Teacher Commentary

After recording a student’s thought, ask the class if anyone found another place where the shared statement was corroborated or where the reader was given additional information. This helps students see that there is often information within the text that is connected.

For example, a student shares that peasants had to wear uncomfortable clothing, from paragraph 5 “rough tunic” and “coarse gown”. Another student might notice that in paragraph 3, it states that “the wife would weave (the wool) into rough cloth” OR in paragraph 5, “‘sumptuary laws’ forbade them to wear clothes above their class”.

There is also an opportunity to support argumentation by asking for different interpretations of the same piece(s) of evidence. “Did anyone see that differently? Did anyone have a different interpretation?” Follow up with, “How do you know?” or “What made you think that?”