Sharing evidence is HARD. Students consistently struggle with this in testing, writing responses, or sharing their opinion. And unfortunately, I get it! They don’t yet grasp the concept of figuring out HOW they know something and then putting it in their response. But today I want to share a couple tricks to help you get students to share their evidence! Be sure to check out my Pinterest Board for a whole slew of information.
Before you can do anything, your kiddos need to be readers. You don’t want them reading like we grew up reading. I know I was taught to find the answer and regurgitate it. Thinking was never necessary. Nowadays, I want to teach readers who think critically about what’s in front of them. So numero uno, it’s vital to discuss text with your readers! Without this key component, they won’t begin thinking about the text at all. You can grab a cheat sheet >>HERE<<!
After you’ve talked a lot about texts, the best way to get students to really see evidence, is to grab a graphic organizer. A simple graphic organizer like the one below will help get kiddos thinking.
After you’ve used a graphic organizer, learners should begin to get the hang of it. As they do, a good reminder like this:
will help keep them on track!
By digging in deep with smaller texts in the beginning, students will be able to start tackling larger and more complex texts. It’s all about scaffolding and modeling!
What are your favorite tips? I would love to hear them!
