Prairie River Academy

English Language Arts

Grade 6Unit 1Lesson 4

Reading like an analyst

Ask Interpretive Questions

Today: Form questions that require evidence and allow reasoned disagreement.

A

Begin

Warm-up

  1. 1.Ask one factual question.

  2. 2.Turn it into an interpretive question.

B

Learn

Ask Interpretive Questions

A factual question retrieves information. An interpretive question asks how, why, or to what extent and cannot be answered responsibly without evidence.

Begin with a genuine tension, avoid a yes/no answer, and make sure the text supplies evidence for more than a guess.

Study the model

Factual: Where does Amari stand? Interpretive: Why does silence make Amari notice the river?

C

Read

Original PRA passage

Niko returned the borrowed compass without mentioning the scratch. At the doorway he paused, took it back from the shelf, and waited for Mr. Vale to look up.
ELA-6-01-04-01Original Prairie River Academy curriculumELA-6-01-04-01

Prairie River Academy

Ask Interpretive Questions

Grade 6Practice and apply
D

Practice

Read, think, and respond

  1. 1.What fact is explicit? ELA-6-01-04-Q1

  2. 2.What tension invites interpretation? ELA-6-01-04-Q2

  3. 3.Write a how or why question. ELA-6-01-04-Q3

  4. 4.Name evidence a good answer must address. ELA-6-01-04-Q4

E

Apply

Use the lesson

Answer your interpretive question with one claim and two details.

ELA-6-01-04-02Original Prairie River Academy curriculumELA-6-01-04-02