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Knowing the answer is one thing...but being able to justify your thinking by citing text is an entirely different type of skill. Taking the text and combing through it, like an old man at the beach with a metal detector, determined to find some treasures, not only takes strong reading comprehension skills but also takes some perseverance, to find what we're looking for.
Here are the six steps I use in my classroom, to teach this important reading skill:

1. Teach the Specific Steps to Cite Text Evidence

No secrets here...I'm a firm believer in teaching kids explicitly how to do the skills we want them to have, whether it's reading or math or any other subject. Often times, I like to make my thinking public, so that my modeling will give the kids an idea of what they can do to reach a particular learning goal. Mentor texts are a great tool to use here and can be read in one sitting, using lots of examples.

About the steps...To cite text evidence, we talk about how we need to read the whole text first (duh, but some kids might just try to skip this part and just try to answer the questions). Then, we read the question and think about how we might answer it.
Once we figure out our answer, we go back to the text and search for specific parts of the text, that will help us justify our answer. We make sure to take some time to discuss what it means to justify something and the kids enjoy this part a lot. For example, justify why you should have recess... Justify why you should be able to have a cell phone... Justify why you should be able to have a sleepover... Like little lawyers in the making!

I like using anchor charts so much and this one really comes in handy to teach kids how to cite evidence by using the author's exact words, using quotation marks, and telling where you found it (On page 7..., or In the second paragraph...). We also spend some time working on using commas and quotation marks properly, which is a skill that goes hand in hand with this reading strategy.

Next, I teach the kids a few specific sentence starters, which work really well when citing text evidence. After we've used them for a while, these come so naturally to the kids, that they have the set memorized without even referring to the chart.

Another early-on activity I have found to be useful is a whole class activity, which lets us practice/model this skill together. To get ready for this activity, I copy an interesting passage and then have the kids color code specific parts of the text that answer different questions. I actually do this verbally and write the questions on the smartboard as we go.

For whole group activities, I've found that if all the questions are all written down, you know the speed demon worker bee is going to do the whole page before we get to the second question!
So, here's how I do this activity...I might say, do you think so and so showed responsibility in this passage? Highlight the specific part(s) of the passage that support your answer (use yellow). For the next question, we might highlight in green, or underline in purple. I plan ahead so the kids have lots of opportunities to practice finding different parts of the text, without color coding on top of another answer.

Ok...I admit it, I can't get enough of task cards, and they're a great tool to use to help kids practice citing text evidence. Task cards give kids a lot of concentrated practice in a short period of time. Plus, the format is such, that they don't feel overwhelmed. When we do task cards for text evidence, I like to match the kids up in partners and they go around the room, recording their answers on a record sheet. Besides doing a Scoot/Scavenger type activity with the cards though, they could be used in small groups, for centers, photocopied and put into a reading notebook, or used to play a number of fun games (See my blog post called
16 Ways to Use Task Cards for more ideas).
Now this unit, including the task cards, comes in a digital format to give you greater flexibility.

I often create resources that I need for my classroom and this is no exception. I wanted high-interest passages that the kids would enjoy reading, that were rigorous enough to allow them to search for and find justification for their answers. Whether you use my differentiated Text Evidence Kit for 3rd - 5th grades, with color-coding passages, practice passages and games or the Text Evidence Unit (for 4th and 5th graders) or another type of resource, kids definitely benefit from practice with shorter pieces of text before we push them out of the nest a bit, into longer pieces of literature/novels or informational texts.

6. Use Actual Literature or Informational Text Books

All of this practice is necessary and the process is a great one for the kids, scaffolding their learning starting with the teacher, to guided practice, to the more independent work...but there comes a time when they have to show you what they've got. Time for them to dive into an actual book (gasp!) and to use that book, whether it is a piece of literature or some informational text, and answer comprehension questions, while citing evidence to justify their reasoning from the text. Whew! Not an easy task, I know, and not one that occurs overnight, but it is one that is attainable, with the help of a caring teacher...like you! Want to read about how to teach your older students (4th and above) to write effective constructed responses? This post has lots of tips for using the RACE strategy.
Click here to take a look!

