What is Text Evidence?

• Information you find in the

selection that helps support your
answer
• Taken WORD FOR WORD exactly
as it is written
• Place QUOTATON MARKS “…”
around the evidence
 How do you find text evidence?

P ---- PAGE/PARAGRAPH/PASSAGE
R ---- REFERENCE the specific location
O ---- OFFERS support
V ---- VIEW of author
E ---- EYE can see it

I --- INFERENCES
T --- TEXT FEATURES http://howtobecomesb.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/detective_custom-
021d53e2e5bea6217a567b650e712161b14a917b-s6-c30-300x284.jpg
 P ---- PASSAGE

 The evidence must be found somewhere in the PASSAGE

 It could be in just one PARAGRAPH

 It could be several places throughout the PASSAGE

 Don’t stop with the first piece of evidence you find

 Sometimes the best supporting piece of evidence

comes later in the text

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R ---- REFERENCE the specific location

You should be able to REFERENCE a specific section of the

text

 On page _____, …..

 In paragraph, ……

 In the section “ ______”, http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/public-speaking-

practice-and-
ethics/section_11/77767f364989a508ef08398992ea9bb8.jpg

 It says in paragraph _____ on page ____, that….

O ---- OFFERS Support
 There must be a connection between the question and the
evidence
 Make sure the evidence actually SUPPORTS your idea
 Just because the evidence is in the selection does not mean it
automatically supports any idea on the topic
 “ The author shows this (what is asked in the question) by _____
(connection to the evidence)”
 “I know because…”
 “The reason I think ______ is because _____”

http://www.becomeablogger.com/wp-
content/uploads/2013/04/Question-and-
answer-2.jpg
 V ---- VIEW of author
Provides the author’s view on the topic

Links back to what the author meant or author’s

purpose
“The author stated….”

“For instance, the author states….”

http://www.irc.vbschools.com/fortheweb/languagearts/images/AuthorsPurpose.jpg
 E ---- EYE can see it
http://www.clker.com/cliparts/9/1/5/6/12442
583961705917736smiley%20eyes.svg.med.png

Has to be something your EYES can physically see in

the text

Something is directly stated that supports the idea

“The text directly states …”

 “In the text, it explicitly states…”

 “The text said ….”

 I --- INFERENCES
Making INFERENCES is like being a reading detective

You must use CLUES from the text to figure something

out because it was not stated completely in the text

You must also use your own knowledge to help

“I think ______ because _______”

“I can infer from __________ that _______”

http://images.clipartpanda.com/evidence-clipart-
detective.png
 T --- TEXT FEATURES
 Text Features help the reader understand the text
 Title
 Headings
 Charts, Tables, Graphs
 Illustrations

“The illustration shows….”

 “The graphic showed …”

“Based on the section _____,”

 “According to the title,”

