kamran sharief Knowing the right answer is one thing but justifying that answer by citing text evidence is entirely a different thing. Many learners are used to providing answers but find it difficult to support their answers using tangible evidence.
As a teacher, you should be able to make your learners understand the importance of providing supporting evidence to their answers. This will not only discourage cramming but also equip them with better research skills both inside and outside the classroom.
Below are six steps to teach your students the process of citing text evidence:
Table of Contents
1, Teach specific steps to cite text evidence
There are clear steps used in citing text evidence. Instead of beating around the bush, go straight and teach your students on a step-by-step approach of citing text evidence. It doesn’t matter what teaching methods you are going to use; the point is to ensure that your learners get to understand each of the steps.
This can include using a citing text evidence worksheet or any other method that you feel the students will understand better. You can also opt to use mentor texts because they can be read in just one sitting with plenty of examples. Start by asking a simple question and once a student has figured out an answer, ask the whole class to refer back to the book where the answer is. There are plenty of helpful resources for citing text evidence on online platforms, such as the Adobe Education Exchange.
2, Explain how to cite evidence
Your students need to understand exactly how to cite evidence from the text. The best way to accomplish this would be to use anchor charts. This will help your students to cite evidence by quoting the exact words of the author. Your work will be to guide the students and show them the right words and quotation marks to use when citing evidence.
3, Use color coding
This is another great way of teaching your learners how to cite evidence. To get started with this activity, copy an interesting passage on the board and ask the kids to color code particular parts of the text that offer answers to various questions. You can do this orally and write the questions on the smartboard as the lesson proceeds.
4, Use of task cards
Task cards are great tools that can be used to help kids understand how to cite text evidence. One major advantage of task cards is that they help kids concentrate a lot within a short period of time. Besides, the formats are designed in such a way that kids don’t get overwhelmed.
5, Uses resources for continuous practice
As a teacher, you need to be creative to ensure that your students are attentive to whatever you are trying to teach them. This involves creating resources that will help the kids practice citing evidence from time to time.
6, Use informational books or actual literature
Your learners need to do a lot of practice on actual books to fully understand and appreciate the importance of citing text evidence. It is up to you to get relevant books and expose your students to different types of literature early enough.
In a nutshell, citing text evidence is a crucial skill for learners. It is not just enough to provide answers without being able to support the answers with evidence. If you’re looking for a mini-lesson or worksheets to help teach citing text evidence, Adobe Education Exchange can be of assistance.