Using the Truism Braid with Nonfiction ECR Responses

Dr. Shona Rose; July 16, 2024

Truism Braids with Gretchen and Kayla

Truism Braid Lesson from Text Structures from Picture Books

I went to Kernel Camp last week. Gretchen and Kayla explained how to apply the truism braid in the video linked above. They are funny, interesting, and SO on point about how and why we respond to texts. As readers and writers, we use text to reveal truths about life and to make decisions that make our lives better.

The process itself is insightful…and delightfully simple. Even for the littles.

But how would we use this process with nonfiction? With information and argumentative response? I’ve played around with the concept to create what truism braids might look like in the ECR world.

Considerations for Composing

So…I love the QA12345 method and the Truism Braid. Here’s some things I noticed while transferring the method to our released prompts:

We really are wanting to see if folks understand what they read - that’s the truism for comprehension.
And we want to see if they understand how writers craft meaningful text - that’s the truism for Author’s Craft, Composition.
The structure gives us a scaffold for organizational structure (informational/argumentative) to hold the content (text evidence) and communication of ideas (thesis/claim).
Text evidence isn’t just in one place in the org structure. This is why RACE is limiting. Text evidence is in the commentary and explanation as well. Paraphrase/summary/synthesis, references, context and connections to the ideas. Extensions. The thinking and reasoning.
By listing the truths/truisms, we are answering questions like: Who cares? Why does that matter? Essentially, these are the inferences, generalizations…the topic sentences and ahas BEHIND what we have read. The truism is the whole human point of reading.
Teaching this is a matter of layering. Comprehension first. Text evidence next. Then organizational structure, using the counter as the first body paragraph. Then adding in the transitions from Weinsten’s placemat. Then the editing.
And then there’s the whole matter of teaching what this looks like digitally.

Truism Braid with Nonfiction: 3-5 2022 STAAR Sample Scoring Guide Argumentative Response

Q/Prompt: Explain whether you think the steamboat or clipper ship changes life in the US more.

A/Introduction: Working Thesis: When considering change to life in the US, the steamboat had more impact than the clipper ship.

Text Evidence: (context and details) A ship named the Clermont was a new invention. It could go “against the flow of the river” and made the trip “in a day and a half” that “normally took a day and a half.”

Commentary: This invention allowed faster travel in “shallow water” in areas that usually couldn’t hold a ship. This was because the boats had “flat bottoms.” Now, the ships could bring supplies “quicker and more cheaply than other boats.”

Truism: People love a bargain and love getting it fast more than anything. Cheaper goods made life better for the people in the towns.

Text Evidence: (reference of multiple cause and effect relationships) The steamships traveled the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers allowed travel “deeper into the interior of the country. As a result, trade along the rivers flourished.”

Commentary: Since people could get supplies into remote areas, they began to move and settle across the country.

Truism: People enjoy comfort. Having goods made it easier to move and live out West.

Conclusion: The steamships provided bargains and comfort. People could have cheaper goods more quickly. This access led to settling the interior and western parts of the nation.

Using Counterargument:

Q:Explain whether you think the steamboat or clipper ship changed life in the US more.

A/Introduction: While both ships “would bring changes to the United States,” the steamship changed life in the United States more than the Clipper Ships.

COUNTER:

Text Evidence: (paraphrase of main ideas)The section on clipper ships focuses on the design of the ships that allowed competition in the tea races and access to the west coast to participate in The Gold Rush.

Commentary: While both types of ships caused changes, the focus and impact of clipper ships impacted a few businessmen in the tea trade and those “seeking their fortunes” in San Francisco.

Truism: The rich are few, especially those prospecting for gold.

Text Evidence: In contrast, the text references about steamships tells us that the impact “drew more people west, extending where the US population lived.”

Commentary: The steamships opened up trade, causing towns to grow in more places in the US. Many people worked and lived in new places in the United States.

Truism: Trade leads to population growth and the development of towns.

Conclusion: The clipper ships impacted fewer folks, but the steamship opened up areas where many people could work and live beyond the Mississippi River.

Truism Braid: 2023 STAAR 3rd Grade Argumentative Response

Q/Prompt: Explain your opinion about why people should or should not be rewarded for recycling.

Answer: Working Thesis: People should be rewarded for recycling.

Text Evidence: People in states that use rewards “tend to recycle more than those in other states.”

Commentary: The data is clear: when people get rewards, they recycle more. More rewards causes more recycling.

Truism: Rewards are a positive reason to act.

Text Evidence: The text explains that people “should recycle because it is the right thing to do. “But the truth is, that does not always happen.”

Commentary: Sure, people should recycle. But they don’t. A reward like exchanging for food or a lower trash bill could entice people to do the right thing.

Truism: People don’t always do what is right.

Conclusion: Rewards for recycling shows promise in increasing participation in recycling because people don’t always do what is right and data shows that cities who use rewards have more folks participating in recycling.

Truism Braid: 2024 7th Grade Argumentative Response (Not available as of July 16, 2024)

Q/Prompt: Should students be involved in deciding how money is spent in schools or communities through participatory budgeting? Why or why not?

Truism Braid: 2023 STAAR Grade 4 Informational Response

Q/Prompt: Explain why the Edwards Aquifer is important in the article.

Answer: Working Thesis: The Edwards Aquifer is important.

Text Evidence: The text explains that the aquifer is a “source of drinking water for over two million people.”

Commentary: People need safe water to drink. And two million people is a lot of people.

Truism: Clean water is critical for human consumption.

Text Evidence: The text also explains that the aquifer “provides water for agriculture.”

Commentary: The water in the aquifer is also used to water plants and crops.

Truism: Society and culture thrive on quality sources of water to grow food.

Conclusion: The Edwards Aquifer is important because it provides water for drinking and for growing food.

Shona's Shennanigans

Tuesday, July 16, 2024