Using Claim-Evidence-Reasoning to Teach Non-Fiction Reading strategies.

 Biological Change: Unity and Diversity

Are you looking for an engaging way to teach your students about biological change: unity and diversity? Science reading comprehension can be tough! Claim-evidence-reasoning activities are a great way to do just that! Through the use of nonfiction reading comprehension and close reading passages, your students will be able to develop their skills in understanding the different aspects of biological change. In this blog post, we will discuss the importance of using claim-evidence-reasoning activities to teach biological change: unity and diversity in the classroom, as well as provide you with resources from our Teachers Pay Teachers store to help make this process easier. So, let’s get started!

What is Claim-Evidence-Reasoning?

Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER) is an evidence-based argumentative writing strategy that allows students to make meaningful connections between a claim, evidence, and reasoning. It helps students develop their own ideas by using evidence from texts, and by making evidence-based claims about content. CER can be used to teach the important concepts of biodiversity and unity and diversity found in science nonfiction reading comprehension and Close Reading passages. 

The purpose of CER activities is to help students develop the ability to build an argument based on text-based evidence. Through this process, students will become better readers and thinkers, as they are able to recognize and understand the cause-and-effect relationship found in plant and animal adaptations. Additionally, CER activities help students compare similarities and differences among organisms and species. 

CER also promotes Standards-based reading comprehension by helping students understand the information presented in nonfiction texts through critical reading skills such as nonfiction reading comprehension and close reading strategies. When paired with nonfiction close reading strategies, CER can help students understand and make meaningful connections with the text. 

By engaging in CER activities, students can form arguments, ask questions, and make evidence-based claims about content. Through this process, students will become more adept at understanding science content, making connections between texts, and forming evidence-based conclusions.

Examples of Claim-Evidence-Reasoning Activities

Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER) is an evidence-based instructional strategy used to teach students to analyze text, draw conclusions, and develop scientific explanations. CER provides students with the opportunity to think like a scientist as they use evidence from the text to support their claims. 

Science nonfiction reading comprehension can be taught through CER activities. Students will read a passage and then answer text-based questions that require them to make a claim based on evidence from the text and provide reasoning for their claim. For example, students might read about plant and animal adaptations and then be asked to identify a cause-and-effect relationship between two adaptations. Through this activity, students are able to identify the underlying theme of adaptation and make connections between different species. 

Another type of CER activity involves close reading. Close reading requires students to read closely and interpret the text to make claims. Students might be asked to compare similarities and differences between two species, or they may be asked to explain a phenomenon based on their understanding of the text. Through these activities, students will gain a deeper understanding of the text while using their evidence to support their claims. 

Finally, standards-based reading comprehension activities can also incorporate CER. These activities will help students become familiar with the content standards in science and apply them to the text. They might be asked to explain a concept in the text and provide evidence from the text to support their explanation. Through these activities, students will gain an understanding of the content standard while applying it to the text. 

CER activities offer students a great opportunity to practice their science nonfiction reading comprehension skills, as well as close reading and standards-based reading comprehension. By combining these strategies, students will have the ability to analyze and interpret text in order to make evidence-based claims.

Using Close reading to understand nonfiction text

Close reading is an essential skill for any student studying science. It requires careful reading of a text to identify, analyze, and synthesize details and larger ideas. Close reading of nonfiction texts is especially important for helping students build standards-based reading comprehension skills and engage in Science CER (Claim-Evidence-Reasoning).

Close reading strategies are effective for helping students engage in Science CER because they focus on exploring and understanding the text in order to answer text-based questions. Through close reading, students can develop a better understanding of the cause-and-effect relationship within the text, as well as be able to compare similarities and differences between concepts. Close reading strategies are also great for helping students uncover the author’s purpose and learn how to draw evidence from the text to support their claims. 

For example, when studying biological change: unity and diversity, students can use close reading to explore plant and animal adaptations that allow species to adapt to their environment. By breaking down the text into smaller chunks, students can identify keywords and phrases that help them understand how species have evolved over time and have become more diverse. Through close reading, students can also use evidence from the text to support their claims about why certain adaptations are beneficial for certain species. 

Close reading strategies are invaluable for helping students understand and engage with nonfiction texts in science. With close reading, students can dive deeper into the text and uncover meaning from evidence-based arguments. With practice, students can gain confidence in their ability to read and comprehend nonfiction text, as well as build standards-based reading comprehension skills.

