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Disciplinary Literacy

Constructing Text Dependent Questions for the Social Studies Classroom

Session Outcomes

Identify the role of close analytic reading and text-dependent questions toward achieving college and career readiness

Evaluate sample text-dependent questions

Practice the process of designing text dependent questions for social studies text

Why Use Text Dependent Questions?

“An effective set of text-dependent questions delves systematically into text to guide students toward extracting the key meanings or ideas found there.” – achievethecore.org

Not all questions should be text dependent, however, they should be used to help unlock the meaning of complex texts.

The power of text dependent questions lies in the ability to create independent readers of complex texts

Sample Text and TDQsWe the People of the United States, in Order to

form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Questions About the Questions!

Is it text dependent?

Is it high quality?

Is it important for unlocking the content?

Evaluate a Text Dependent Question

Text Text Dependent Question

We the People of the United

States, in Order to form a more

perfect Union, establish Justice,

insure domestic Tranquility,

provide for the

common defense, promote the

general Welfare, and secure the

Blessings of Liberty to

ourselves and our Posterity,

do ordain and establish this

Constitution for the United

States of America.

Question:

According to the Preamble, what are the responsibilities of the United States government?

Questions About the Questions!

Is it text dependent?

Is it high quality?

Is it important for unlocking the content?

Evaluate a Text Dependent Question

Text Text Dependent Question

We the People of the United

States, in Order to form a more

perfect Union, establish Justice,

insure domestic Tranquility,

provide for the

common defense, promote the

general Welfare, and secure the

Blessings of Liberty to

ourselves and our Posterity,

do ordain and establish this

Constitution for the United

States of America.

Question:

What is the most important duty of the United States government? Why? Cite evidence from the text to support your answer.

Questions About the Questions!

Is it text dependent?

Is it high quality?

Is it important for unlocking the content?

Evaluate a Text Dependent Question

Text Text Dependent Question

We the People of the United

States, in Order to form a more

perfect Union, establish Justice,

insure domestic Tranquility,

provide for the

common defense, promote the

general Welfare, and secure the

Blessings of Liberty to

ourselves and our Posterity,

do ordain and establish this

Constitution for the United

States of America.

Question:

How many responsibilities does the government have to the people of the United States?

Questions About the Questions!

Is it text dependent?

Is it high quality?

Is it important for unlocking the content?

Evaluate a Text Dependent Question

Text Text Dependent Question

We the People of the United

States, in Order to form a more

perfect Union, establish Justice,

insure domestic Tranquility,

provide for the

common defense, promote the

general Welfare, and secure the

Blessings of Liberty to

ourselves and our Posterity,

do ordain and establish this

Constitution for the United

States of America.

Question:

Why were these principles important when writing the Constitution? Are they still important today?

Questions About the Questions!

Is it text dependent?

Is it high quality?

Is it important for unlocking the content?

Choose a Text Worth Reading

Not every text is worthy of a close reading that requires an analysis lead by text dependent questions. Choose wisely.

A worthy text :is complexis aligned to content standards and supports understanding of topic, solves a problem, or informs citizens

Is engaging for readers

SECONDARY TEXT: Theodore Roosevelt“Duties of American Citizenship”

Speech delivered on January 26, 1883; Buffalo, New York

Start with a Complex Text That Fits Your Content Needs

Know the Text Well Use annotation to identify important and

challenging areas of the text before constructing questions.

Read and annotate the text. Identify …

• the central ideas and key details of the text.

• key academic vocabulary and text structure

• the sections of the text that will present the most difficulty (difficult sentence structure, dense or unfamiliar information, tricky inferences).

• Areas critical to gaining the desired content knowledge

Annotate the textYour turn to read

and annotate the text

Central idea and key details

Vocabulary

Difficult areas of text for students

Critical content

HOW TO CRAFT

QUESTIONS

• Identify the core understandings and key ideas.

• Include opening questions to orient students to the text and provide confidence.

• Craft questions based on powerful academic words and text structures connected to the key ideas.

• Develop questions that support tough sections of text presenting the greatest difficulty for deep understanding.

• Sequence the series of questions to build toward deeper analysis.

• Identify which standards are aligned with the questions.

Considerations for Writing Text-dependent Questions for Close Analytic Reading

Some Thoughts on Writing TDQs

• There is no one right way to have students work with text- dependent questions.

• Differing needs of students means providing and scaffolding supports differentially - not asking easier questions or substituting simpler text.

• Listening and speaking should be built into any sequence of activities along with reading and writing.

• The CCSS require ALL students to read and engage with grade appropriate complex text regularly. This requires new ways of working in our classrooms.

Modified from Achieve the Core

Example 1

Secondary Example: What does shirk mean in the following sentence: “No man has a right to shirk his political duties under whatever plea of pleasure or business?” What is Roosevelt’s argument in this statement?

Your turn

1. Review your annotations.

2. Where in the text would you pause and ask a text-dependent questions that causes students to slow down reading and analyze the text?

3. Craft questions that address these difficult or important areas of the text.

4. Organize the questions into a meaningful progression for students.

Secondary Example

TIME TO SHARE

What’s the Relationship?

Text Dependent

Questions

Complex Text

Close Analytical

Reading

How do these work together?

What is your end goal for students?Keep in Mind….

“No one who ever bought a drill

wanted a drill. They wanted a

hole.”- Perry Marshall

THANK YOU!