Effectively Integrating Textual Evidence

Textual Evidence. 
Textual Evidence. 
Textual Evidence.

I know we hear these two words more than we would really care to. Nonetheless, despite whether one likes it or not, being able to use textual evidence is a skill our students must acquire and be able to apply across curriculums. However, teaching students to use textual evidence doesn't have to be so "rigorous" (another buzz word that us educators are all tired of hearing). Don't get me wrong...I do believe students need to be challenged, but the word "rigor" is just plain scary. We want to encourage our students--not intimidate them. Below are two creative activities I have used to teach students to utilize textual evidence without it seeming so daunting:

1) Post-Mortem of a Protagonist: With this assignment, students create an outline of some type of character. It can be a character from a novel, a historical figure, a famous scientist, etc. Then, they will need to illustrate at least five "body parts" for an "autopsy" of the character. Each body part needs to have questions attached, and students are to answer the questions associated with the body part with a quote, passage, or other form of textual evidence. For example, the head represents the intellectual side of the character. Students will need to provide a piece of textual evidence related to the character's visions, dreams, thoughts, or intellect. In order to achieve this, students have to refer back to the text to acquire the information they need. Below are pictures of some of my 8th grade English students working on their "post-mortem of a protagonist."

2) Fishbowl Discussions: The fishbowl strategy allows students to be both contributors and listeners in a discussion. It's also an awesome way to get students to use textual evidence. I like to use fishbowl discussions when I'm teaching arguments. I give my students two articles with opposing viewpoints. Students are to read both articles and choose what argument they agree with. They then must brainstorm a list of points they wish to make in the discussion as well as evidence from the articles to back up those points. I always tell them it is just like court--your point is not really worth anything without evidence to support it. Below are a few pictures of my 8th graders participating in a fishbowl discussion. 

Getting students to effectively integrate textual evidence doesn't have to be limited to post-reading questions and essays. Be creative, think outside the box, and try something new!