Module 8

 Text- Dependent Questions: “ Paris” by Souvankham Thammavongsa 

Interactive Notebook-Example

Thammavongsa, S. (2020). How to Pronounce Knife. Little, Brown.

Text Reference 

Question Example 

Purpose 

Type of Question

“ Red worked at the plant like most of the others in town. It was her job to pluck the feathers, make sure the chickens were smooth when they left her. By the time the chickens got to her, they were already dead, their eyes closed tight like they were sleeping”

What was the main character Red’s job?

Literal

Key details: the question serves to make sure the student understands who the main character is and what they do for a living. This sets them up to be able to answer more complex questions about the text.

What is the conflict as it is presented here?

Literal 

Key-details: Again, students need to understand the main conflict in the short story in order to identify themes and make claims/ arguments about the text.

How is Red and Nicoles’ social status reflected in what they wear at the party? 

Interpretive 

Inferencing: the purpose of this question is to get the students to think about the society in which Red lives in. The main conflict is she wants to get a nose job, but why? What about society makes a nose job essential for her success?

Analyze the significance of Red’s observations about women who get nose jobs.

Interpretive 

Inferencing: students will have to draw conclusions on what the nose job really means: an escape from the mundane and the cruel reality they find themselves in. However, it is noted that change in appearance is ephemeral: many of the girls end up getting disfigured and not achieving their goals.

Do you think Red made the decision not to get a nose job for the right reasons? Explain.

Interpretive 

Inferential: this is the whole purpose of this reading: the theme of societal pressure on things such as external beauty. Students will have to use the text to support their answer on why is was so significant that red chose not to get a nose job. 



This year I taught English 12 and one of the Units we had to cover was all about short stories, so we pulled multiple short stories from “ How to Pronounce Knife” by Souvankham Thammavongsa and one of those was the short story “ Paris”. Overall, the students really enjoyed the text and it was a relatively easy read for most of the students even the low-level ESOL students, but looking back there was definitely some room for improvement in helping the students not only understand the literal meaning of the text, but also make inferential and analytical interpretations of the text and to understand the the author's overall message/ purpose in writing these short stories.

First, for the text-dependent questions I like to start with literal questions, especially with my ESOL students. In my mind, if the students do understand what is going on in the story, how can I expect them to make more advanced observations about the text? Therefore, I included some basic questions about the main character, what her job is, and what the major conflict is. Afterwards, I decided to get more complex with the questioning, requiring the students to not only understand literally what is happening, but to use their own ideas, experiences, and evidence from the text to make more advanced textual observations. I feel this format is the most effective for all students, not just ESOL students.

Finally, for my note taking strategy, I decided to use the Interactive Notebook, because especially with my students, they really benefit from the use of visuals with written work to help them understand a text. Furthermore, I often allow them to use their notes on a test as a reference which serves as another incentive for them to do the Notebook. I made a basic example of what I think this might look like for this text, but I would of course add more details such as including the text-dependent questions above and some pre-reading activities. I made mine through Canva, but I may play with having the students use a physical copy instead; it really is dependent on the student dynamic in my class.


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