Administrator Kick Off Tuesday, August 13, 2013 Seascape Golf Club

Description of Practice Q.E.R.M.T. How to analyze quotes to support your arguments with evidence (You can  rearrange the order of these elements) Q: Quotation – choose a quotation from the documents that supports what you are saying – (introduce it properly) E: Explain the quotation – What does the author mean? R: Respond & Reliability – What do you think? Discuss its credibility– primary or secondary – point of view? M: My example – Use facts from other episodes in history, expert opinion, narrative from your life or another person’s T: Tie your example to your thesis and/or the quotation

Links to Common Core Instructional Shifts CCSS RH.1. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole CCSS RH.2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source… CCSS WHST.1.b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant data and evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both claim(s) and counterclaims… CCSS WHST.9. Draw evidence from informational text to support analysis, reflection, and research

Impact on Students Seamless way for them to learn the content: teacher provides current standards based text students have to read as they hunt for quotations to support their arguments Inviting way to begin writing as quotations become anchors Allows greater creativity than other writing scaffolds since students are encouraged to arrange elements to suit Gives teacher an easy tool for teaching primary vs. secondary sources and checking for their understanding Provides an effective scaffold for greater levels of analysis Helps students develop practice using examples in their writing which often come from historical connections

Tips on Implementation (Lessons Learned) Guide the whole class through an analysis of the documents before they hunt for quotations Provide a mentor text. Build your own so you understand how to use this scaffold – find mine at www.theschool.org Allow students to work in small groups to share ideas and get immediate feedback on their work Ask groups to pick their favorite writing to share with the class, and allow the author to determine who reads it Coach while they write – call individual students up to your desk and discuss their work Provide a quick and easy rubric for them to evaluate each other and most importantly to self evaluate

Resources & Tools for getting started Have a look at the Smarter Balanced Rubrics: http://www.smarterbalanced.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/TaskItemSpecifications/EnglishLanguageArtsLiteracy/ELARubrics.pdf http://www.ccwritingproject.org/ (QERMT was created by CCWP Co-Director Louann Baker in 2005) QERMT’s for Modern World History and U.S. Government are available in the locker section of my home page: www.theschool.org (browsers may need to load this page twice) Barrett Vitol Aptos High School Teacher@TheSchool.org