deficits in cognitive capabilities?
Reading Skills
To what degree . . .
 do the readers possess the necessary reading skills (foundational skills, inferencing, questioning, comprehension strategies) to understand and make
connections in the text?

can the text be sufficiently scaffolded to overcome any deficits in reading skills?
Motivation and Engagement with Task and Text
To what degree . . .
 will the readers be interested in the content of the text?
 will the readers be interested in and engaged with the style of writing and/or the presentation of ideas within the text?
 will the readers be able to understand the purpose for reading the text, which might shift over the course of the reading experience (i.e., skimming,
studying to retain content, close reading, etc.)?

can sufficient motivation be developed to increase the reader’s enthusiasm and engagement with the task and text?
Prior Knowledge and Experience
To what degree . . .
 do the readers possess adequate prior knowledge of and/or experience with the topic, the vocabulary, the genre, the language (i.e., syntax,
diction, rhetoric) of the text?
 can connections be made between the content of the text and other learning experiences?

can deficits in prior knowledge of and/or experience with the topic, the vocabulary, the genre, and/or the language be overcome with minimal
instructional time?
Content and/or Theme Considerations
To what degree . . .
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


does the text contain sensitive issues or topics (e.g., gender-bias, cultural stereotypes, age-bias, sexuality, outdated perceptions, etc.) that some
readers may find inappropriate?
does the text contribute to a balance of diversity throughout the course or grade level reading selections?
do the readers possess the maturity to respond appropriately to any potentially sensitive issues or topics?
can potentially sensitive topics or issues be addressed through the creation of a safe classroom environment and open communication with
students and parents?
Associated Tasks
To what degree . . .
 will the characteristics of any tasks and/or questions (complexity, length, relevance, etc,) associated with the text interfere with the reading
experience?
 do all the tasks and/or questions require the reader to stay grounded in the text?
Adapted from Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Appendix.
Reading English Language Arts / Maryland State Department of Education
2
Rev. 4/27/12
Qualitative Dimensions of Text Complexity (Literature)
Text Structure
Complex
 Complex/implicit/unconventional literary
structures
 Frequent manipulations of time and sequence
 Many shifts in point of view
Mostly Complex
 Some complexities and
unconventionality; more implicit than
explicit
 Several major shift in time/use of
flashback
 Occasional shifts in point of view
Mostly Simple
 Primarily simple and conventional; more
explicit than implicit
 No major shift in time; may use minor
flashback, but primarily chronological
 Few, if any, shifts in point of view
Simple
 Simple/explicit/conventional literary text
structures
 Chronological sequence
 No shifts in point of view
Language Conventionality and Clarity
Complex
Mostly Complex
Mostly Simple
 Complex sentence structures
 Sophisticated use of figurative language,
irony, allegory, and/or abstract language
 Unfamiliar, archaic, ambiguous, and/or
purposefully misleading language usage
 Sophisticated use of vocabulary that is multimeaning, connotative, conceptual, academic,
and domain-specific
 Primarily complex sentence structures
 Use of figurative language, irony,
allegory, and/or abstract language
 Use of unfamiliar, archaic, ambiguous,
and/or purposefully misleading language
usage
 Some sophisticated vocabulary that is
multi-meaning, connotative, conceptual,
academic, and domain-specific
 Mostly simple sentence structures with
modest use of complex structures
 Predominantly literal language with
moderate use of figurative language and/or
irony
 Mostly contemporary, familiar, and
conversational language
 Largely simple vocabulary with moderate
use of vocabulary that is multi-meaning,
connotative, conceptual, academic, and/or
domain-specific
Simple
 Simple sentence structures
 Literal language
 Contemporary, familiar, and/or
conversational language
 Simple vocabulary
Levels of Meaning
Complex
Mostly Complex
Mostly Simple
Simple
 Subtle, implied, difficult to determine theme
and/or purpose
 Sophisticated, multiple themes and
perspectives
 Multiple, unfamiliar, opposing perspectives
and/or experiences
 Sophisticated references/allusions, essential
to understanding
 Implied but fairly easy to infer theme
and/or purpose
 Multiple themes and perspectives
 Some unfamiliar, opposing perspectives
and/or experiences
 Frequent references/allusions, enhance
understanding
 Implied but easy to identify theme and/or
purpose based upon context
 Primarily single themes and perspectives
 Primarily common experiences and/or
moderate use of fantastical situations
 References/allusions, if used are commonly
known
 Explicitly stated theme and/or purpose
 Single themes and perspectives
 Familiar common everyday
experiences or clearly fantastical
situations
 No references/allusions
Knowledge Demands
Complex
Mostly Complex
Mostly Simple
Simple
 Extensive depth of cultural and literary
knowledge promotes understanding
 If present, illustrations are sophisticated,
essential to understanding, and provide
information not otherwise conveyed in the text
 Depth of cultural and literary knowledge
enhances understanding
 If present, illustrations are sophisticated,
may be essential to understanding, and
provide information not otherwise
conveyed in the text
 A modest knowledge of cultures and genres
enhances understanding
 If present, illustrations enhance reader’s
understanding and supplement
understanding of the text
 Requires only everyday knowledge and
familiar genres
 If present, illustrations/graphics/text
features are unnecessary to
understanding the text
Adapted from Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Appendix A, page 6
Reading English Language Arts / Maryland State Department of Education
Revised 4/27/12
3
Qualitative Dimensions of Text Complexity (Informational)
Text Structure
Complex
Mostly Complex
Mostly Simple
Simple
 Complex/implicit/unconventional
informational structures
 If present, illustrations/graphics/text features
are sophisticated, essential to
understanding, and provide information not
otherwise conveyed in the text
 Some complexities and unconventionality;
more implicit than explicit
 If present, illustrations/graphics/text
features are sophisticated, may be
essential to understanding, and provide
information not otherwise conveyed in the
text
 Primarily simple and conventional; more
explicit than implicit
 If present, illustrations/graphics/text
features enhance reader’s understanding
and supplement understanding of the text
 Simple/explicit/conventional informational
text structures
 If present, illustrations/graphics/text
features are unnecessary or
supplementary to understanding the text
Language Conventionality and Clarity
Complex
Mostly Complex
Mostly Simple
 Complex sentence structures
 Strongly employs the use of irony, abstract,
and/or figurative language
 Complex language (generally unfamiliar,
archaic, ambiguous, and/or purposefully
misleading)
 Sophisticated use of vocabulary that is
multi-meaning, connotative, conceptual,
academic, and domain-specific
 Primarily complex sentence structures
 Employs the use of irony, abstract, and/or
figurative language
 Moderately complex language (generally
unfamiliar, archaic, ambiguous, and/or
purposefully misleading)
 Some sophisticated vocabulary that is
multi-meaning, connotative, conceptual,
academic, and domain-specific
 Primarily simple sentence structures with
modest use of complex structures
 Predominantly literal language with
moderate use of figurative language
and/or irony
 Primarily clear, contemporary, familiar,
and/or conversational language
 Largely simple vocabulary with moderate
use of vocabulary that is multi-meaning,
connotative, conceptual, academic, and/or
domain-specific
Simple
 Simple sentence structures.
 Literal language
 Clear, contemporary, familiar, and/or
conversational language
 Simple vocabulary
Levels of Meaning or Purpose
Complex
Mostly Complex
Mostly Simple
Simple
 Subtle, implied, difficult to determine theme
and/or purpose
 Sophisticated, multiple themes and
perspectives
 Perspectives and experiences distinctly
different from the common reader
 High inter-textuality (many references
to/citations of other texts)
 Implied but fairly easy to infer theme
and/or purpose
 Multiple themes and perspectives
 Perspectives and experiences uncommon
to most readers
 Inter-textuality (some references
to/citations of other texts)
 Implied but easy to identify theme and/or
purpose based upon context
 Primarily single themes and perspectives
 Perspectives and experiences common to
many readers
 Moderate inter-textuality (few references
to/citations of other texts)
 Explicitly stated theme and/or purpose
 Single themes and perspectives
 Familiar perspectives and common
everyday experiences
 No inter-textuality (no references
to/citations of other texts)
Knowledge Demands
Complex
Mostly Complex
 Requires extensive and specialized
experiences and knowledge
 Requires specialized experiences and
knowledge
 Requires a depth of discipline-specific
content knowledge
 Requires some discipline-specific content
knowledge
Adapted from Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Appendix A, page 6
Reading English Language Arts / Maryland State Department of Education
Mostly Simple
 Requires everyday knowledge with
modest experiences
 Requires some discipline-specific content
knowledge
Simple
 Requires everyday knowledge
 Requires familiarity with genre
conventions
Revised 4/27/12
4
General Critical Reading Practices
Text Genre
Poetry
General Close Reading Practices
1. Focus on the title and its denotative and connotative
meanings
2. Determine the poem’s genre
3. Read the poem for of its meaning
4. Divide the poem into parts: determine its organization
5. Determine the poem’s tone
6. Determine the poem’s speaker or person
7. Read the poem aloud
8. Connect to the poem by addressing the poem’s
universality, that is how the poem is about more than its
literal meaning
9. Identify poetic elements of the poetry, determining how
they work to create its meaning.
10. Focus on the title again to determine its significance
Fiction
1. Consider the arrangement of events, the plot
2. Determine how characters represent human nature
3. Question the role setting plays to the development of the
plot, theme, characters
4. Identify from whose perspective the story is told,
recognizing any limitations that perspective poses
5. Question if and how the story is representative of life
and human nature as a whole
6. Consider how the author uses literary devices to bring
meaning to the story and characters
7. Determine how the story, as a whole, illustrates a
universal message
8. Consider the specific genre
9. Consider the author’s language (concrete, abstract,
sentence structure)
NonFiction/Informational
1. Activate prior knowledge
2. Know characteristics of text such as bold print,
illustrations, graphs and tables
3. Read the first and last line of each paragraph carefully
4. Take notes or highlight/underline key words and phrases
5. Make comparisons and contrasts
6. Determine the author’s purpose
7. Determine the writer’s opinion or attitude concerning the
subject
5
Close Reading of Informational and Literary Texts
Definition: Close Reading is the careful, sustained analysis of any text that focuses on
significant details or patterns and that typically examines some aspect of the text’s form,
craft, meaning, etc. Essentially, the reader is looking at text through a magnifying glass.
Close reading provides the building block for a larger analysis leading to a spoken or
written response.
How is Close Reading Used?
There is no formula for close reading.
The reader often begins by asking questions about the text itself, focusing on the text
type, its organization, and the author’s purpose. While questions about tone, language,
or vocabulary apply to most texts, if not all texts, questions about procedure or claims
would be more discipline specific.
Close reading is not intended to be used with every text a student reads. Close
reading is purposeful and leads to a larger analysis. Usually the larger analysis is a
written or oral response.
Providing opportunities for students to practice close reading in all content areas will
allow students to acquire analytical reading skills necessary when independently
reading unfamiliar and diverse text.
Planning for Close Reading






