Evaluating and Refining
Text Dependent Questions
Louisiana Teacher Leader Summit
June 3 – 4, 2014
New Orleans, Louisiana
What are we doing here?
Session Objectives
Review what makes a question text dependent and
why it’s important
Review why the text itself is the first step
Evaluate the quality of TDQ’s for their value, text
dependency, and alignment to the CCSS
Revise TDQ’s to be valuable in support of a text’s key
understanding(s)and aligned to the CCSS
What is a Text Dependent Question(TDQ)?
“Text dependent questions, as the name suggests, asks students
to provide evidence from the text and draw inferences based
on what the text says. Well-constructed text dependent questions
cause students to reflect on the text as opposed to reading
quickly to get the gist of the selection.”
A Primer on Close Reading of Text
The Aspen Institute
Education and Society Program
Why Text Dependent Questions (TDQ’s)?
“The Common Core State Standards for reading
strongly focus on students gathering evidence, knowledge,
and insight from what they read. Indeed, eighty to ninety percent
of the Reading Standards in each grade require text dependent
analysis; accordingly, aligned curriculum materials should have
a similar percentage of text dependent questions.”
Long Guide to Creating TDQ’s
Anthology Alignment Project
Edmodo Group Folder
Why is it important to evaluate TDQ’s?
 Judging the quality of the questions
 Time (efficiency)- prioritizing the most important
questions and customizing the lesson for each unique
group of students
 Plan for giving students information in addition to the text
– what will students glean over multiple readings? What
do my students still need to know to comprehend the
big idea of the text (that is not available in the text)?
The first step in evaluating TDQ’s
involves Text Complexity
“…while it is important for students to be able to comprehend
both explicit and implicit material in texts, as well as to
understand how various textual elements (such as main ideas,
relationships, or generalizations) function in a text,
the clearest differentiator in reading between students
who are college ready and students who are not is the
ability to comprehend complex texts.”
ACT released a study showing the importance of grade-level text:
http://www.act.org/research/policymakers/pdf/reading_summary.pdf
TDQ’s: Checking Item Quality
 Does the question have value and is it worthy of
students’ time?
 Is the question text dependent, requiring understanding
of the text and the use of textual evidence?
 Is the question aligned to and reflective of the rigor of
the CCSS?
The TDQ has Value
 Focuses on the key ideas (BIG ideas or central message), asks the
questions that “beg” to be asked
 Targets essential academic language (words and phrases) that
connect to key ideas
 Focuses on difficulty/important features of the text (e.g. complex
syntax or complexity features that challenge students’
comprehension of the text)
 Allows students to show insights about the text
TDQ is really Text Dependent
 Demands close reading of the text, does not privilege prior
knowledge
 Requires students to use evidence from the text
 Allows for synthesis within or between texts
 The sequence of the TDQ’s keeps students focused on the text and
helps them to gradually learn from it
Is the question Text Dependent? Valuable?
Tim Shanahan released “Letting the Text Take Center Stage” highlighting similar findings:
http://www.aft.org/pdfs/americaneducator/fall2013/Shanahan.pdf
Is there CCSS Alignment?
 Stays true to the intent of the standards
 Uses the language of the standards when possible or
scaffolds to it
 Reflects the complexity and range of the standards
 Aligns to standards 1 (evidence) and 10 (complexity)
Match the TDQ to the CCSS standard(s)
 Read the following questions and determine which
CCSS reading standard(s) is/are supported by that TDQ.
 Work with a friend or friends and justify your answers.
 http://www.corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_ELA%20Sta
ndards.pdf
The question is aligned to which CCSS standard(s)?
First Grade, Informational
TDQ from RAP Lesson The Moon, Eye on the Universe
On page 19, why did the author give the bottom paragraph the
title Big Red? Use evidence from the text to explain your answer.
Tenth Grade, Literature
TDQ from AAP Lesson Contents of a Dead Man’s Pocket
On page 18, a second setting is revealed. What is it and how does
the writer use this setting to create suspense? Use evidence from
pages 18 and 19 to support your answer.
.
Sixth Grade, Literature EAGLE How Yugong Moved the Mountains
Part A
Which sentence best states a theme of the myth about Yugong?
A.
Hard work will always end in success.
B.
A wise man will always know his limitations.
C.
Old age is the time to follow one’s fondest dreams.
D.
Great determination is required to accomplish great deeds.
Part B
Which sentence from the passage best supports the answer to part A?
A. “We shall create a new road down to the village.” (paragraph 2)
B. “They dug and shoveled all day long and never stopped for rest.” (paragraph 5)
C. “Even if I were no longer able to work, my children would, and their children after
them . . . . “ (paragraph 8)
D. “The emperor called forth two might gods and told them to lift the mountains far
away from Yugong’s house.” (paragraph 10)
Before we continue, please consider…
 Some easy, “go-to” TDQ’s are developed purposefully to engage
students with an easy beginning task. That is the teacher’s decision
and is actually not a bad idea.
 Some TDQ’s that seem to be below CCSS grade level may be part
of a scaffolded set, where the question is developed purposefully to
be easy and the next question(s) “builds” toward the grade level
CCSS and more complex idea(s).
 Use your knowledge of your students when developing, evaluating
and revising TDQ sets.
Does the question support the “Big Idea”?
Read the essential understanding and the following questions. Which
questions support the big idea? Are any less essential?
Third Grade BAP Lesson for a play adapted from Charlotte’s Web
Key understanding: You are never too small to do great things.
