Use details to ask and answer questions about a text; Demonstrate literal and inferential understanding of a text (Inclusive Big Idea #1)

Reading Literature

Grade 3: English Language Arts

Inclusive Big Idea #1: Use details to ask and answer questions about a text; Demonstrate literal and inferential understanding of a text

Standard: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. RL.3.1

• Anchor Text: Use an anchor text such as Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship, by Isabella Hatfkoff, Craig Hatfkoff, and Paula Kahumbou. Prompt students to ask and answer questions about the text. Learn more about accessing grade-level text in this TIP Sheet.
• Story Elements Chart: During and after reading or listening to a text, create a story elements chart with the class to answer questions about and make relationships between key details in the text.
• Sequencing: Use an event sequencing graphic organizer to match or sequence pictures and/or sentences representing the key events in a story. Then, have students answer questions about the story (e.g., What happened first? What happened last?), either verbally or by pointing to the correct picture in the graphic organizer.
• Freytag’s Pyramid, Plot Outline, or Problem/Solution: Use a story map to match or sequence pictures and/or sentences representing the key events, problem, and solution in a story. Then, students answer questions about the story either in writing, verbally or by pointing to the correct picture in the graphic organizer. Model for them how to provide detailed answers that demonstrate understanding. Learn more about graphic organizers in this TIP Sheet.
• 5W Questions: Before, during, and after reading the text, ask students or have students discuss 5W Questions to help them focus on key details. Include sentence stems with these prompts or have them available on worksheets students can refer to as they read or listen to a text:
  • Who are the characters in the story?
  • Where does the story take place?
  • When does this story take place?
  • What happened in the story?
  • Why do you think this happened?
• Think, Pair, Share: Ask students to think individually about a question then meet with a peer to discuss their answers. Then, after they have had time to discuss with a peer they can share their thoughts in different ways with the rest of the class. Learn more about Think, Pair, Share in this TIP Sheet.
• Discussion Webs: Write a question about the story in the middle of a web. Draw lines extending from the web and ask students to provide responses for the question. For example, you may write “Who are the characters?” in the middle of the web. Then, on extended lines students can offer responses to the question. During the discussion, ask students to draw relationships between the various elements. Learn more about graphic organizers in this TIP Sheet.
• Think Aloud: The purpose for asking students questions about texts is to get them into the habit of self-questioning as they read by themselves. To model this, read aloud a book or have a recording of a story available. Then, periodically, stop and ask questions out loud. Model how to answer the questions yourself.

For example, one possible barrier is the amount of information that a student needs to hold in mind.

Ideas to reduce this barrier could include:

• minimize visual and physical clutter in the classroom
• show keywords to help look for specific questions; provide a reminder organizer with this information
• use color coding to help students learn to find the answers to specific questions in the text
• provide chunked text

Use these Inclusive Strategies to help reduce barriers.

• What are Question-Answer Relationships?
  • In order to answer a question correctly, students have to know where they can find the key details necessary to learn the answers.
    • Right There questions: Answers to this type of question are explicitly mentioned in the text.
    • Think and Search questions: Answers to these questions require students to pull key details from multiple parts of a text to draw a conclusion.
    • Author and Me questions: Answers to these questions require students to make connections between key details from the story and their own experiences.
    • On my Own questions: While prompts such as these are aligned with the text, answers to this type of question require the students to pull key details exclusively from their own experiences and thoughts.
• What Vocabulary Should I Teach and Know?
  • summary- containing the key points or big idea
  • main idea- the most important idea in the text
  • details- specific smaller elements that are part of a larger work
  • key word- essential or significant words related to the text
  • relevant- has significant importance
  • irrelevant- not important or related
  • characters- person/persons in a story
  • setting- place where the story happens
  • plot- sequence of events involving characters in conflict situations
  • point of view- perspective from which the story is told
  • theme- moral or big idea of the story
  • inference- a conclusion or opinion that is formed based on facts or evidence
  • context clues- words and sentences within a text that provides additional information
• What is Summarizing?
  • When summarizing, readers reduce larger selections of text to their bare essentials: the gist, the key ideas, the main details that are worth noting and remembering.
• Why Summarize?
  • Important skill for readers of all levels and abilities
  • Goes beyond retelling to demonstrate strong understanding of the text
  • Requires readers to comprehend, analyze, and synthesize ideas
  • Requires a higher level of thinking
  • Whether reading a story, a content area textbook, a comic, or poem, the ability to summarize a text and infer to read between the lines is a lifelong skill readers use to foster higher level thinking and deeper comprehension.
• How Do Readers Summarize Key Ideas?
  • Good readers…
    • Reduce the extraneous verbiage and examples
    • Focus on the most relevant facts
    • Find key words/phrases that capture the main idea of what was read
    • Find the main ideas and the essential details that support the main idea
• What is Inferencing?
  • Inferential thinking is a complex skill that requires readers to merge their prior knowledge with clues from the text to draw conclusions, predict an outcome, and find emerging themes.
• Why Teach Inferencing?
  • Helping students understand when information is implied, or not directly stated, will improve their skills in drawing conclusions and making inferences.
  • Inference is a complex skill that can be taught through explicit instruction.
  • Inferring requires higher order thinking skills, which makes it a difficult skill for many students.
• How do I Teach Inferencing?
  • Provide explicit instruction and encourage students to…
    • Find clues in the text to get answers
    • Add those clues to prior knowledge
    • Realize there may be more than one correct answer
    • Support inferences with evidence from the text
  • Use a concept map:

Concept Map: Clues from the text + My background knowledge = Inference

Common Student Misconceptions

• Not all answers can be found in the text; some answers rely on the reader to incorporate personal experience and perspective.
• There can be more than one acceptable answer.

Everyday Connections

• In the Kitchen: Read directions to determine the important details for how to complete an assignment or to follow a recipe.
• After School: Gather information to figure out the key details for how to play a game or to join a club or team at school or in the community.
• In the Playroom: Ask questions about a toy or product to use, such as to decide whether to buy it or about how to build it.; Read directions to determine how to assemble a model or toy.

Second Grade: Use details to ask and answer questions about a text; Demonstrate understanding of a text (RL 1)

Third Grade: Use details to ask and answer questions about a text; Demonstrate literal and inferential understanding of a text (RI 1)

Fourth Grade: Use details to ask and answer questions about a text; Demonstrate literal and inferential understanding of a text (RL 1)