What support do my students need before they begin reading?
What support do my students need before reading each chapter/section?
What strategies will assist them to read the text with purpose and clarity?
How can I encourage a second reading to facilitate deeper reading?
Which collaborative activities will help deepen their understanding?
How can I help students to see the relevance this text plays in their world?
Strategies for Close Reading

Silent Exchange-After reading a passage or chapter, students work in groups of
five with each person in the group creating an open-ended question, not
questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no. Questions should be
written. Students will then pass the question to the next person, and there is no
talking. Students have two minutes to write a response to the question, and then
the paper is passed to the next person until the rotation is complete.

Trouble Slips-On a piece of paper, students take notes of where they are having
difficulty in the text as they read. Afterwards, the students are placed in groups
6
and asked to share what they wrote with their peers. As a group, the students
discuss and work through the difficult parts of the text.
(Adapted from Deeper Reading by Kelly Gallagher. Stenhouse Publishers, 2004)
Question Stems for Close Reading of Informational or Literary Texts








What clues show you …
Point to the evidence…
How does the author describe X in paragraph X? What are the exact words?
What reasons does the book give for X? Where are they?
Share a sentence that (tells you what the text is about/describes X/gives a
different point of view)
What is the purpose of paragraph X? What are the clues that tell you this?
What does the author think about X? Why do you think so—what is your
evidence?
What do you predict will happen next? What are the clues that make you think
so?
See the section on text-dependent questions for more information about writing
questions that require a close reading of the text.
(Adapted from Race to the Top/Strategies for Close Reading)
7
Lesson Seeds for Close Reading
A lesson seed is found at the objective level and is an idea for a lesson; lesson seeds
are not necessarily meant to take an entire class period. The seed is directly aligned
with an objective and ranges in cognitive demand. The sequential development of the
lesson idea may begin at a lower level of cognitive demand and then evolve into a
higher level of cognitive demand. Teachers may use the entire seed or only a portion of
a seed based upon the capability of their classes.
Lesson Seed: Determine Purpose for Reading
Description: With a partner, students identify a purpose for a close reading of the same
text. After reading, student partners complete a chart to determine if the text fulfilled
their purpose for reading. Once the chart work is complete, students share their findings
with the rest of the class.
Title of Text
Purpose for Reading
Did the text meet the purpose?
Text Support
As an extension, if the text does not fulfill the student's stated purpose, a determination
can be made about what purpose is met.
Lesson Seed: Find Evidence to Support Purpose for Reading (Different Purposes
for Same Text)
Description: The teacher supplies students with a(n) literary or informational text and
three purposes that the text may fulfill. Students are divided into three groups with each
group being instructed to read the same text but with a different purpose in mind. After
reading is complete, within the three groups, students are paired. The pair of students
determines to what degree the text met the stated purpose and finds text support to
justify their answer. In full class discussion students determine if all or none of the three
given purposes were met, and if all three were met, to what degree did each fulfill the
purpose for reading.
Lesson Seed: Find Evidence to Support Purpose for Reading (Different Texts for
Same Purpose)
Description: Prior to this activity, the teacher makes available several different types of
literary or informational texts. Students work in small groups with each group receiving a
different literary or informational text. Each member within the group receives the same
text to read with the same specific purpose. After reading is complete, group members
discuss how effectively the text was organized to fulfill the purpose for reading. Group
members can offer suggestions about additional features the author could have
employed to boost the effectiveness of the text for the stated reading purpose. Each
group records findings on a large sheet of newsprint detailing the title of the text, their
recommendations, and reasons for those recommendations. Once each group's work is
complete, the texts and its newsprint review rotate among the groups. A class
8
discussion that compares and contrasts the texts and their fulfillment of purpose
culminates the activity.
Lesson Seed: Modeling Annotation
Description: Teachers collect literary or informational passages that demonstrate a
variety of writing styles. The collection should include samples of text that use
formal/informal language, simple, disconnected sentences or long, complex ones,
sentence fragments, a variety of tones, a consistent use of language in a particular
manner, etc. The teacher models the reading of an informational passage stopping to
indicate specific uses of language. Teacher and students discuss the effectiveness of
the style and author’s tone. First, the teacher models a few sentences or a passage.
Then, students do a different section in pairs. Finally, students work independently.
Example literary authors from which to choose from: Charles Dickens, Jane
Austen, Maya Angelou, Hemingway, Steinbeck, Edgar Allan Poe, Frank McCourt,
Sandra Cisneros, Tim O’Brien, and Walter Dean Myers
Lesson Seed: Practice Paraphrasing
Description: Teacher chooses an extremely complex text. Students paraphrase every
sentence. Teacher focuses on how paraphrasing involves changing sentence structure
and work choice, not simply providing synonyms for a few words.
Lesson Seed: Poetry Critical Reading (with TPCASTT chart)
Description: In order to work with students on analyzing poetry, the teacher guides
students through the TPCASTT process, which involves examining the title,
paraphrasing parts, determining connotation of certain words, identifying the poet’s
attitude, finding a shift in thinking, reexamining the title, and synthesizing all of the
information for the purpose of deciding theme. Student chart is included on page 14.
Lesson Seed: Poetry or Fiction Critical Reading (with SOAPSTONE chart)
Description: In a SOAPSTONE text analysis, the reader answers the following
questions:
 Who is the speaker?
 What is the occasion?
 Who is the audience?
 What is the purpose?
 What is the subject?
 What is the tone?
Originally, the teacher leads students through the process. Eventually, they
independently apply this strategy. Student chart is included on page 15.
9
Lesson Seed: Fiction Critical Reading
Description: Teacher chooses a passage from the current text/novel. Independently,
students identify literary devices. After students independently struggle with the text, the
class reads the text aloud. The class discusses the effects of literary devices in order to
determine the overall meaning. Surprisingly, processing the information silently and
then coming together as a class is very beneficial for comprehension.
Lesson Seed: Fiction Critical Reading
Description: The students analyze sentence patterns, punctuation, repetition, word
choice, exclamations, commas, and questions. They answer how these qualities
contribute to tone and characterization(s)? An author whose work lends itself to this
activity would be Edgar Allan Poe.
Note: Page 16 includes a rubric for analytical reading. Since close reading follows no
prescribed formula, teachers may find it useful to determine which skills to select for
reading.
(Some Lesson Seeds Adapted from http://mdk12.org/instruction/lessons/reading)
10
TPCASTT Poetry Analysis
TPCASTT Poem Analysis Method: title, paraphrase, connotation, diction,
attitude, tone, shift(s), title revisited and theme
Title
What does it mean?
Paraphrase
How would you
paraphrase different
parts/lines/stanzas?
Connotation
How does the
connotation of certain
words change its
denotative meaning
to an implied
meaning?
Attitude
What is the attitude of
the author,
characters or
yourself?
Shift
At first we think or
feel one way – then
there is a shift. What
is/are the shift(s) and
the effect(s)?
Title revisited
Any new insights on
meaning or
significance of title?
Theme
11
SOAPSTONE
Directions: To increase comprehension of a complex text, the reader can follow the
SOAPSTONE process. Using the text, answer the following questions.
Response/Explanation
Textual Evidence
Who is the Speaker?
 What does the reader
know about the
writer/person addressing
the audience?
 What role does he/she
play in the event?
What is the Occasion?
 What is the setting, event,
or situation in the text?
 What are the
circumstances
surrounding this text?
 What occasion prompted
the writing of this text?
Who is the Audience?
 To whom is the text
directed?
 Is the audience one
person, a small group, or
a large group?
What is the Purpose?
 Why was the text written?
 What goal did the author
have in mind?
What is the Subject?
 What general topic or
idea does the text
present?
 What is the universal
theme addressed in the
poem?
What is the Tone?
 What is the speaker’s
attitude?
 What word choice,
emotional appeals, or
imagery illustrate the
speaker’s attitude?
12
Rubric for Close Reading
Name: __________________________
ANALYTICAL READING RUBRIC
Students will develop the ability to read analytically.
Comprehension
5. Demonstrates ability to independently identify and explain main ideas/themes of
the assigned text(s); adopts critical reading techniques to discover underlying
meanings and raise important related questions and issues.
4.
3. Demonstrates ability to adjust reading technique according to the requirements of
the assigned text(s) with limited instructional support; identifies and accurately
paraphrases main ideas/themes.
2.
1. Shows little ability to vary reading technique according to the
requirements of the assigned text; tends to read for literal meaning only; reads
more for information than understanding.
Making Connections
5. Needs no instructional support to understand the connections between
major ideas and supporting points, between an entire work and its parts, and
between ideas drawn from diverse sources including personal experience
and/or prior knowledge.
4.
3. Needs only minimal instructional support to understand the connections
between major ideas and supporting points and between an entire work and
its parts.
2.
1. Fails to see the connections between major ideas and supporting points,
between an entire work and its parts and between information and ideas from
multiple written sources.
13
Evaluation
5. Insightfully analyzes texts in terms of the writer’s assumptions, biases, and makes
inferences; carefully evaluates the logic and accuracy of the writer’s evidence.
4.
3. Identifies the most critical assumptions, biases, and makes inferences in written
material; distinguishes between the factual information and the author’s
interpretation of that information; shows some ability to evaluate the logic and
accuracy of the writer’s evidence.
2.
1. Fails to identify writer’s assumptions, biases, and makes inferences; does not
distinguish between the topic and the author’s opinion of the topic; shows little
ability to evaluate the logic and accuracy of the writer’s evidence.
Score: _______________________
14
A Guide to Creating Text-Dependent Questions for Close Analytic Reading
Text-Dependent Questions: What Are They?
The Common Core State Standards for reading strongly focus on students gathering
evidence, knowledge, and insight from what they read.
A text-dependent question specifically asks a question that can only be answered by
referring to what is directly stated in the text. It does not rely on particular background
information extraneous to the text nor does it depend on students having other
experiences or knowledge; instead, it focuses on the text itself and what students can
extract from it.
Text-Dependent Questions:
 Can only be answered with evidence from the text
 Can be literal (checking for understanding) and must also involve analysis,
synthesis, evaluation
 Focus on word, sentence, and paragraph, as well as larger ideas, themes, or
events
 Focus on difficult portions of the text in order to enhance reading proficiency
 Can include prompts for writing and discussion questions.
Three types of Text-Dependent Questions:
 Questions that assess themes and central ideas
 Questions that assess knowledge of vocabulary
 Questions that assess syntax and structure
For example, in a close analytic reading of Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address,” the following
would not be text-dependent questions:



Why did the North fight the civil war?
Have you ever been to a funeral or gravesite?
Lincoln says that the nation is dedicated to the proposition that “all men are
created equal.” Why is equality an important value to promote?
These are not text-dependent questions because they require no familiarity at all with
Lincoln’s speech in order to answer them. Responding to these sorts of questions
requires students to go outside of the text. These questions can be tempting to ask
because they are likely to get students talking, but they take students away from
considering the actual point Lincoln is making. These questions usually require a
personal response that relies on individual experience and opinion, and answering them
will not move students closer to understanding the text of the “Gettysburg Address.”
15
Non-Examples and Examples:
Not Text-Dependent
• In “Casey at the Bat” Casey strikes
out.
Describe a time when you failed at
something.
Text-Dependent
What makes Casey’s experiences at
bat humorous?
• 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.
What can you infer from King’s letter
about the letter that he received?
• 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?
“The Gettysburg Address” mentions the
year 1776. According to Lincoln’s
speech, why is this year significant to
the events described in the speech?
Good text-dependent questions will often linger over specific phrases and sentences to
ensure careful comprehension of the text. They help students see something
worthwhile that they would not have seen on a more cursory reading. Typical textdependent questions ask students to perform one or more of the following tasks:







Analyze paragraphs on a sentence-by-sentence basis and sentences on a word
by word basis to determine the role played by individual paragraphs, sentences,
phrases, or words.
Investigate how meaning can be altered by changing key words and why an
author may have chosen one word over another.
Probe each argument in persuasive text, each idea in informational text, each
key detail in literary text, and observe how these build to a whole
Examine how shifts in the direction of an argument or explanation are achieved
and the impact of these shifts
Question why authors choose to begin and end when they do
Note and assess patterns of writing and what they achieve
Consider what the text leaves uncertain or unstated
16
Creating Text-Dependent Questions
Step One: Identify the core understandings and key ideas of the text.
Start by identifying the key insights that you want the students to understand from the
text, keeping an eye on the major points in order to construct successful questions.
Step Two: Start small to build confidence.
The opening questions should be ones that help orientate the students to the text and
be sufficiently specific enough for them to answer so that they can gain confidence to
tackle more difficult questions later on.
Step Three: Target vocabulary and text structure.
Locate key text structures and the most powerful academic words in the text that are
connected to the key ideas and understandings, and craft questions that make these
connections.
Step Four: Tackle Tough Sections Head-On.
Find 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, tricky transitions or places that offer a variety of
possible inferences).
Step Five: Create Coherent Sequences of Text-Dependent Questions.
The sequence of questions should not be random, but should build toward more
coherent understanding and analysis to ensure that students learn how to stay focused
on the text to bring them to a gradual understanding of its meaning.
Step Six: Identify the Standards that are being addressed.
Take notice 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 Seven: Create the Culminating Assessment.
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, (c) is
structured to be completed by students independently.
(Adapted from achievethecore.org)
17
18
Vocabulary and Text-Dependent Questions
Which words should be taught?
 Words essential to understanding the text
 Words likely to appear in future readings
Which words should get more time attention?
 More abstract words (as opposed to concrete words)
Example: persist vs. checkpoint
Noticed vs. accident

Words that are part of semantic word family
Example: secure, securely, security, secured
Structure and Text-Dependent Questions:
Text-dependent questions can be crafted to direct students’ attention to features of text
that enhance understanding (such as how section headers and captions lead to greater
clarity or provide hints regarding what is most important in informational text, or how
illustrations add to a narrative).
Examples: Look at the illustration on page 31. Why did the illustrator include
details like the power outlets in the walls?
Dillard is careful to place opposing descriptions of the natural and
man-made side-by-side. How does this juxtaposition fit with or
challenge what we have already read? Why might she have
chosen this point in the text for these descriptions?
Syntax and Text-Dependent Questions:


Syntax can predict a student’s performance as vocabulary does.
Questions and tasks addressing syntax are very important.
Example: Who are the members of the wolf pack? How many wolves are in the pack?
To answer this question, pay close attention to the use of commas and semi-colons in
the last paragraph on pg. 377. The semicolons separate or list each member in the
pack.
Reading Strategies and Text-Dependent Questions:
1. Text-dependent questions generally ask for students to employ reading
strategies.
2. Strategies are no longer taught in isolation.
19
3. The text and readers’ need to comprehend should determine what strategies are
activated.
4. Listening and speaking should be built into any sequence of activities, along with
reading and writing.
(All information for Text-Dependent Questions, taken from R/ELA.MSDE and
achievethecore.org)
Lesson Seeds for Text-Dependent Questions
A lesson seed is found at the objective level and is an idea for a lesson; lesson seeds
are not necessarily meant to take an entire class period. The seed is directly aligned
with an objective and ranges in cognitive demand. The sequential development of the
lesson idea may begin at a lower level of cognitive demand and then evolve into a
higher level of cognitive demand. Teachers may use the entire seed or only a portion of
a seed based upon the capability of their classes.
Lesson Seed: Word Choice Replacement
Description: Teacher takes sentences from current text and asks students to replace
the five most important words with synonyms/antonyms/similar words with a different
connotation. (Teacher can choose those words, or students can choose them.)
Students write about how the change affects meaning and tone. Finally, the class
discusses how changing word choice impacts meaning and tone. For example, if
students replaced Bob Ewell’s word choices with more politically correct words, how
might his character change?
Lesson Seed: Asking Clarifying Questions
Description: Teacher tells students to write down five clarifying questions they wish the
author would answer. They need to identify the lines or sections that lead to each
question.
Lesson Seed: Identifying Shifts
Description: Ask students to find the shift in a passage. They draw symbols (+ or -) that
represent the shift. Class should discuss how the shift impacts the overall meaning of
the text. This assignment works well for fiction or poetry.
Lesson Seed: Flow of Ideas
Description: Students copy the first and last sentences of the novel/passage/text. They
need to create a flow chart that illustrates how the author progressed from the first
sentence to the last sentence. This activity also works well for summarizing ideas.
20
Vocabulary
21
Vocabulary
Isabel L. Beck, Margaret G. McKeown, and Linda Kucan (2002, 2008) have
outlined a useful model for conceptualizing categories of words readers encounter in
texts and for understanding the instructional and learning challenges that words in each
category present. They describe three levels, or tiers, of words in terms of the words’
commonality and applicability.
While the term tier may connote a hierarchy, the reality is that all three tiers of
words are vital to comprehension and vocabulary development, although learning tier
two and three words typically requires more deliberate effort than does learning tier one
words as they are specific to the world of academia and can be referred to as academic
vocabulary.
Terminology Defined:
1. Tier One words:
o are the words of everyday speech usually learned in the early grades
o not considered a challenge to the average native speaker
2. Tier Two words:
o the Standards refer to as general academic words
o are far more likely to appear in written texts than in speech
o they appear in all sorts of texts: informational texts, technical texts and
literary texts
o often represent subtle or precise ways to say relatively simple things
3. Tier Three words:
o the Standards refer to as domain-specific words
o are specific to a domain or field of study and key to understanding a
new concept within a text
o are far more common in informational texts than in literature.
(Adapted from: Common Core State Standards for English Language Art & Literacy in
History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects; Appendix A)
22
Using Word Parts to Unlock Meaning
Prefix- A word part added to the beginning of a root or base word to create a new
meaning (i.e., regain, incomplete)
Here are some common prefixes. The meaning of each prefix is shown, as well as
words that can be formed by adding the prefix to root/base words.
Prefix
re
hyper
un
tri
pre
mis
sub
Meaning of Prefix Words
Formed Using the Prefix
again
replay, resend, replace
over
hyperactive, hypersensitive, hyperventilate
not
unclear, unsure, undecided
three
triangle, tricycle, tri-weekly
before
prepay, prepackage, predate
wrong
misconduct, misspell, misunderstand
below
subway, substandard, submarine
Adding these prefixes to many root words to form new words can expand vocabulary.
Prefix
ante
bi
equi
hypo
neo
poly
semi
Meaning
before
two
equal
under
new
many
half
Prefix
auto
circum
im
inter
omni
retro
trans
Meaning
self
around
not
between
all
backward
across
Using Word Parts to Unlock Meaning - Academic Vocabulary
Word Part
preunimindisnon-er
-or
-ist
bene
Meaning
before
not
not
not
not
not
person who
person who
person who
good
Word Part
-less
-ous
remiscocolcomcon-able
-ible
Meaning
without
quality of
again
wrongly
with/together
with/together
with/together
with/together
able to
able to
Word Part
-ful
pseudo
deinter
intra
med
ped
post
crypt
mal
Meaning
full of
false/fake
away/down
between
within
middle
child
after
hide
bad
23
Using Word Parts to Unlock Meaning
Suffix- A word part that is added to the end of a root word
Noun Suffix
Meaning
Example
-acy
state or quality
privacy
-al
act or process of
refusal
-ance, -ence
state or quality of
maintenance, eminence
-dom
place or state of being
freedom, kingdom
-er, -or
one who
trainer, protector
-ism
doctrine, belief
communism
-ist
one who
chemist
-ity, -ty
quality of
sincerity
-ment
condition of
argument
-ness
state of being
heaviness
-ship
position held
fellowship
-sion, -tion
state of being
concession, transition
Verb Suffixes
-ate
-en
-ify, -fy
-ize, -ise
Meaning
become
become
make or become
become
Example
eradicate
enlighten
terrify
civilize
Adjective Suffixes
-able, -ible
-al
-esque
-ful
-ic, -ical
-ious, -ous
-ish
-ive
-less
Meaning
capable of being
pertaining to
reminiscent of
notable for
pertaining to
characterized by
having the quality of
having the nature of
without
Example
edible, presentable
regional
statuesque
fanciful
musical, mythic
nutritious, outrageous
childish
creative
endless
24
Unfamiliar Words and Words with Multiple Meanings
Choosing a definition for a word that has several meanings depends upon how the word
is used in a sentence.
When determining meaning for unfamiliar words or words with multiple meanings
consider…
1. Deduction – What is the sentence about? The unknown word relates to which
words in the sentence?
2. Part of Speech - Which part of speech is the unknown word? Is it a verb, noun,
preposition, adjective, time expression, or something else?
3. Chunking - What do the words around the unknown word(s) mean? How could
the unknown word(s) relate to those words?
4. Vocabulary Activation - When quickly skimming through the text, what does the
text seem to be about? Does the layout (design) of the text give any clues? Does
the publication or type of book give any clues to what the text might be about?
Which words can you think of that belong to this vocabulary category?
5. Past experiences/knowledge – What do you already know about this topic?
(Adapted from http://esl.about.com/od/readinglessonplans/a/l_readcontext.htm)
25
Comprehension Strategies
26
Making Inferences
Prior Knowledge + Textual Evidence = Inference
Reading Standard 1 of the Common Core highlights the importance of reading closely
to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; citing
specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from
the text.
Inferential questions require readers to find answers not explicitly stated in the text. In
order to answer an inferential question, the reader must make connections between his
or her prior knowledge and evidence from the text. The reader must also realize that
additional information may either confirm or reject his or her inference.
Question
What is
author’s
attitude (tone)
toward his/her
subject?
Text
Evidence
Prior
Knowledge
Inference
The author
says “____”
and “_____.”
Words such
as _____ and
_____
typically
indicate
_________.
Because the
author says
“____” and
“____,” his
attitude
toward the
subject is one
of _______.
Does
additional
information
confirm,
reject, or
provide no
further
evidence for
inference?
After reading
further, it is
clear that the
author’s
attitude is
actually ____
because his
word choice
shifts from
____ to ____.
27
Terminology Defined:
Prior Knowledge and Textual Evidence
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE can be explained as a combination of the learner's preexisting
attitudes, experiences, and knowledge:
1. Attitudes
 Beliefs about ourselves as learners/readers
 Awareness of our individual interests and strengths
 Motivation and our desire to read
2. Experiences
 Everyday activities that relate to reading
 Events in our lives that provide background understanding