I'd love to hear about your experiences with this concept. What has worked for you or what do you think is the most challenging aspect of it?

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Knowing the answer is one thing...but being able to justify your thinking by citing text is an entirely different type of skill. Taking the text and combing through it, like an old man at the beach with a metal detector, determined to find some treasures, not only takes strong reading comprehension skills, but also takes some perseverance, to find what we're looking for.

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Aloha friends! I am so happy to be participating with such amazing teacher/bloggers in the Bright Ideas Blog Hop!

Today I am sharing a strategy that I have been using with my struggling readers to find and track information in a non-fiction text.

Our 2nd grade team is focusing on Common Core Standard RI.2.1-Ask and answer questions such as who, what, when, where, why and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

My advanced readers are doing great, but I have a group of struggling readers who are having such a difficult time understanding how to answer a question completely. These kiddos are struggling just to read the text and now they have to cite evidence!?

I worked with a small group this week and we did this activity together.

This paragraph is from an old science text I had. We read through the paragraph together and discussed what we thought was the main idea.

Then we read the questions. I had them highlight number one with a yellow crayon.

We went back up to the text and found where it talked about rain. I had them highlight the whole sentence.

We did it again for number two, but used pink this time.

I had them use a different color for each question.

Finally I had them answer the questions on a separate sheet of paper.

I had them copy the colored sentence word for word. Then I read each question and they answered it in a complete sentence by reading what was on their paper.

This was incredibly helpful to keep them focused and to keep track of their evidence/answer to each question.

This was very low level, but they really need to practice this skill in order to move on to more complex questions. I am hoping that soon they will be able to quickly find information, underline it and begin to answer the questions in their own words.

I am so glad you stopped by and hope this strategy can help some of your learners as well.

She has a great classroom management tip on how to stop students from interrupting while you are working with individual students.

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Aloha friends! I am so happy to be participating with such amazing teacher/bloggers in the Bright Ideas Blog Hop! Today I am sharing a strategy that I have been using with my struggling readers to find and track information in a non-fiction text.

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This is the perfect pre-assessment to give to your students learning how to cite textual evidence. This is also a great resource for students that may have learning disabilities, ELL, or approaching foundational reading skills. This pre-assessment can be used for students with ADHD, Auditory Processing Disorder, and disabilities that may affect the child's foundational reading skills.

The Pre-Assessment includes:

What does it mean to cite information

What is evidence

How do you pull out a quote to prove a claim

Fact or opinion

Explaining a quote in your own words

Strategies that are necessary to highlight important information

If you like this product, check out my other great products!
Citing Textual Evidence in 5 Easy Steps Essay Map for Special Education Citing Textual Evidence EASY Practice
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Citing Textual Evidence Pre-Assessment Common Core Aligned

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This is the perfect pre-assessment to give to your students learning how to cite textual evidence. This is also a great resource for students that may have learning disabilities, ELL, or approaching foundational reading skills. This pre-assessment can be used for students with ADHD, Auditory Process...

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STUDENT TESTED, TEACHER APPROVED!
Looking for a fun way to practice textual evidence? Looking for a fun informal assessment that will make your students want more? Then look no further!

What do you get?
1.Game Board
2. 28 Text Cards
3. 28 Animal Cards
4. 2 Spinners
5. Answer Sheets
6. Table for Sorting
7. Game Rules

This board game requires the students to find textual evidence to support their classification of various animals.

SCIENCE AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS! COMMON CORE BASED!

The students will read various Text Cards about animal adaptations, and animal habitats.The students will have fun finding textual evidence in this student-approved board game!

** FOR GRADES 4, 5, AND 6 ***

Works well with RACE (R.A.C.E.)
R - restate the question
A - answer the question
C - cite textual evidence *
E - explain the textual evidence

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STUDENT TESTED, TEACHER APPROVED! Looking for a fun way to practice textual evidence? Looking for a fun informal assessment that will make your students want more? Then look no further! What do you get? 1.Game Board 2. 28 Text Cards 3. 28 Animal Cards 4. 2 Spinners 5. Answer Sheets 6.

