02.07.14On Evidence Based Questioning
We often ask students to cite evidence to support conclusions, especially in reading classes. But it struck us recently how many different ways students need to be able to use evidence. For example, sometimes you have to quote directly and sometimes you have to paraphrase; sometimes you get to give your conclusion and your evidence and sometimes you are asked to support or refute a conclusion someone else offers.
It’s worth asking then if we’re as intentional as we could be about asking students to use evidence not just frequently but in different ways. For a starter here’s a chart of some of the ways students would be able to use evidence. I tried to categorize the types and provide examples from the first page of Lois Lowry’s Number the Stars. What else would you add??
| Evidence for your own conclusion
Tell me how Kirsti perceives the interaction with the soldiers and how you know.
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Evidence for another person’s conclusion (teacher or peer)Kirsti fails to perceive a threat from the soldiers. See if you can prove (or disprove) it.
Jozefa says Kirsti fails to perceive a threat here. Who can find evidence to support that? |
| Evidence to SupportJozefa says Kirsti fails to perceive a threat here. Who can find evidence to support that? | Evidence to RefuteJozefa says Kirsti fails to perceive a threat here. Who can find evidence that might refute that? |
| Paraphrase Evidence Describe how we know that Annemarie is trying to tell Kirsti not to speak. | Direct Quote EvidenceWhat line from the text shows us that Annemarie is trying to tell Kirsti not to speak? |
| Single Evidence What evidence is there that the little sister, Kirsti, fails to perceive the threat of the soldiers? | Finite EvidenceFind all the evidence in the passage that shows us that the little sister, Kirsti, fails to perceive the threat of the soldiers. |
| Initial Evidence What evidence is there that the little sister, Kirsti, fails to perceive the threat of the soldiers? | Follow-On Evidence What other evidence is there? |
I’m wondering if this chart can capture the way readers might use different types of evidence within a text. For example, if you’re reading a play, you might use dialogue, stage directions, or character/setting descriptions as evidence. How do you reach
different conclusions if you rely only on one type of evidence? How do different sources of evidence support or challenge your conclusion? This comes out of recent reflections from a lesson on drama through “Soul Gone Home” by Langston Hughes with my 6th graders at VMS yesterday.