Claim-Evidence-Response FREEBIE The Importance of Using Nonfiction Texts with the Claim-Evidence-Reasoning Strategy

As teachers, it is our responsibility to equip our students with the necessary skills to become critical thinkers and problem solvers. One of the most effective ways to do this is through the use of the claim-evidence-reasoning (CER) strategy. This strategy involves making a claim, providing evidence to support it, and then explaining the reasoning behind it. This process not only helps students develop their analytical skills but also teaches them to support their opinions with facts.

When using the CER strategy, it is crucial to utilize nonfiction texts. Nonfiction texts, such as news articles, biographies, and scientific journals, provide students with the opportunity to engage with real-world information and perspectives. This exposure helps students develop a deeper understanding of the world around them and enables them to think critically about the information they encounter.

In contrast, fictional texts, such as novels and short stories, can be limited in their ability to provide students with opportunities to engage with real-world information. While these texts can be enjoyable and educational in their own right, they may not always provide the same level of rigor as nonfiction texts.

Another reason to use nonfiction texts when employing the CER strategy is that they often present complex and controversial topics, allowing students to grapple with difficult questions and learn how to form their own opinions based on evidence. For example, reading a news article about a current event can provide students with the opportunity to analyze the event and form their own opinions about its causes and consequences.

In addition, nonfiction texts are also more likely to contain multiple perspectives and opinions. This allows students to understand that there are often multiple sides to a story and that they can use evidence to support their own opinions. By engaging with a variety of perspectives, students can develop the ability to think critically and make informed decisions.

Help your students become analytical, critical thinkers with this FREEBIE!

Celebrating Black History Month: A Focus on Biographies with Close Reading Activities

February is Black History Month, a time to celebrate and recognize the contributions and achievements of African Americans throughout history. As educators, it’s important that we take this opportunity to teach our students about the heroes and trailblazers who have made a significant impact on our society. This year, we’re focusing on biographies and using close reading activities to help students understand the main idea, make inferences, and develop fluency.

Close reading is a reading strategy that encourages students to analyze a text by carefully examining each word and sentence. By breaking down the text into smaller parts, students can gain a deeper understanding of the content and gain new insights into the author’s meaning. This strategy is especially useful when reading biographies because it allows students to see the connections between a person’s life experiences and their impact on the world.

Our close reading activities this month will focus on three key skills: main idea, inference, and fluency. The main idea of a text is the central message or theme that the author is trying to convey. By identifying the main idea, students can better understand the purpose of the text and see the connections between different events in a person’s life.

Inference is the process of drawing conclusions or making connections based on what is explicitly stated in the text. By asking questions and making predictions, students can strengthen their ability to read between the lines and gain a deeper understanding of the text.

Fluency is the ability to read a text quickly and accurately, with expression and understanding. By practicing fluency, students will be able to read biographies more efficiently, which will give them more time to think about the content and make connections between the text and their own experiences.

I also have a set of Black History month biographies that are set up for grades 1-3. Black History Month: Biographies, Close Reading, Main Idea, Inference, Fluency

Nonfiction Reading and how to kill two birds with one stone! Earth’s Place in the Universe: Using Claim-Evidence-Response Strategies & Close Reading

Earth’s Place in the Universe: Using Claim-Evidence-Response Strategies & Close Reading

Using nonfiction passages has definitely helped me cover content that would otherwise be super difficult to teach, much less scaffold or review. For students, it is of course important to develop strong reading comprehension skills in order to understand the world around us. Many students find covering nonfiction materials through articles or passages a more easily digestible method compared to textbooks which are oftentimes written far above independent reading levels. One subject that has proven particularly fascinating for my students, is Earth’s place in the universe. Let’s explore how to use claim-evidence-response (CER) strategies and close reading to deepen our understanding of this topic.

Claim-Evidence-Response Strategies:

The CER strategy is a method of analyzing text that involves making a claim about the information presented, supporting that claim with evidence from the text, and responding to the information presented. This strategy helps students to critically evaluate the information and to make connections between what they are reading and what they already know.