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ReadWriteThink couldn't publish all of this great content without literacy experts to write and review for us. If you've got lessons plans, videos, activities, or other ideas you'd like to contribute, we'd love to hear from you.

Find the latest in professional publications, learn new techniques and strategies, and find out how you can connect with other literacy professionals.

Teacher Resources by Grade

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Home › Classroom Resources › Lesson Plans

Lesson Plan

Grades

6 - 12

Lesson Plan Type

Minilesson

Estimated Time

One 50-minute session

Lesson Author

Publisher

Student Objectives Session One Extensions Student Assessment/Reflections
STUDENT OBJECTIVES

Students will:

evaluate citations and the importance of their use.

demonstrate the ability to find citations that support specific claims in a fiction text.

identify the purposes of citations.

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Session One
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1. Begin the session with a class discussion about citations and importance of usage. Ask the students : "What is the purpose of a citation?" (to avoid plagiarism, to assign proper authority to a statement) and "When is the use of a citation appropriate?"

2. Explain to the class that an early step in the citation process is finding support for a specific claim. Display to the class three or more of the claims below and ask the students why they need support and where they might find it.

China is the largest nation in the world.

A McDonald's Big Mac® has 550 calories.

Moose Flanagan and his family move to Alcatraz Island. (Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko)

Rifka has to overcome the hatred of Russian soldiers, as well as, typhus and ringworm. (Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse)

Mae Tuck, her husband, and her two sons have looked exactly the same for the last 87 years. (Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt)

3. Inform the class that you are challenging them to a citation competition.

4. Distribute and explain the Citation Hunt Catching Fire Example Printout and answer any questions that students may have. Next, give each student a copy of the Citation Hunt Printout that will be used for the text that they read.

5. If needed, complete the first statement together. Have students work in pairs or as an individual to complete the challenge.

6. Circulate around the classroom making sure that students are recording appropriate citations and page numbers. Help students as needed.

7. When all students have completed the activity, come together as a group to share their findings. Have students share their favorite piece of evidence to their classmates. Supporting excerpts from the book can be written on the board, an overhead, or chart paper.

8. Have the students take out a piece of notebook paper or use the back of the Citation Hunt Printout to reflect on the following questions that are displayed on the board, overhead, or chart paper.

Why are citations important?

How did you find support for the claims?

Is it wrong to not cite sources? Why or Why not?

How would you feel if your ideas or work were used without giving you credit?

9. Allow the students time to share their reflections with the class.

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EXTENSIONS
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Before or after this activity, use the Why We Cite Sources in Academic Papers printout as a discussion guide with the class. Focus on the three main reasons why citations are needed in academic writing during the discussion. This extension would be appropriate before the research process begins.

Create a citation bookmark that can be used while reading to keep track of excerpts that support specific claims. Please see Genre Study: A Collaborative Approach to see a similar use of bookmarks within a lesson and a sample bookmark.

Have students use Google Books to look up a favorite or popular quotation from a text. Once their excerpt is found have students properly cite the source using the Citation Machine.

STUDENT ASSESSMENT/REFLECTIONS

Use the completed Citation Hunt Printout to check for correct support of the specific claims from the text.

During the class discussion, evaluate students for increased knowledge of citations and when and why they are used during academic writing.

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Prove It!: A Citation Scavenger Hunt - ReadWriteThink

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ReadWriteThink couldn't publish all of this great content without literacy experts to write and review for us. If you've got lessons plans, videos, activities, or other ideas you'd like to contribute, we'd love to hear from you. Find the latest in professional publications, learn new techniques and strategies, and find out how you can connect with other literacy professionals.

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Citing text evidence chart. Will give a copy to past in my ELL and Special Ed students' interactive science journal. | Teaching writing, Text evidence, Citing text evidence

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Citing text evidence chart. Will give a copy to past in my ELL and Special Ed students' interactive science journal.