Family and community experiences that we bring to school with us
3. Knowledge of
 the reading process itself
 content (literature, science, and math)
 topics (fables, photosynthesis, fractions)
 concepts (main idea, theory, numeration)
 different types of style and form (fiction and nonfiction)
 text structure (narrative or expository)
TEXTUAL EVIDENCE requires the reader to refer to the text in order to support his or
her response to a question.
1. Text Features such as
 Illustrations (photos, drawings, magnification)
 Organizational Aids (bold print, italics, titles, headings, captions, labels,
and sidebars)
 Graphic Aids (diagrams, flow diagrams, sketches, comparisons, graphs,
figures, maps, charts/tables, cross-sections, overlays, and timelines)
2. Style Features such as
 Rhyme scheme
 Organizational structure
 Repetition
 Syntax
 Word choice
 Punctuation
3. Direct Quotations from the text
4. Paraphrased Information
Prior Knowledge Information Adapted from The Strategic Teaching and Reading Project Guidebook
(Kujawa & Huske, 1995).
28
Reader’s Connection to Text
Topic
What I Know
What I Want to
Know
What I Learned
Inferences Made:
29
Strategies for Teaching Inference
(*Strategies in the Howard County’s Instructional Strategies Database:
http://media.howard.k12.md.us/newcode/strategies/Strategies.php)
Strategy: Anticipation / Reaction Guides*
Description: Students are asked to indicate their agreement or disagreement with a list
of statements about the topic of a lesson. These statements may be informational
(some true and some false), or they may express opinions about the topic. Student
responses provide information for both teacher and students about the level and
accuracy of their prior knowledge. The guide can be revisited after teaching for students
to correct any misunderstandings or to express changed opinions and attitudes.
Reason: In order to access prior knowledge before students read the text, teachers can
use an anticipation guide that students revisit during the text. For example, all of the
statements on the anticipation guide can deal with theme. That way, when the theme
emerges within the text, students have already considered its application in real life.
Strategy: When I Question by Rachel Billmeyer, author of Strategies to Engage the
Mind of the Learner
Description:
According to Rachel Billymeyer, students complete certain actions when they question.
The actions she lists are: search, ask, investigate, challenge, quarrel with, examine,
doubt, quibble, explore, inquire, probe, seek information, and dispute.
Additionally, Billmeyer suggests that young readers learning how to make inferences
should ask themselves the following questions as they read:
What questions do I have about the topic? What does the author mean? What am I
thinking as I read the material? What clues from the story/passage help me understand
the meaning? What is the big idea from this story/passage?
For this strategy teachers are showing students how to ask questions when they read.
To teach this strategy, teachers can begin with a high-interest text and ask students (in
pairs or independently) to be in charge of a particular verb (explore, doubt, dispute, etc.)
as they read. For differentiation, the teacher might deliberately choose certain verbs for
specific students or direct students even further (What should they explore? What
should they doubt? What should they dispute?). When they finish questioning the text,
students can come together as a class or in jigsaw groups in order to share their
questions. To practice this strategy, teachers can provide students with the list of
actions they should perform as they read a particular text. Eventually with enough
practice, students should know which actions to perform when they question.
Reason: Sometimes, teachers ask students to ask questions as they read;
unfortunately, some students claim that they do not understand any of the text, so they
have no inferential questions to ask. This strategy provides students with the tools to
successfully question a given text.
Strategy: Think Aloud*
30
Description: Using excerpts from the current text, read the text and Think-Aloud your
inferences; annotate the passage in order to connect the clues that helped you infer the
meaning. For example, link pronouns to their antecedents. Locate context clues that
help define unknown words. Model how you added details to help you picture events
described in your excerpt.
Reason: Just as the When I Question strategy teaches students how to question, the
Think Aloud strategy teaches students how to annotate the text and perform a close
reading, which obviously involves making inferences.
Strategy: QAR: Question-Answer Relationships (Worksheet Provided)*
Description: This metacognitive strategy helps students understand that there is a
relationship between a question, a text, and the background of the reader. QAR
provides a four-part framework for helping students understand that questions about
text will be answered either by what is in the text or by what they already know through
their own experience.
Four Parts 
Attributes of Level I Questions
1. The answer is usually contained in one sentence and is easy to find.
2. Often the same words that make up the answer are found in the
question.
3. Question stems often begin with:
 When is/was... ?
 Who is/was... ?
 What is/was... ?
 Where is/was... ?
4. The reader only needs literal thinking to answer the question.
Attributes of Level II Questions
1. The answer is found in more than one place. The parts must be put together to
answer the question.
2. The words in the question may or may not be the same words used to answer
the question.
3. Certain words—including pointer/signal words, plurals, and
conjunctions—indicate that the answer is in more than one place.
4. Question stems often begin with:
 Contrast...
 Explain...
 What were... ?
 Compare...
 Summarize...
Attributes of Level III Questions
1. The reader must read the text to answer the question (text-dependent)
2. The reader must use inferential thinking in order to answer the question.
3. Question stems often begin with:
 How can you conclude... ?
 How can you tell... ?
 What biases or beliefs are... ?
 How do you know... ?
31
 Who does ____ remind you of... ?
Note: The word you is often used in Level III questions.
4. The reader relies on prior knowledge and experience.
5. The reader must look for clues and evidence (prove the answer with
details).
6. The reader must read between the lines as the answer is not explicit in
the text.
7. The reader only needs literal thinking to answer the question.
Attributes of Level IV Questions
1. The reader need not read the text in order to answer the question.
2. The reader must use inferential thinking.
3. Question stems often begin with:
 Do you believe... ?
 How do you know... ?
 How would you... ?
 Have you ever... ?
Note: The word you is often used in Level IV questions.
4. The reader relies on prior knowledge and experiences.
5. The reader must use his own ideas and opinions to answer the
questions.
Reason: QAR serves teachers as a means of framing, planning, and instructing
students in reading comprehension and questioning activities. QAR can help students to
be successful when generating and answering questions, it facilitates reasoning skills,
and it can help to promote reading across the content areas.
32
Making Meaning From Stated and Implied Text
Question-Answer Relationship or QAR (Raphael, 1982; 1986) is a great way to help
students answer questions based on a given text. Students use textual evidence to
substantiate textual claims, as well as draw conclusions and make inferences based on
explicit and implied information. The model has been revised in order to better
reflect Common Core goals.
Right There Questions
Right There questions require the reader to return to the passage to find the correct
information to answer the question. These are sometimes called literal questions
because the correct answer can be found somewhere in the text. These questions are
not inferential, but their answers can help a reader answer an inferential question.
1. Who?
2. What?
3. Where?
4. When?
On My Own Questions
On My Own questions require the reader to think about his/her prior knowledge or
experiences in order to make connections to the text.
 “Based on the text and your opinion…”
 “Based on your experience…”
 “Based on your knowledge of…”
 “Think about someone/something you know similar to ____ in the text…”
33
Think and Search Question
Think and Search questions are inferential and require the reader to connect ideas
throughout the text. Answers to the question are not directly stated in the text. The
reader will need to look back at the passage, find the information to which that the
question refers, and then think about how the information or ideas fit together.



“The main idea of the passage…”
“What caused…”
“Compare/contrast…”
Author and Me Questions
Author and Me questions require the reader to think about an idea which he/she has
read and formulate his/her own ideas or opinions.

“The author implies…”
 “The passage suggests…”
 “The speaker’s attitude…”
34
Inference Lesson Seeds
A lesson seed is found at the objective level and is an idea for a lesson; lesson seeds
are not necessarily meant to take an entire class period. The seed is directly aligned
with an objective and ranges in cognitive demand. The sequential development of the
lesson idea may begin at a lower level of cognitive demand and then evolve into a
higher level of cognitive demand. Teachers may use the entire seed or only a portion of
a seed based upon the capability of their classes.
Lesson Seed: Modeling Inferences and Backmapping to Find Evidence
Description: The teacher selects a text for students to read and determines a series of
inferences about the information or details within the text. Next, students read the text.
In class discussion, the teacher shares the inferences he/she has drawn and then
shows students the portions of the text and his/her prior knowledge or experiences that
lead to the inference. Once this reasoning has been modeled multiple times, the teacher
gives students inferences about a text and have them support the reasoning and text
that supports the inference. Ideally, this is a verbal activity where students think aloud
about their ideas.
Lesson Seed: Making Inferences About Cartoons
Description: The teacher brings in cartoons (or asks students to bring in cartoons)
about the unit’s theme. The teacher begins with cartoons about which students have the
prior knowledge to make inferences about and move toward including cartoons with
which students will struggle. The class engages in a discussion about what prior
knowledge viewers need in order to comprehend the cartoon’s message. The teacher
has the option to launch a full lesson about the topic, which the difficult-to-interpret
cartoon illustrates.
Lesson Seed: It Says, I Say, And So
Description: This activity helps to frame a student’s thinking about making inferences
from a text. After reading, the teacher proposes a question that requires inferential
thinking. The teacher records the question and responses on a chart.
From Raymond’s Run
Question: Why did Squeaky say that girls don’t really know
It
I
And
how to smile at each other?
Says: Say: So
This format requires a student to return to the text, access his/her own thinking to
develop a response. This activity comes from Kylene Beers’s after reading strategies.
Lesson Seed: Read Aloud Modeling Inferences
Description: As a warm-up, the teacher begins one or more class(es) a week by
reading aloud a short text excerpt and model making inferences. Eventually, students
participate in making inferences. Finally, students lead the warm-up in making
inferences about a specific reading passage. If the teacher notices that the anchor text
is especially difficult for students, he or she might decide to pull significant passages
from the previous night’s reading in order to help students practice making inferences
about the excerpt and its contribution to the text as a whole.
35
Note: This lesson seed also helps reinforce close reading as a skill.
Lesson Seed: Tone in Student-Generated Skits
Description: Before this lesson, the teacher reviews strategies for making inferences
about an author’s attitude (tone). Students form collaborative groups in which they write
and present a skit based on a particular tone or mood word. After students spend 10-15
minutes crafting their skits, they begin presenting their skits to the class who, using
inference skills, guess the tone of their scene. In advance, teachers should consider
providing students with a list of tone words, preferably words with which students are
already familiar. For closure, the teacher reviews how students determined the tone of
the skits (examples: listened to voice, paid attention to facial expressions and body
movements, and made a mental note of word choice).
Lesson Seed: Making Inferences About Bumper Stickers and Characters
Description:
To begin this lesson, the teacher either brings in (or ask students to bring in) bumper
stickers. The teacher displays these under the document camera or on a PowerPoint
presentation. The class discusses the difference between what the text says (external)
and what the author means (internal). For example, a bumper sticker reads, “Wear short
sleeves. Support your right to bare arms.” The external message is to bare your arms
by wearing short sleeves, but the internal message, using a play on the homophones
bear and bare, alludes to the Second Amendment.
To expand on this lesson, the teacher can focus on the external and internal dialogue in
the current text. For example, in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the effusive Lady Macbeth
tells King Duncan that she and Macbeth are here to serve him. However, the reader
recognizes her internal text because of the previous scene in which she speaks of his
impending murder. From here, students can infer that she speaks sweetly in order to
disguise her motives. “Look like an innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t,” (I.v) of
course!
Focusing on literary elements such as irony and allusion can certainly help students
make inferences.
Lesson Seed: Student-Generated Questions
Description: Teacher has students generate inferential questions and answer each
other’s questions. This assignment would work well at the beginning or end of class.
Lesson Seed: Internal Text
Description: Have students write internal text (subtext) during the dialogue in a scene
between characters. This assignment would work well with plays.
36
Facts and Opinions
Facts are statements that can be proven true or verified objectively. Opinions are also
statements, but they provide someone’s feelings, beliefs or judgments that cannot be
objectively proven true or false. For example, saying, “That man has hair on his head”
would be a fact. You can, in fact, prove that he has hair on his head. However, if you
said, “The hair on that man’s head is hideous,” that would be an opinion because that is
your judgment on his hair.
Remember that facts and opinions are not opposites. If a fact is proven untrue or false,
it does not become an opinion. If everyone has the same opinion of something, it does
not make it a fact.
Facts







