Students will get a knowledge of how to use text evidence to support their reading comprehension of literary texts in this session. At the end of the lesson, students are able to:
- Respond to inquiries concerning important specifics in a work of literature.
- Employ textual evidence to bolster your analysis of a text.

- How do strategic readers interpret informational and literary text?
- How does the reading material affect how a text should be interpreted?
- What is the true purpose of this text?

- Evidence: Text or illustrations used to support a reader’s ideas about a text.

- Charlotte Huck. (1994). Princess Furball. Greenwillow Books. 
Alternative books: 
- John Scieszka. (1996). The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. Puffin.
- Eugene Trivizas. (1997). The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig. McElderry.
- Melodye Rosales. (2000). Leola and the Honeybears: An African-American Retelling of Goldilocks and The Three Bears. Scholastic Inc.
- Babette Cole. (1997). Prince Cinders. Puffin.
- Teachers may substitute other books to provide a range of reading and level of text complexity.
- various props for the opening activity (e.g., cell phone, sunglasses, textbook, chapter book, calendar, pen, markers, notebook paper, plain paper, globe, scissors)
- chart paper
- student copies of Text Evidence Graphic Organizer (L-2-4-1_Text Evidence Graphic Organizer)
Age-appropriate riddle books to be used in the Extension activity. Examples include the following:
- Jacqueline A. Ball. (1989). Riddles About the Seasons (What Can It Be?). Silver Press, 1989. 
- Jacqueline A. Ball. (1989). Riddles About Baby Animals (What Can It Be?). Silver Press, 1989.

This lesson's objective is to help students become more proficient at using text evidence to enhance their comprehension of literary texts.
- Keep an eye on the students while they converse with each other. Assess the extent to which students can use textual evidence to back up their ideas about a text.
- Assess the pupils' conceptual understanding by looking at their exit tickets. If necessary, give further instructions.

Explicit instruction, modeling, scaffolding, and active participation
W: Encourage student participation and observation as you demonstrate how to use the text and illustrations to encourage text-related thinking. 
H: Involve students by giving them a sequence of hints and asking them to use the evidence to identify the person you are portraying. 
E: Assist students in locating textual evidence to bolster their interpretations of the text. 
R: Give pupils the chance to share their ideas with a companion and cite textual material to back up their arguments. 
E: Allow students to show what they have learned through a written response and observe them to gauge their comprehension of how to bolster their arguments with textual evidence. 
E: Give students the chance to recognize and apply text evidence to support their ideas when reading literary texts through partner work and large-group involvement. 
O: This lesson's learning activities include pair work, large-group instruction and discussion, and individual application of the material. 

 

Main Question: How can a reader utilize textual evidence to bolster their understanding of a text?

Before class, choose three students and provide them with the following props:

Student 1: a globe, a pencil and notepad, and a chapter book

Student 2: sunglasses, scissors, plain white paper, and markers

Student 3: a calendar, a phone, and a textbook

Say, "A detective looks for evidence when attempting to solve a mystery." Write the word "evidence" on the board or interactive whiteboard and have students discuss it with a pair. Ask a few students to offer their solutions. Teach pupils that evidence is something that lends credence to your ideas.

"I will be describing one of the individuals in the room," you say. "I'll read a few hints. I want you to identify the person I am describing by using the evidence he or she is holding. Raise your hand if you think you have an answer. Make sure you have proof to back up your response."

After reading each of the following hints, listen for the students' answers:

"This individual enjoys reading."  (Students 1 and 3 are both holding books.)
"This individual enjoys traveling." (Pupil 1 is holding a globe. For a trip, Student 2 has sunglasses. Student 3 can schedule a trip using a calendar.
"This individual enjoys staying in touch with others." Student 1 is writing a letter using paper and pencil. Three students own a phone.
"This individual enjoys drawing pictures." Student 1 could use a notebook to make drawings. Student 2 is equipped with markers and drawing paper.
"If you utilize all the hints and proof, who am I describing?" Let pupils hazard a guess as long as they provide evidence to back it up. (All of the suggestions are for Student 1 and are supported by the evidence that she or he is holding.)

