Making Evidence-Based Claims in the Content Areas

1. Making Evidence-Based Claimsin the Content Areas Presented by: Jamie Wojtowicz, Professional Development Specialist Greece Teacher Leaders, Greece CSD

2. Participants Will… • Define what an evidence-based claim is • Identify how an evidence-based claim (EBC) is aligned to the Common Core standards • Explain the structure and features of making evidence-based claims • Reflect on current practices • Apply knowledge of an EBC to an upcoming lesson

3. Definitions Claim: • A clearly stated inference that arises from close reading of a text. It should be clear, demonstrate an understanding of the topic, and reference evidencefrom the text. Evidence Should: • Use relevant and strong details from the text(s) to support the claim Details Might Come From: • Illustrations, direct quotations, statistics/data, lab results, observations, political cartoons, etc.

4. Reflect on Current Practices When and how do you currently ask students to develop and support claims?

5. Literacy Anchor Standards: Reading p.73 of CCSS R1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferencesfrom it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text. How can students work toward this standard? annotate text, respond to text dependent questions that help unlock meaning, record the main idea/gist of each paragraph, determine the author’s main points and supporting evidence, connect to other text(s) and lessons.

6. Literacy Anchor Standards: Reading p.73 of CCSS R8: Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence How can students work toward this standard? After closely reading and analyzing, students might use a graphic organizer to help guide them in determining the argument and claims the author is making as well as the supporting evidence used. Students should determine credibility and relevance using an evaluative process that asks them to consider the author, date of publication, possible bias(es), publisher, and author’s credentials.

7. Grade Level Reading Standardsp.74-75 Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects 6-12 Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 6-12

8. Literacy Anchor Standards: Writing p.76 of CCSS W1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficientevidence. W7: Draw evidence informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. • How can students work toward these standards? • Analyze a text (print, media, image), noting relevant and important details, and forming a claim based on those observations and/or engage in inquiry about a topic and forming claim(s) based on the data. • Report findings (essay, I-search, presentation, debate)

9. What is “text”? Videos* • Documentaries • Films • Lectures (i.e. Ted Talks) Audio* • Speeches • Song lyrics • Podcasts *a transcript of the whole text, or section of text, is recommended for closer study Print text • Essays • Biographies • Newspaper articles • Journal articles • Books Visual and/or mixed text: • Graphs • Data tables • Illustrations • Political cartoons • Paintings, photographs, images

10. Organizing an Evidence-Based Claims Expressing in-depth claims using evidence (discussion & writing) Organizing details to find trends and patterns Gathering textual details

11. Reflect on Current Practices How is this approach to forming EBCs different?

12. Planning an EBC using Backwards Design • What kinds of topics do you already teach? Which lend themselves to students making an evidence-based claim? • How will students express this claim? • Speaking: Discussion/debate/presentation • Writing: paragraph/essay/editorial/newspaper article/research/ presentation/project • Combination of above • What will the criteria be and how will you know students have met the criteria?

13. Possible Tasks: LOTE • After analyzing a text (video/documentary/article/first-person narrative), develop a claim about the importance of _________ (tradition) on the culture. PE • Develop a claim about how the media’s influence has either negatively or positively x (choose a sport) today. Home and Careers • After reading/researching about the statistics pertaining to the career path you are interested in, make a claim about pursuing (or not pursuing) this career path (or, one career path over another). Business • After studying the biography (or excerpts from) on Steve Jobs, make a claim about which factors had the biggest impact on his success as a leader at Apple.

14. Possible Tasks: Science • Analyze the results of a lab and develop a scientific claim about what the evidence suggests using observations, references to scientific principles, and results of the lab to support your claim. • After reading a current event article from Popular Science (or ___________) make a claim about the impact of x on y. Art/Music • After studying several informational texts (videos, articles, books) about major artistic movements (in either music or art), analyze a painting/image/photograph/lyrics/composition and develop a claim about the most likely time period the image/song/composition was created during. Be sure to use information from at least one informational text as well as specific references to the image under review to support your claim.

15. CCSS Appendix B Sample Performance Tasks • Refer to handout with the performance tasks from Appendix B that are specifically related to History/Social Studies & Science, Mathematics, and Technical Subjects • The full list of sample texts and performance tasks in Appendix B of the CCSS can be accessed at www.engageny.org(Click on “Common Core Curriculum and Assessments,” then “Common Core Learning Standards, for ELA” then Appendix B)

16. Group Session Task On chart paper Department Name • Brainstorm 2 topics you will be teaching 4th quarter. • Determine 2 separate texts students might use with each topic. • Describe a possible task for each topic/text that require students to develop and support an evidence-based claim.

17. Thank You! • For questions or further support regarding reading and writing in the content areas, feel free to contact your teacher leader or the BOCES literacy coach at jwojtowi@monroe2boces.org