Objective
Can be proven true
Often provide statistics
grounded in legitimate studies
Can be clouded by opinions
Can be used to disguise an
opinion: “This toothpaste is the
best because 80% of all dentists
in California agree!”
Can influence or change a
person’s opinion
If the statement is eventually
proven false, then it is an error
(ex: the statement that the Earth
is flat was originally a fact, but it
was proven false. It is an error.)







Opinions
Subjective (usually)
Vary depending on speaker
Can be refuted
Often use judgment words such
as ugly, beautiful, best, worst,
horrible, incredible
Often use key words such as “I
believe,” “I think,” perhaps,
probably
Sometimes disguised in a fact:
“This toothpaste is the best
because 80% of all dentists in
California agree!”
Cannot change the facts
Bias
A bias is a prejudiced, personal, often unreasoned judgment. Facts need to be proven
objectively; a bias is a subjective perspective on something. Regardless of what you
read, you always need to be aware of an author’s bias and your own bias. Though
informational texts often include facts, both informational and literary texts can include
biased information.


Informational Texts
Include facts but can manipulate
those facts to communicate the
author’s opinion
Can choose to use facts that
only support their purpose
Literary Texts
Author can demonstrate bias through
the use of:
 Point of view
 Purpose
 Language
 Characterization
37
Generalizations and Conclusions
Conclusion - A decision based on details or facts in a story or article
A reader’s conclusion is based solely on the text. The conclusion is not the reader’s
personal opinions.
FACT + FACT+ FACT + FACT= CONCLUSION
Generalization-A broad statement about a subject based on provided information
FACT- Larry likes to dance.
FACT- Larry likes to play soccer.
FACT- Larry likes to cook.
FACT- Larry likes to read
CONCLUSION- Larry is a very well-rounded person.
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Drawing Conclusions from Informational Text
Text Fact
Text Fact
Text Fact
Text Fact
CONCLUSION
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Strategies for Teaching Facts, Opinions, and Bias
A lesson seed is found at the objective level and is an idea for a lesson; lesson seeds
are not necessarily meant to take an entire class period. The seed is directly aligned
with an objective and ranges in cognitive demand. The sequential development of the
lesson idea may begin at a lower level of cognitive demand and then evolve into a
higher level of cognitive demand. Teachers may use the entire seed or only a portion of
a seed based upon the capability of their classes.
Strategy: Two Facts and an Opinion (spin off of Two Truths and a Lie)
Description: Teacher can either run a class game of two facts and an opinion or have
students complete the activity in pairs. If students complete it in pairs, the teacher can
give the facts and opinions to them or have the students generate them. To complete
this strategy, the teacher (or someone) provides two facts and an opinion; the class or
the partner has to determine which statements are facts and which are opinions. During
or after the activity, students should underline the parts of the statements that illustrate
why it is either a fact or an opinion. (For example, they have the underline statistics for a
fact.)
Reason: This assignment provides an informal opportunity for students to create facts
and opinions as well as differentiate between the two.
Strategy: Find Someone Who / Walkabout Review
Description: Teacher creates a BINGO board that includes facts and opinions.
Students have to circulate the classroom in order to find someone who satisfies that
criteria; that person signs the box. Students need to highlight facts and opinions in two
different colors. The student who fills in the board and correctly highlights all of the facts
and opinions wins. For a literary spin on the activity, teachers can write in quotations
that qualify as either a fact or an opinion from the book. In pairs or independently,
students must determine: who says the quote/whom the quote is about and highlight
facts and opinions two different colors.
Reason: The first portion of this assignment works well at the beginning of a unit or the
year, especially as an introductory activity. The second portion works well as a review of
a text and facts/opinions. These assignments can function in any unit, so students can
continually differentiate between facts and opinions.
Strategy: Webquest
Description: The teacher can create or find a webquest that includes advertisements or
articles about controversial topics. Students evaluate each source for bias. It might be
helpful to assign groups to a particular controversial topic (capital punishment, gun
control, etc.) and have them peruse teacher-selected or self-selected sources for their
credibility based on bias. For example, the group who finds sources on gun control
needs to see if the source 1.) includes objective facts, 2.) comes from a potentially
biased author, 3.) includes propaganda, and 4.) provides more than one side to the
issue. Students should be required record or type examples of bias or objectivity.
Reason: This strategy helps students evaluate resources before beginning a major
assignment (project or essay).
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Lesson Seeds for Facts and Opinions in Informational Texts
A lesson seed is found at the objective level and is an idea for a lesson; lesson seeds
are not necessarily meant to take an entire class period. The seed is directly aligned
with an objective and ranges in cognitive demand. The sequential development of the
lesson idea may begin at a lower level of cognitive demand and then evolve into a
higher level of cognitive demand. Teachers may use the entire seed or only a portion of
a seed based upon the capability of their classes.
Lesson Seed: Bias in Advertisements (group work)
Description: The teacher places students in small groups and provide each group with
a folder containing a series of appropriate magazine advertisements. To begin, have
students determine the opinion of the product presented in the advertisement. Next,
have them determine how the advertisement supports that opinion. Finally, have
students compile a series of questions they may have about the product. Next, the
teacher selects several of the advertisements for a whole class discussion about the
effectiveness of the advertisements and what kind of balance of information, if any, was
apparent in its presentation. This procedure can be extended in further sessions to
include texts with denser print.
Lesson Seed: Bias in Database Articles
Description: The teacher supplies students with a current newspaper article and
editorial about the same topic. The SIRS database is a possible resource for these
passages. After reading both selections, students analyze both passages. For the
newspaper article, students list all pertinent facts about the topic. For the editorial,
students note the author's opinion and all evidence used to support his/her opinion.
Next, students note any factual information from the newspaper article, which also
appeared in the editorial. Finally, both passages are reviewed side-by-side to determine
that the newspaper article is free of opinion while the editorial shows definite opinion. To
extend this activity, teacher and students could focus solely on the editorial to determine
if the support for the author's opinion is biased or balanced.
Lesson Seed: Modeling the Reading of Informational Passage
Description: To determine if an author's argument is clear, the teacher models the
reading aloud of an informational passage asking pertinent questions of him/herself as
the reading progresses. The teacher asks questions such as "What does the author
believe about _____?" "How do I know the author believes_____?" or "Why is this detail
included in the text?" As the reading continues, the teacher or a student recorder can
list both questions and answers. At the conclusion of the reading, both teacher and
students look at the recorded answers to make a determination about the clarity of the
author's argument and thought processes. To extend this activity, students reread the
article focusing on those answers to the question "How do I know the author
believes_____?" and review that information for balance to determine if an opposing
view is presented and how the presence of that opposing view can create a more
reliable resource.
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Lesson Seed: Facts and Opinions in Advertisements
Description: Distribute advertisements to students or display them using PowerPoint.
Identify opinion words and factual statements. Remind students that advertisements can
combine facts and opinions; as they viewers, they are responsible for differentiating
between the two. As an extension for this assignment, students can create their own
advertisements to include facts and opinions (bias, too, if you teach it at the same time).
To ensure their full understanding, teacher asks students to identify the facts and
opinions before they turn in the assignment. (Identifying facts and opinions in their
advertisement might be a good warm-up activity.)
Lesson Seed: Conflicting Facts in Articles about One Historical Event
Description: Place students in small groups. Select a historical event. Read multiple
accounts of the event—try to include an eyewitness account from a participant, an
onlooker, and another written after some time has elapsed. Each student within the