Say, "You backed up your assumptions about the person I was describing with evidence. When you read, you use the text's evidence to back up your arguments." 

Part 1

You have the option of creating an anchor chart in advance or class. The term evidence and its definition from the opening activity should be at the top of the chart. Next, include phrase openers that pupils can utilize to bolster their analysis of a text, like the ones listed below. To utilize Lesson 2, save the anchor chart.

The reason I know is...

It said in the text:

The writer penned ____________________.

The illustration displayed is ___________________.

It stated ____________________ on page __.

(For further strategies, see the list of related resources at the end of the lesson.)

You teach: "Using these sentence starters, you can explain how the evidence you found in the book supports your ideas."

Read out loud the title of Charlotte Huck's book, Princess Furball. Display the Text Evidence Graphic Organizer (L-2-4-1_Text Evidence Graphic Organizer) on a document camera or overhead projector.

Say, "As I read this story to you, please listen. We will add evidence to this visual organizer as we read to back up our arguments." Read the book aloud. Throughout the narrative, pause to pose questions and provide examples of how to bolster arguments with textual evidence.

Remind students that, to understand important facts in a text, they should employ the queries who, what, where, when, why, and how. Sample queries and answers:

Inquire, "Who is the story's main character?" (The Furball Princess) Think out loud, "I know Princess Furball is the main character because the author wrote the story about her," while consulting the anchor chart of sentence starters.

Consult the organizer graphic. "What kind of person is Princess Furball?" you ask your students. (Amazing, sad, and alone) Look at the sentence beginning anchor chart and state out loud, "I know what kind of person Princess Furball is because it says on page 1 that she was "a beautiful young princess. She often felt depressed and alone."

Show how to enter these responses in the Text Evidence Graphic Organizer's display copy on the left side.

"Why does the elderly nurse teach the girl manners in addition to reading and writing?", You raise a question. (Because the young lady is a princess.) Say, “On page 1, it says the nurse never forgot that the girl was a princess”. Write the following event on the right side of the graphic organizer: The nurse teaches the girl how to write, read, and behave.

You can ask, "Why is this event important to the story?" (because the princess developed into a powerful, competent, and astute adult.) Think out loud, "I know the girl's teaching was important because the text says she grew up to be strong, capable, and clever," while consulting the anchor chart of sentence starters. On the graphic organizer, note the supporting documentation."

As you read the story again, progressively give students more and more responsibility to respond to questions and provide textual evidence to back up their arguments. Remind them to begin their sentences with the text evidence.  

Part 2

Collect a range of literary materials from the school library or classroom that are appropriate for the pupils' level of independent reading. Say, "We used evidence to support our ideas about Princess Furball's characters and events. It's your time now to justify your conclusions regarding a different story with textual evidence."

Assign students to work in pairs. Assign a book to each pair that can be read in around 20 minutes. Distribute the Text Evidence Graphic Organizer (L-2-4-1_Text Evidence Graphic Organizer) to all participants. Assign pupils to complete the graphic organizer in pairs. While the students are working, move around the room and offer assistance where it is required.

Once the students have finished the work, gather the group and ask the students to share their solutions in pairs. As they share their knowledge, encourage them to start sentences with the text evidence. For instance, the protagonist is avaricious.  (Because_____, I am aware of this.)

Ask each student to respond to the following query regarding the book they read as part of their exit ticket: How can a reader apply textual evidence to bolster their interpretation of a text?

Gather the exit tickets for the purpose of formative evaluation.

Extension:

Students who are willing to go above and beyond the requirements should read Robert Pottle's poem "Half (http://www.robertpottle.com/poems/poems/9half.htm). Ask students to describe the speaker in writing, using passages from the text to back up their claims.
Assign students who require extra learning opportunities to solve puzzles and provide an explanation of how they used the puzzle's evidence to arrive at their solution.