Shared Inquiry Questions

Preceding the sharing of the text with students an explanation would occur as to why this particular text was being introduced. It would be stated that the text will be read primarily for enjoyment but also to use the opportunity to explore the themes, structure and features of different text genres. The title, cover and blurb would be used to encourage students to make predictions about the text and what it might be about (see appendix 1).

Use comprehension strategies to build literal and inferred meaning and begin to evaluate texts by drawing on a growing knowledge of context, text structures and language features

The Chinese Proverb, “Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember, involve me and I understand”, applies to the 21st century skills that students need to have to meet the global challenges. Inquiry is a process of active learning that is driven by questioning and critical thinking. The understandings that students develop through inquiry are deeper and longer lasting than any pre-packaged knowledge delivered by teachers to students. Inquiry-based learning follows a process that progresses through phases, but is recursive and reflective throughout (Library of Congress n.d). Furthermore,

Even if they were wrong or needed more information to come to the correct conclusion. Her lesson used cooperative learning with indirect instruction. She asked a lot of probing questions and then would build on students’ response. She gave plenty of think time for the students to process what they were trying express to the class. If students didn’t give the correct response she would allow other students to help come up with the correct answer. The correct answer came from the students building on each others knowledge. Mrs. Soglin facilitated the discussion and added new information as needed. After the class discussion the students worked on their activity in pairs or groups and were engaged in self directing during this time.

You will find and analyze the central idea of a work, including the use of quotes from the work to support your analysis. You will determine an author’s point of view and how their writing furthers their point of view in the work. You will organize and take part in a group discussion, including responding to the answers and point of view of the other participants.

Graff and Birkenstein argue in chapter 14 that instead of asking, "What is the author trying to say?" ask students to provoke discussions by asking questions such as "What is motivating the writer's arugment?" in order to better approach reading. Because of this, discussions tended to be "far livelier" and helped students identify a response to an argument. When we are not able to find what the writer is responding to, we have to infer with clues the writer provides in their text. This is important because usually a writer assumes that a reader is familiar with what they are trying to say. So when we try to figure out what is motivating these writers, we have to ask ourselves if the author is responding to an argument. Doing this can help us

We all long to write like someone else, maybe it is like authors such as Mark Twain , J.R.R Tolkien, Ernest Hemingway or Shakespeare- although I think the last one is much more like a dream than an actual aspiration-but I desire to write like Stephen King and Stephen Krashen , and even attain to imitate the manner in which they seem to analyze information, and translate such material in a form of a well-developed argument. As a consequence, it seems that the purpose of this summer assignment was accomplished , as according to Ms. Olaerts the purpose was to “give you an introduction to the kinds of reading you will see throughout the course and types of analysis that will be required of that reading.”

Inferences. “Read between the lines” to answer the following questions, using information from the text. [Note to instructor: For Pre-Advanced and Advanced learners, create questions that require students to infer meaning by reading between the lines. Write two open-ended questions such as: “Why do you think that...?”; “Why does the author say that...?”; “Why is it important that..?; What might be the effect of....?”, which require inferencing on the part of the student. Questions may be in the target language. Specify which language students are to use and indicate that they must use information from the text in their responses. Note that some adaptations to this task may be necessary for lower-level learners, who may need more guidance in using inferencing skills. For Novice-level learners, you might give them a statement and ask them to list any evidence from the text that would help them to determine whether it is true or false, drawing on inferencing skills. For Intermediate-level learners, you could give them three inferences and ask them to select the best inference of the three by providing evidence from the text to support their selection, drawing on inferencing skills.]

When reading a text, there are many ways to gain a deeper understanding of the text. One of the methods a reader can use to increase their understanding is rhetorical reading. Rhetorical reading “involves more than ‘agreeing’ or ‘disagreeing’ with the text. Instead, readers must read thoroughly and think critically to understand how an argument is working.” (Heasley et al. 89). Rhetorical reading requires the reader to focus on the text and pay close attention to the rhetorical situation. The rhetorical situation consists of the writer, reader, text/purpose, and context. “When you think about these elements and pose questions about the options available to you as a writer, you are analyzing your rhetorical situation” (Ede 51). Gaining an understanding of each will enable students to recognize if a text is or is not responsive to its rhetorical situation.

Interpretations: Expressing Opinions Differently Many people see and interpret literature differently and have more than one opinion. Through reading literature, readers oftentimes miss specific details and key points that lead back to the main idea. People’s own creative views and opinions may disagree with other interpretations of literature.

2) Discuss the book’s structure and the author’s use of language and writing style. How does the author draw the reader in and keep the reader engaged? Or why didn’t it work? Does the author convey his or her story with comedy, self-pity, or something else?

Interactions between teachers and students in regards to teacher talk is one of the most important learning tools used in the classroom. Talk moves are tools for building an environment that serves a range of productive interactional, social and intellectual learning functions in the classroom (Edwards-Groves, 2014). They are enabled and constrained by the “sayings, doings and relatings present in classrooms” and prompt responses from students (Edwards-Groves, 2014, p1). Teacher talk is a large part of how students learn, through models such as ‘Initiate, Respond, Evaluate’ (IRE). The IRE model involved the teacher asking questions and giving appropriate feedback to the student’s response to help them understand the reasons behind their response. The Scaffolding Interaction Cycle (SIC) is another important tool, which involved teachers scaffolding a students’ response to engage higher learning functions. It is important to consider Bull and Anstey’s three-style model, consisting of pedagogy of school, pedagogy of literacy lessons and pedagogy of literacy learning (Anstey and Bull, 1996). Pedagogy of school involves the teacher and the student conversing in a Q&A like manner, or a ‘guess-what’s-in-my-head’ approach taken by the teacher. The pedagogy of literacy lessons involves the students carrying out the teacher’s instructions but not making the connection to what they are learning. There is a time where these styles may be useful, but

The purpose of Text Interpretation and Analysis is a literary and linguistic commentary in which the reader explains what the text reveals under close examination.

1.      Think of your past experience with reading and fictional analysis - what do you love about reading and debating a good story - what don 't you like - how do you think this class will hone your reading and thinking skills.

Students make personal and critical responses to texts which show insight into the ways in which meaning is conveyed. They refer to aspects of language, structure and themes to support their views. Students develop a perceptive personal response which shows analytical skills when exploring texts. There is understanding of the techniques by which meaning is conveyed and of ways in which readers may respond. They support their responses with detailed references to language, theme and structure. Students show analytical and interpretative skill when evaluating texts, making cross-references where appropriate. They develop their ideas and refer in detail to aspects of language and structure making apt and careful comparison, where appropriate, within and between texts. Students show originality of analysis and interpretation when evaluating texts. They make cogent and critical responses to texts in which they explore and evaluate alternative and original interpretations. They show flair and precision in developing ideas with reference to structure. Students make subtle and discriminating comparisons, where appropriate, within and between texts. No rewardable material. Students make a limited response to texts.