group should read a different account and determine elements within the account that
are fact or opinion. Each student presents to the other members of the group. Track the
articles to see where conflicts between the accounts exist. Determine if, over time, any
opinions have evolved into facts. Each group should share with the entire class the
most memorable fact or opinion that was found.
Lesson Seed: Fact or Opinion Game
Description: Play a fact and opinion game. Each student has on his/her desk a single
sheet of paper with Fact written on one side and Opinion written on the other. Read an
informational passage aloud to the class. When a fact is heard, students raise the paper
with the Fact side facing the teacher. When an opinion is heard students raise the paper
with the Opinion side facing the teacher. When the teacher detects a difference about
what is fact and what is opinion, a discussion among students will clarify the
information.
Lesson Seed: Identifying Facts and Opinions in Sections of a Text (group)
Description: Divide students into small groups. Choose an informational passage from
a content unit in a science or social studies text. Students read an assigned text that the
teacher has divided into sections. A section of text is assigned to each group of
students. Ask each group to 1) identify statements of fact 2) look for words or
statements that signal opinions and 3) locate and identify supporting ideas and reasons.
As they identify facts and opinions in their sections, have students construct a chart
listing statements that are facts and those that are opinions.
Lesson Seed: Unlocking Wikipedia
Description: Since students consult Wikipedia outside of school, they need to be
instructed how to “search smart.” This lesson should focus on evaluating the resources
at the bottom of a Wikipedia entry as well as the Wikipedia entry itself. For example, if
the Wikipedia entry includes footnotes, which are linked to the resources at the bottom
of the page, then they may be more fact-based. However, students need to look closely
at the resources in order to determine whether or not they provide objective information.
Ultimately, students are able to evaluate whether or not the entry is credible because of
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its representation of facts, opinions, and bias as well as its resources’ representation of
facts, opinions, and biases.
Lesson Seed: Graphic Organizer for Author’s Bias
Description: The teacher will provide students with an informational passage where the
author has a clearly defined opinion. Together teacher and students will read the
assigned text and then complete a chart like the one below.
Title and
Author
Author's
Opinion
Ideas that
Support the
Author's Opinion
Ideas that are
Against the
Author's Opinion
Is the author's
opinion presented
fairly?
For students beginning this process, the teacher provides the author's opinion.
Lesson Seed: Bias in School Dress Code Arguments
Description: Students read the informational text about school dress codes "Dress
Rehearsal" by Loretta Grantham in the Palm Beach Post from August 24, 1992. This
article is available on the SIRS database. Prior to reading the article the teacher
provides each student with two different colored highlighters or pens. As students read,
they highlight information that supports school dress codes in one color and highlight
information in a second color that opposes school dress codes. After reading is
complete, students have an idea of pro and con support. A teacher-led discussion
follows where each support piece is evaluated for its effectiveness. Finally, teacher and
students determine how fairly the author's opinion of school dress codes is presented.
Lesson Seed: Annotated Bibliography Evaluating Objectivity and Subjectivity
Description: Students create an annotated bibliography about the objectivity and
subjectivity of sources related to a particular theme. In their annotations, students write
about the objectivity or subjectivity of the source and whether or not it would be a
valuable resource to use in writing about their theme.
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Lesson Seeds for Facts and Opinions in Literary Texts
A lesson seed is found at the objective level and is an idea for a lesson; lesson seeds
are not necessarily meant to take an entire class period. The seed is directly aligned
with an objective and ranges in cognitive demand. The sequential development of the
lesson idea may begin at a lower level of cognitive demand and then evolve into a
higher level of cognitive demand. Teachers may use the entire seed or only a portion of
a seed based upon the capability of their classes.
Lesson Seed: Facts and Opinions About Characters (includes writing)
Description: Students read a text and record facts and opinions about a character or
characters from the text. They include quotations that illustrate facts about the character
(physical qualities, career, etc.), quotations that include opinions about the character
(what other characters say about him/her), and their own opinions about the character.
From here, student can create a poster illustrating the facts and opinions about a
particular character, or they can write a character description essay (explanatory). To
add an argument piece, the teacher instructs students to use the facts and opinions to
construct an argument about that character. For example, if students are reading To Kill
a Mockingbird, teachers can ask if Atticus is a good father. In their argument essay,
they can include facts (ex: what he does or what he says) and opinions (ex: what
characters like Miss Maudie say). To include counter argument, they can provide
opinions to the contrary (ex: what Bob Ewell or the courthouse mob says).
Note: This lesson is an appropriate time to discuss characterization (direct vs. indirect).
Lesson Seed: Facts and Opinions About Artists and Authors
Description: Play a song, read a text, or show a piece of art to students. (Be sure to
choose an artist or author who might not necessarily fit the stereotype associated with
that genre or type of text.) Show two-three images of artists/authors who could
conceivably be the creator of that song, text, or artwork. Ask students to predict which
person created the song or text. Launch a discussion about the facts in the pictures (ex:
“He has dreadlocks.”) and how they clouded students’ opinions about each person (ex:
“Because he had dreadlocks, I figured he wrote the rap song.”) If you cannot find a
song/text/piece of art that contradicts the physical stereotype of the person who wrote it,
find a song/text/piece of art that contradicts the author’s personality or life experiences.
This lesson seed would be an appropriate time to discuss bias.
Lesson Seed: Facts and Opinions in Denotation and Connotation
Description: Use fact and opinion to teach denotation and connotation. Explain that
denotation involves the facts about the words (dictionary definition) and that connotation
involves the opinions associated with those words. Students can make visuals or charts
or just discuss the facts and opinions associated with a list of words. If the work is
period-specific, teachers can choose words in or related to that text. As a variation,
teachers can have students determine the characters’ opinions about certain words
associated with the text. For example, if you were reading Night, you could discuss the
denotative and connotative meanings of Auschwitz. The denotative meaning is that it
was a concentration camp during World War II. To determine connotative meanings,
students could discuss their opinion, the author’s opinion, and different characters’
opinions about Auschwitz and how those opinions form the connotative meaning.
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Lesson Seed: Unreliable Narrator
Description: Students examine and evaluate the facts and opinions in a first-person
narrative, especially one with an unreliable narrator, such as Holden Caulfield from
Catcher in the Rye. Or, students can evaluate the narrator’s facts and opinions in order
to determine whether or not the narrator is, in fact, unreliable. Students need to
determine what the “truth” is.
Author examples: Edgar Allan Poe, Harper Lee, Sandra Cisneros, Alex Flinn, Laurie
Halse Anderson, J.D. Salinger, and Tim O’Brien.
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Summarization
When comprehending a text, paraphrasing or summarizing is an essential skill. A
reader can better comprehend the important information in a text if he/she can restate
complex ideas in a simpler language. When a reader can recount these ideas in a
language that makes sense to him/her, that reader is paraphrasing. To summarize an
informational text, a reader must determine the most important ideas in that text and
state them in his/her own words. As texts grow in complexity, summarizing allows a
reader to focus on essential ideas to clarify understanding.
Terminology Defined:
I.
Summary:
 an objective recounting of the important ideas of a text
 should not be longer than the text being summarized
II.
Paraphrase:
 restatement of a text in a reader’s own words
 typically about the same length as the text being paraphrased
 changes words and syntax (not just finding synonyms for a few words)
Summarizing Informational Text

Determine the main idea.

Determine the purpose of the text.

Locate facts or details that the author uses to make his/her point.

Look for key words and phrases.

