UNIT LEARNING TARGET�I CAN ANALYZE A TEXT BY CITING TEXTUAL EVIDENCE

LEARNING INTENTION

• I can support a complex inference with properly introduced textual evidence and provide valid reasoning

TEXTUAL EVIDENCE

anything that you read and point to told that causes you to believe that something is true

STRONG, THOROUGH AND EXPLICIT

• Strong: Evidence is chosen to be the best
• Thorough: Considers the entirety of the work, not just one singular piece.
• Explicit: Can point to it, not an opinion

BASIC FORMAT

• Claim – Inference: what you think/why
• Evidence – support to SHOW audience
• Reasoning – HOW the evidence directly supports claim

INFERENCE + EVIDENCE

Myrtle is somewhat shallow and materialistic, as her personality changes completely to a much more confident woman when she is surrounded by wealth. It also shows her consciousness towards her poor lifestyle with Wilson and how she embraces her life with Tom.

• p. 30 “With the influence of her dress, her personality changed… intense vitality”
• p. 35 “He borrowed somebody’s suit to get married in”
• p. 36 “I’m going to make a list of all the things I need to get”

SIGNAL PHRASES

• Provide context: 
• Briefly explain who is speaking or what the text is discussing. 
• Use a signal phrase: 
• Identify the source of the quotation. 
• Use a descriptive verb: 
• Choose a verb that fits the tone and function of the quote (e.g., asserts, explains, argues, laments). 

At the end of chapter 7, while Tom and Daisy are seemingly reconciling over cold-chicken, Nick observes that Gatsby was “watching over nothing” (145).

USING CITATIONS FOR SUPPORT

• Inference
• Use critical parts of sentences
• Always adding explanation (elaborate, clarify, discuss)

Myrtle is somewhat shallow and materialistic, as her personality changes completely to a much more confident woman when she is surrounded by wealth. It also shows her consciousness towards her poor lifestyle with Wilson and how she embraces her life with Tom.

During her time in chapter 2 she focuses on the “things” she needs to get (an ashtray, perfume, gossip magazines, a dog which she ignores) and she disparages her husband for not being wealthy, even complaining that when they were married that “He borrowed somebody’s suit” (17).

Her complaint that George Wilson had to borrow a suit for his own marriage reinforces her focus on materialism. Instead of remembering the joy and happiness of a marriage, she fixates on the fact that Wilson didn’t own his suit outright. This is compounded by the fact that Tom can purchase her anything she desires, leading her to further resent the life she has with her husband. While poverty is certainly a challenging life situation, Myrtle’s fixation on materialism leads her to shallow connections to life and her “friends.”

YOU TRY!

DO NOW

Pick one of the four main characters (Tom, Daisy, Gatsby, Nick) and write 2 sentences describing what they want (or wanted) most in life and why?

Back up your answer.

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Don’t just say “Gatsby wants Daisy… duh”. Start exploring why.

WHILE READING CHAPTER 3…

• Look for evidence to support these facts and inference.

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• Due to the rumors that swirl about his background, Gatsby goes out of his way to make others feel welcome because he is hiding something about his character.

FACTS

INFERENCE

OTHER�OBSERVATIONS

EVIDENCE