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Scavenger Hunts for Readers: 4 Fun Activities for Citing Textual Evidence

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Scavenger Hunts for Readers: 4 Fun Activities for Citing Textual Evidence

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It can be hard and intimidating for readers to back up their ideas and think about a book with specific quotes and passages from the text. Ask students to "cite evidence from the text" and you often see a look of desperation on their faces. I've found that as students gain confidence, having them jot their thinking on organizers helps a lot. Here, I share four of my favorite activities for citing textual evidence-two for fiction and two for nonfiction. Of course, always model these organizers or co-construct before asking students to do them independently! And always use your favorite and fabulous books!

You can also check out the FB Live on teaching evidence-based writing.

Activity to Try: Back Up Your Thinking

This "Back Up Your Thinking" organizer is a great start for getting students to share their thinking rather than merely answering questions. Choose a skill you want readers to practice-for example, describe the character, event, setting, or theme. Using a short piece of text, have students read through it once, and then fill in the "observation from the text" section. Next comes the hunt for clues. Students read the text a second time, highlighting and annotating if possible, or simply jotting their ideas in the thinking bubbles. The final step is to "lift a line" from the text (or a phrase) that adds support to their thinking. Often, we have charts displayed with the phrases that help introduce evidence, but they are also right on the page for the students who need immediate access to them.

Activity to Try: Pick a Question

Finding theme can be tough because it requires so much inferential thinking across a text. That's why I love to introduce theme by using short movie clips (Pixar shorts are terrific). Then, have students write the theme in a full sentence on a sticky note, along with one sentence explaining why they chose that theme. To support students, use the Pick a Question organizer to make the exercise more like a game, sending them to hunt for clues to a question you pose. For example, "Does the main character ask questions that reveal his inner struggle?" or "Is there repetition? What is it?" These questions, and the others on the activity page, help kids gain the smarts needed to infer and determine theme. After working through the questions, students can then choose the question that they feel helps them best identify the theme and fill in the appropriate box.

Activity to Try: Ask and Answer Questions

When introducing supporting thinking with evidence from nonfiction, it's often beneficial to start with a focus on questions. Why? Raising questions is the central way we engage with nonfiction authors' ideas. It helps readers feel in the driver's seat of navigating a text, rather than feeling out of control with facts coming at them a mile a minute. It's also important for students to value their own questions and curiosities. With this organizer, students develop their own question about the text and then find three answers to it, along with the detail, quote, or line that supports the answer.

Another way to introduce this as a "Search" is to use an article or piece that begins with a question. I love to bring in any of the articles from Kathy Wollard's How Come books, as each article begins with a question (e.g., "Where do tornadoes come from?"). Students can simply use this question on their organizer, or they can come up with one of their own before they read. Read through the text once to get a general understanding. On the second reading, highlight and annotate specific sections of the text that answer the question. Then choose three of these examples to add to the organizer. This can also be a scaffold for writing short, focused summaries on nonfiction text.

Activity to Try: Visuals + Text = Better Understanding

Sending students back to the text to look for clues is engaging when it's nonfiction that includes maps, charts, and other visuals. Teaching students to focus on what they learn from the text and also from visuals deepens comprehension. This organizer makes this work explicit. Choose texts that are rich with both text and visuals and invite students in on the hunt-jotting their thinking in each section, then summarizing how the visuals helped them to better understand the entirety of the piece.

Organizers and templates are great to support and scaffold students, but ultimately, we want students thinking metacognitively and doing the work independently. Use these citing textual evidence activities, but then move away from them and let the kids take control and apply what you have taught!

And remember, organizers are only as good as the text they support. Bring in great, rich texts for your students so that they can be engaged with sentences and passages loaded with style and substance. Before Thanksgiving break, your students are going to realize that their thinking is important and that they know how to back up their thinking with examples from the text-and that is the greatest prize there is.

Don't forget to check out the FB Live on teaching evidence-based writing.

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Scavenger Hunts for Readers: 4 Fun Citing Textual Evidence Activities

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It can be hard and intimidating for readers to back up their ideas and think about a book with specific quotes and passages from the text. Ask students to "cite evidence from the text" and you often see a look of desperation on their faces.