When using CER strategies to analyze a text about Earth’s place in the universe, students should consider the following:

1. Claim: Make a statement about what the text is saying about Earth’s place in the universe.
2. Evidence: Find specific information in the text that supports your claim. This could be a quote, a statistic, or a description of a phenomenon.
3. Response: Reflect on the information presented and consider what it means in the context of what you already know. Ask yourself questions such as: What implications does this information have for our understanding of Earth’s place in the universe? How does this information change or reinforce your current beliefs?

Close Reading:

Close reading is a method of reading that involves careful examination of a text in order to understand its meaning and to make connections between the text and other sources of information. When using close reading strategies to analyze a text about Earth’s place in the universe, students should consider the following:

1. Read the text carefully, paying attention to keywords and phrases.
2. Consider the context in which the text was written, including the author’s background, the date of publication, and the intended audience.
3. Analyze the text for patterns, such as repeated ideas or themes.
4. Evaluate the reliability of the text by considering the sources cited and the author’s credentials.
5. Reflect on the implications of the information presented, considering what it means for our understanding of Earth’s place in the universe and our role in protecting and preserving it.
6. By using claim-evidence-response strategies and close reading, students can develop a deeper understanding of Earth’s place in the universe and the role that they play in preserving it for future generations. These strategies help students to critically evaluate information and to make connections between what they are reading and what they already know, which is an important part of becoming informed and engaged citizens.

Tin by Pádraig Kenny

Every year around this time, I start researching what novels to read with my class. I love to read, so this is easy work. As always, I found some gems this year. One of them is “Tin” by Pàdraig Kenny. Reviews are all over the place for this book, but I’m not sure why. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, and thought it was full of teaching points, figurative language, rich vocabulary and a solid theme. The story itself certainly lends itself to a less pedantic approach and a more to a holistic, deep discussion, let’s consider large themes and make big connections approach. When I was developing some resources to use for this book with my class, I put less on paper, as I anticipate the meat of this instruction being in class discussion. You can find the materials I put together here.

Character Study

Picture books offer rich experiences for readers of all ages. One thing that I LOVE about using picture books as the base to all of my reading plans, is that it offers such great opportunities to study, compare, contrast and make inferences about a wide variety of characters. We get to have real conversations about the “why” behind a character’s actions or motivations, we can dissect how each character influenced the story’s plot etc. I’ve also started including digital/ virtual anchor charts for strategies and skills we cover in class. I currently have 2 students who are full-time virtual learners, and having this resource for them to refer to and contribute input to has been awesome! This is an example of one of the anchor charts on character growth and development that I used with my class.

We followed up this discussion with a week long reading workshop on character growth and development with, you guessed it, a focus on picture book mentor texts. The books that go along with this workshop are some of my absolute favorite!

Day 1: The Raft by Jim LaMarche

Day 2: A Train to Somewhere by Eve Bunting

Day 3: An Angel for Solomon Singer by Cynthia Rylant

Day 4: Albert by Donna Jo Napoli

Day 5: The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch

Recently, I made a change as to how I teach reading…

As you may know, I teach in a multi-grade level classroom in a hybrid-Montessori school. Let me tell you, reaching the needs of students in 3+ grade levels across all content areas, is a daunting task. I have tried a little of every strategy out there, and just could not find anything that I was truly able to really meet each of my students where they are, and continue to challenge them. So, out of necessity, came invention. I started to create weekly, reading strategy based reading workshops based on mentor texts (I decided on using quality picture books, as they are easily used with multiple grade levels). I put everything I had into these weekly workshops. I included very thorough interactive real-alouds for the books, vocabulary activities on various levels, Interactive Notebook pages for Google slides / classroom (TM). You name it, I included it. Why? Because I needed a completely customizable lesson each day for reading. Not only did I not know day to day whether or not we would be in person or virtual (due to COVID), but I also have the same group of children, sometimes for 3 years in a row! I NEEDED a way to quickly customize my lesson and bring new, fresh and challenging content.

Over my years of experience I have found that theme can be one of the most difficult concepts for students to grasp. This is where I dug in and created an entire week-long reading workshop centered on this skill.

Mentor Texts and Essential questions covered:

The Invisible Boy- What is the theme of a story?

Those Shoes- How do characters influence theme?

Last Stop on Market Street- What is the difference between theme and main idea

The Important Book- What is theme?

The Most Magnificent Thing- What do this character’s thoughts and actions reveal about the theme of the story?

What Do You DO With a Problem?- How can details in a story support the theme?

What details in this story support the theme?

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