Determine the writer’s opinion or attitude concerning the subject.
Remember that a summary should not be longer that the text being summarized.
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Strategies for Teaching Summarization
Strategy: Selective Underlining or Highlighting
Description: While the students are actively reading any selection of text, they
underline or highlight key words that are relevant to the main idea of the text. To begin
the summarizing process, the teacher presents a portion of the text to be summarized
and discusses with the class the words or phrases that should be underlined or
highlighted. Then, using the underlined or highlighted portions of the text, the teacher
orally summarizes that portion of text. As students become more proficient, they may
independently complete the process. To help students become independent, the
teacher models and limits the number of words highlighted in a particular text so that the
students do not resort to highlighting everything.
Reason: By underlining the key words of a text, the students are able to visually see
what key concepts, vocabulary words, and ideas are integral to understanding the text
and can begin to understand the main idea to write a summary.
Strategy: Rephrasing Informational Text
Description: First the students locate the main ideas. This strategy can be done by
using the selective underlining or highlighting strategy mentioned above. Then, the
students restate the main ideas in their own words. Students can locate key passages
that support the main idea and then restate those key passages in their own words.
Reason: Rephrasing informational text will help students unlock meaning. A reader can
better comprehend the important information in a text if he/she can restate complex
ideas in simpler language.
Strategy: Graphic Organizer (organizer on following page)
Description: The students use a graphic organizer as they read a nonfiction text that
will help them focus specifically on the author’s viewpoint as well as purpose for writing
the text.
Reason: This graphic organizer assists the student in thinking about the main ideas of
the text and help in his/her summary of the text.
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Summarizing Nonfiction or Fiction
The Author’s Topic:
The Author’s Purpose for Writing:
The Author’s Viewpoint Concerning the Topic:
Significant Points Made to Support the Author’s Purpose:
SUMMARY
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Summarization Lesson Seeds
A lesson seed is found at the objective level and is an idea for a lesson; lesson seeds
are not necessarily meant to take an entire class period. The seed is directly aligned
with an objective and ranges in cognitive demand. The sequential development of the
lesson idea may begin at a lower level of cognitive demand and then evolve into a
higher level of cognitive demand. Teachers may use the entire seed or only a portion of
a seed based upon the capability of their classes.
Lesson Seed: Anticipation Guide
Description: In using an anticipation guide, a teacher can help focus his/her students
on key words that will appear in a text to set the tone for the passage. For example, to
introduce the unit on tobacco, alcohol and other drugs, a teacher could pass out a paper
with the following sentence, “Tobacco, alcohol and other drugs are unhealthy” and the
following vocabulary words: addiction, depressants, hallucinogens, narcotics, steroids,
stimulants, tolerance, and withdrawal. Students then need to react to the following
statement by using any prior knowledge and/or opinions they have about the topic and
the vocabulary words. These statements may be informational (some true and some
false), or they may express opinions about the topic. Student responses provide
information for both teacher and students about the level and accuracy of their prior
knowledge. The guide can be revisited after teaching for students to correct any
misunderstandings or to express changed opinions and attitudes. The comprehension
gained from this activity is the general understanding of the main idea of the unit and or
text that will be presented to further explain the statement.
Lesson Seed: “Relay Race” Summary
Description: After reading a text or an excerpt of a text, have the students engage in a
“relay race” to write a summary. The students will have underlined or highlighted the
text as it was read to them or as they read the text to highlight key words and phrases.
In teams, the “relay race” will begin by one student writing one sentence and then
passing it on until the summary is finished. The students may not change a previous
sentence from another teammate, but they can speak to the teammate about why the
sentence was written. At the end of the race, all summaries can be collected as exit
tickets, or the summaries can be shared and critiqued.
Lesson Seed: Summarize a Character’s/Historical Figure’s Life (obituary)
Description: After reading a text about a person in history, have the students write a
summary in the form of an obituary about that person. For example, in a music class
students could write an obituary for Bach, Beethoven, Brahms or Mozart after reading
selected texts about the famous composers. In writing an obituary, the students will
have to identify the main ideas from the text and key ideas in the composer’s life. It
cannot be opinion-based, but rather a summary of what was in the text that they read
and based on facts alone. The obituaries can help to facilitate a discussion about what
was important from the text and what events and accomplishments defined the
composer’s life and made him/her a notable figure in history.
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Lesson Seed: Summarizing a Chapter and Using Snippets of Quotations
Description: As a class warm-up, the teacher can ask students to summarize what
happened in the section that they had to read the previous night. The teacher specifies
how long the summary needs to be. Once students write a summary, the teacher asks
for a few volunteers and has the class decide whether or not the summary is a
complete, objective account of the chapter. Add necessary details. At this point, the
teacher leads a lesson about how to include quotations within a summary. Students
return to the text to find specific incidents that provide them with quotations to include
within the summary that they already wrote.
Lesson Seed: Paring Down Summaries
Description: To begin, the teacher asks students to write a summary of any length.
Using this summary, the students write a shorter second summary. Using the second
summary, students write a third summary. Eventually, students will be able to reach a
desired summary length. In this way, students can practice paring down summaries to
only the essential information.
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Writing a Summary of an Informational Text
What makes a good summary? Read the following passage about the life of an atom,
and then read the sample summary and reflection.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sample Passage
The birth began in a young star. A young star is a mass of hydrogen nuclei.
Because the star is hot (about thirteen million degrees at the center), the nuclei cannot
hold on to their electrons. The electrons wander around. The nuclei
of hydrogen—that is, the protons—are moving about very fast too. From time to time
one proton runs headlong into another. When this happens, one of the protons loses its
electric charge and changes into a neutron. The pair then
cling together as a single nucleus of heavy hydrogen. This nucleus will in time capture
another proton. Now there is a nucleus with two protons and one neutron, called light
helium. When two of these nuclei smash into each other, two
protons are expelled in the process. This creates a nucleus of helium with two protons
and two neutrons.
This is the fundamental process of fusion by which the primitive hydrogen of the
universe is built up into a new basic material, helium. In this process, energy is given off
in the form of heat and light that make the stars shine. It is the
first stage in the birth of the heavier atoms.
Bronowski, Jacob, and Millicent Selsam. Biography of an Atom.
New York: Harper, 1965. (1965) as found in the Common Core State Standards
English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical
Subjects Appendix B: Text Exemplars for 9-10 grades
Sample Summary
The process of fusion by which the primitive hydrogen of the universe is
transformed into a new basic material, helium, is explained in Bronowski and Selsam’s
Biography of an Atom. The authors describe the process from the beginning with a
young star as a mass of hydrogen to the formation of light helium. The energy that is
released as a result of this process makes the stars shine.
Reflection
The summary above is an objective recounting of the important ideas in the text.
It is shorter than the original text, determines the main idea, and locates important facts
and details that the author used to make his/her point.
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Writing a Summary of a Literary Text
Similar to a summary of an informational text, a literary text’s summary should include
an objective recounting of the passage’s subject and what it is doing or what is
happening to it. Remember that a summary focuses on the facts in the text, not the
reader’s opinion, an interpretation of those facts. Read the following excerpt and the
sample summary that follows it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was a pleasure to burn.
It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed.
With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene
upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some
amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the
tatters and charcoal ruins of history. With his symbolic helmet numbered 451 on his
stolid head, and his eyes all orange flame with the thought of what came next, he flicked
the igniter and the house jumped up in a gorging fire that burned the evening sky red
and yellow and black. He strode in a swarm of fireflies. He wanted above all, like the old
joke, to shove a marshmallow on a stick in the furnace, while the flapping pigeonwinged books died on the porch and lawn of the house. While the books went up in
sparkling whirls and blew away on a wind turned dark with burning.
Montag grinned the fierce grin of all men singed and driven back by flame.
He knew that when he returned to the firehouse, he might wink at himself, a minstrel
man, burnt-corked, in the mirror. Later, going to sleep, he would feel the fiery smile still
gripped by his face muscles, in the dark. It never went away, that smile, it never ever
went away, as long as he remembered.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Ballantine, 1987. (1953)
From Part 1: “The Hearth and the Salamander”
Sample Summary
Using imagery, this passage discusses the burning of books and the pleasure Montag
finds in doing it. After he burns the books, he thinks about how he will smile about the
experience as he goes to sleep.
Sample Summary with Quotations
Using imagery like “the evening sky red and yellow and black,” this passage discusses
the burning of books and the pleasure Montag finds in doing it. After he burns the
books, he thinks about how he will smile about the experience as he goes to sleep. He
knew that his smile would never go away “as long as he remembered.”
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Resources
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Resources
The following resources provide support when teaching text-dependent
questions..
The following hyperlink will direct you to close reading exemplars:
http://www.achievethecore.org/steal-these-tools/close-reading-exemplars
The hyperlink includes the following close reading (informational and
literary) exemplars:
 Grade 6, “The Making of a Scientist”
 Grade 6, “The Great Fire”
 Grade 7, “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”
 Grade 7, “Farewell to Manzanar” and “Unbroken”
 Grade 8, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American
Slave”
 Grade 8, “The Long Night of the Little Boats”
 Grade 8, “Words We Live By”
 Grades 9-10, “Gettysburg Address”
 Grades 11-12, “Living Like Weasels”
For a list of instructional strategies, follow the link:
http://media.howard.k12.md.us/newcode/strategies/Strategies.php
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