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CmoUnfKn_oo/UsscJqs-
_5I/AAAAAAAAAZU/8QoM0Ap-bMc/s1600/Text+features+freebie.png
 Example
The Rhinoceros
By Oliver Herford
SO this is the Rhi-no-ce-ros!
I won-der why he looks so cross.
Per-haps he is an-noyed a bit
Be-cause his cloth-ing does not fit.
(They say he got it read-y made!)
It is not that, I am a-fraid.
He looks so cross be-cause I drew
Him with one horn in-stead of two.
Well, since he cares so much for style,
Let's give him two and see him smile.
QUESTION: How does the
Rhinoceros look at the
beginning of the poem?
Answer: Upset
Evidence: The author states,
“he looks so cross.” We know
that cross means angry or
mad. The author has
DIRECTLY stated that the
Rhinoceros looks cross.
 Example
The Happy Sheep
by Wilfred Thorley
All through the night the happy
sheep
Lie in the meadow grass asleep.
Their wool keeps out the frost and
rain
Until the sun comes round again.
They have no buttons to undo,
Nor hair to brush like me and you.
And with the light they lift their heads
To find their breakfast on their beds,
Or rise and walk about and eat
The carpet underneath their feet.
QUESTION: What is the
setting of the poem?
Answer: in the meadow/at
night
Evidence: The author states,
“All through the night, the
happy sheep/Lie in the
meadow grass.”
The author has DIRECTLY
stated the setting of the
meadow at night.
 Example
Trade Rats
by Ethel Twycross Foster
The little clock struck twelve; all were sleeping soundly, the tent flap was rolled away, and a streak of
moonlight stretched half across the floor.
Mary and her mother lay on a bunk, and beyond the partition one could hear the even breathing of father and
cousin Jack. All else was still save the occasional cry of a night hawk or the far distant call of a coyote.
Slowly, cautiously, stealthily into this silence crept a tiny object. Its sharp black eyes flashed fire in the
moonlight, and in its small mouth it carefully carried a cactus burr.
“Pst! Mary, did you hear something?” It was cousin Jack’s hoarse whisper that broke the
silence and awakened Mary from a beautiful dream, and her eyes popped open wide. She snuggled closer to
Mother and stared into the moonlight. All she could hear was a funny little scratching sound unlike any she
had ever heard around camp, and she knew not what it meant. None of her little animal friends made a noise
like that.
Jack was out of bed, had lighted a candle and, in his pajamas, was searching under bunks, tables, and chairs
for the thing that had caused the noise. Mary sat up in bed in time to hear a swift, rustling sound and see a
small object dart out of the tent door. Jack knew it would do no good to search outside, so he tumbled back
into bed and once more all was still.
The next morning at breakfast all were wondering who the strange visitor could have been, but soon the
incident was forgotten. Toward noon, Mary went to a vacant bunk where she kept her clothes and picked up
her new doll. She removed its dress and looked about for a little red wool gown, of which she was very fond,
for the day was chilly and it looked like rain. But the gown was gone; high and low she looked, but find it she
could not. At last, tired out with searching, she fell asleep, and the pretty lost gown remained a mystery.
 Example
QUESTION: What was the reason that Mary could not find the doll’s
gown?

Answer: Whatever had been in the house during the night had taken it
Evidence: The reader must INFER from the clues in the text
Clues:
Jacks hears something and awakens Mary
Mary heard a scratching sound like she had never heard before
Mary had heard a swift, rustling sound and something dart out
the door
The doll’s gown was missing
 Example
Trade Rats
by Ethel Twycross Foster
The little clock struck twelve; all were sleeping soundly, the tent flap was rolled away, and a streak of
moonlight stretched half across the floor.
Mary and her mother lay on a bunk, and beyond the partition one could hear the even breathing of father and
cousin Jack. All else was still save the occasional cry of a night hawk or the far distant call of a coyote.
Slowly, cautiously, stealthily into this silence crept a tiny object. Its sharp black eyes flashed fire in the
moonlight, and in its small mouth it carefully carried a cactus burr.
“Pst! Mary, did you hear something?” It was cousin Jack’s hoarse whisper that broke the
silence and awakened Mary from a beautiful dream, and her eyes popped open wide. She snuggled
closer to Mother and stared into the moonlight. All she could hear was a funny little scratching sound
unlike any she had ever heard around camp, and she knew not what it meant. None of her little animal
friends made a noise like that.
Jack was out of bed, had lighted a candle and, in his pajamas, was searching under bunks, tables, and chairs
for the thing that had caused the noise. Mary sat up in bed in time to hear a swift, rustling sound and see a
small object dart out of the tent door. Jack knew it would do no good to search outside, so he tumbled back
into bed and once more all was still.
The next morning at breakfast all were wondering who the strange visitor could have been, but soon the
incident was forgotten. Toward noon, Mary went to a vacant bunk where she kept her clothes and picked up
her new doll. She removed its dress and looked about for a little red wool gown, of which she was very fond,
for the day was chilly and it looked like rain. But the gown was gone; high and low she looked, but find it she
could not. At last, tired out with searching, she fell asleep, and the pretty lost gown remained a mystery.