Text-Dependent Questions, Grades 6-12

Douglas Fisher is a professor and chair of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. Previously, Fisher was an early intervention teacher and elementary school educator. In 2022, he was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame by the Literacy Research Association. He has published numerous articles on reading and literacy, leadership, and curriculum design, as well as books such as Your Introduction to PLC+, Welcome to Teaching, How Feedback Works, Teaching Reading, and RIGOR Unveiled. Fisher loves being an educator and hopes to share that passion with others.Nancy Frey is a professor of educational leadership at San Diego State University and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High and Middle College. Her published titles include The Courage to Learn, The Art and Science of Coaching, How Scaffolding Works, and The Illustrated Guide to Visible Learning. Frey is a credentialed special educator, reading specialist, and administrator in California and learns from teachers and students every day.Heather Anderson has a wide range of experience teaching at both the elementary and high school levels. She earned her M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from San Diego State University, is BCLAD certified, has extensive experience in staff development, and spent part of her career as an elementary math specialist. Heather has shared her passion for education both nationally and internationally while presenting at conferences and consulting at individual school sites emphasizing the use of Gradual Release of Responsibility, differentiated instruction, close reading and collaborative grouping. Heather currently teaches English and higher level Spanish at Health Sciences High and Middle College, a charter school in San Diego. Marisol Thayre, PhD, is a secondary English teacher, author, and instructional coach. She has worked with preservice and experienced teachers alike in creating purposeful, collaborative, and data-driven classrooms for various grade levels and content areas. In addition to her role as a teacher leader and mentor, Marisol has presented both nationally and internationally on topics including assessment, secondary literacy strategies, differentiation, and collaboration. Her current research endeavors are focused on the integration of social emotional learning into content-area instruction. Marisol currently teaches high school English and college composition in San Diego, California.

"Fisher and Frey set the record straight about text-dependent questions. They demonstrate that text-dependent questions can address not only literal understanding but also understandings about what the text doesn’t say, how the text works, what the text means to and for the reader, how the text might be read in a specific discipline, and more. With specific prompts and concrete examples, Fisher and Frey show us how to use questioning as a central tool to address the Common Core State Standards."

• AcknowledgmentsChapter 1. The Building Blocks of Effective Close and Critical Reading LessonsClose Reading DefinedThe Phases of Close ReadingHow Much Frontloading Is Too Much (or Not Enough)?Text-Dependent Questions Drive Close ReadingUse Text-Dependent Questions JudiciouslyQuestion YourselfVideosChapter 2. What Does the Text Say?An Invitation to Read Closely: Literal-Level QuestionsWhy Students Need This Type of QuestioningWhy Classroom Discussion Is CrucialHow Examining What the Text Says Addresses the StandardsUsing Text-Dependent Questions About What the Text SaysQuestion YourselfPractice Text: General Dwight D. Eisenhower′s D-Day Invasion Statement to Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force, June 6, 1944VideosChapter 3. How Does the Text Work?An Invitation to Read Closely: Structural-Level QuestionsWhy Students Need This Type of QuestioningHow Examining How the Text Works Addresses the StandardsUsing Text-Dependent Questions About How the Text WorksQuestion YourselfPractice Text: "Jabberwocky" by Lewis CarrollVideosChapter 4. What Does the Text Mean?An Invitation to Read Closely: Inferential-Level QuestionsWhy Students Need This Type of QuestioningHow Examining What the Text Means Addresses the StandardsUsing Text-Dependent Questions About What the Text MeansQuestion YourselfPractice Text: "Instances of the Communication of Cholera Through the Medium of Polluted Water in the Neighborhood of Broad Street, Golden Square" by John SnowVideosChapter 5. What Does the Text Inspire You to Do?An Invitation to Read Closely: Action-Oriented Questions and TasksWhy Students Need to Complete These Types of TasksHow Examining What the Text Inspires You to Do Addresses the StandardsUsing Text-Dependent Tasks About What the Text Inspires You to DoQuestion YourselfPractice Text: Excerpt From Introduction to A More Perfect Union: The Creation of the United States Constitution by Roger A. BrunsPractice Text: The Bill of Rights: A TranscriptionVideosCodaAppendices: Texts and Questions for . . .Appendix I: High School EnglishAppendix II: Middle School EnglishAppendix III: High School Social Studies/HistoryAppendix IV: Middle School Social Studies/HistoryAppendix V: High School ScienceAppendix VI: Middle School ScienceReferencesIndexAbout the AuthorsAbout the Contributors