-What is the setting of the play Charlotte’s Web?
-How does Charlotte change how she sews her web once she meets
Wilbur and becomes determined to save her?
-Homer says, “A miracle has happened on the farm”. What miracle
has Charlotte performed?
-How did Charlotte’s idea solve Wilbur’s problem?
-Write an essay explaining what makes Charlotte ‘no ordinary spider’.
How do these special qualities help Wilbur? Use evidence from the
story to support your answer.
Does the question support the “Big Idea”?
Read the essential understanding and the following questions. Which
questions support the big idea? Are any less essential?
Third Grade BAP Lesson for a play adapted from Charlotte’s Web
Key understanding: You are never too small to do great things.
-What is the setting of the play Charlotte’s Web?
-How does Charlotte change how she sews her web once she meets
Wilbur and becomes determined to save her?
-Homer says, “A miracle has happened on the farm”. What miracle
has Charlotte performed?
-How did Charlotte’s idea solve Wilbur’s problem?
-Write an essay explaining what makes Charlotte ‘no ordinary spider’.
How do these special qualities help Wilbur? Use evidence from the
story to support your answer.
Does the question support the “Big Idea”?
Is the question text dependent and aligned to the
grade level CCSS?
Fourth Grade BAP Lesson for the poem The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
Big Idea: Knowing the importance of sacrificing and taking risks for freedom, a
determined person can accomplish great things.
Question: What is the poem's setting? Which phrase from the poem is a clue
that the setting is the Revolutionary War?
Is the setting important to comprehending the key understandings of the
poem?
Is the question text dependent?
Is the question aligned to the 4th grade ELA/Literacy CCSS?
Could this question be refined?
Evaluate the Question
• Read the fable “The Ant and the Grasshopper” found at
http://www.aesopfables.com/cgi/aesop1.cgi?1&TheAnta
ndtheGrasshopper&&antgrass2.ram
• Evaluate the following question for
• value to comprehending the key understanding
• text dependent
• aligned to third grade level CCSS.
Who are the characters in the fable “The Ant and the
Grasshopper”?
Refining the Question
Who are the characters in the fable “The Ant and
the Grasshopper”?
How can we refine this question for 3rd grade
CCSS and also make it more valuable and text
dependent?
Refined TDQ
RL.3.3: Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings)
and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.
Who are the characters in the fable “The Ant and the Grasshopper”?
Sample refined TDQ’s:
What can we learn about the grasshopper and the ant in the first paragraph of
the fable? Use details from the fable in your answer.
Reread the first sentence in the last paragraph of the fable. What does the
grasshopper think about what the ant is doing?
Want more practice?
 Are you a CCSS nerd?
 Take the time to research and teach with lessons from
Student Achievement Partners www.achievethecore.org
and Edmodo RAP, BAP and AAP
 Work collaboratively with other educators at your
school, district or join other groups
 Attend a training and submit lessons for review with
Student Achievement Partners
 Volunteer to work on district and state committees, task
forces, and work groups
Edmodo Group Codes for:
BAP (Basal Alignment Project)
f4q6nm
AAP (Anthology Alignment Project)
jsv4r7
RAP (Read Aloud Project)
pkx52i
One more little thing….
 What about PARCC?
 How can we prepare our students for PARCC?
Take the practice tests
http://practice.parcc.testnav.com/#
Engage our students with questions that are aligned
with the CCSS, use its language, are valuable and
text dependent, as well as being developed
specifically to support students in gradually unveiling
the key understanding(s)of a complex text.
Make certain question and task structures are routine
Resources and References
 http://www.act.org/research/policymakers/pdf/reading_summary.
pdf
 http://www.aft.org/pdfs/americaneducator/fall2013/Shanahan.pdf
 http://www.aspeninstitute.org/publications/implementingcommon-core-state-standards-primer-close-reading-text
 www.achievethecore.org
 www.louisianabelieves.com
 http://parcconline.org/
 EAGLE training, LDOE, Summer 2013.
Questions, comments, nice things to
say..
Sam Johnson
Tangipahoa District Literacy Specialist
Sam.Johnson@tangischools.org
Additional Practice, Time Providing…
 Read the following questions taken from ReadWorks.
 Are the questions valuable, text dependent and aligned
to the CCSS?
 Can the question(s) be edited or refined to become
valuable, text dependent and aligned to the CCSS?
Additional Practice
Seventh Grade:
Read the following paragraph, written from Abraham’s point of view.
“The man came closer and raised his stick to his shoulder. From the
stick came a flash of light and a booming sound that scared
Abraham. The elephant felt something hot hit his shoulder. The man
took a few steps forward, raised the stick again, and Abraham felt
another hot jolt, this time on his ribs.”
Based on the description above, what kind of “stick” was the man
really holding?
A a club
B a sword
C a spear
D a gun
Additional Practice
 Is “stick” a valuable vocabulary word to this passage or
is it trivial? (we may need to guess a bit as we have not
read the passage in its entirety)
 Is this question text dependent? Would I need to read
the passage to answer the question about the meaning
of “stick” as used in the passage?
 Is the question aligned to the seventh grade RL
standards?
Additional Practice
Taken from the same passage:
1. Who is Abraham?
A a trainer
B an elephant
C a rice farmer
D a circus ringmaster
Additional Practice
Who is Abraham?
 Is this question text dependent?
 Is it valuable or trivial?
 Is this question aligned to the 7th grade CCSS?
 Can the question be refined or should it be
replaced/deleted?