Gathering Text Evidence with Pattern Folders!

One of my favorite ways to scaffold gathering textual evidence for learners of ALL levels is through pattern folders.

I first learned about them through a video on The Teaching Channel that you can watch here: https://www.teachingchannel.org/video/literary-analysis-tool

From there I ran with it, and use this strategy for whole class novels, short story units, and independent reading. Students tend to struggle with finding evidence after they read a text because they often can’t remember which story it was from or even what was going on in a chapter. Pattern folders are a way for students to add index cards with a short quote and a conclusion or analysis entry. I usually cut up old envelopes and have students tape these to the inside of file folders to create their “pockets.” Then we label each pocket with either the text title or the style element we’re evaluating.

The example here is from a character analysis of one character in Great Expectations.

We had a minilesson on MLA style at some point, so their quotations had a parenthetical citation ready to go for when they added the quotation into their final essay. Students were able to track one of the major characters and relevant information for each of the four areas of characterization. Then, they had to look at their evidence at the end of the novel and come up with a thesis for what they had discovered.

This method had SUCH an impact on how students understood the concept of literary analysis, and it made our conversations about writing and the text so much more in-depth.

I’ve also had students track a singular theme and then collect evidence from 4-6 short stories connected to that theme. Then, they labeled each pocket for the story that matched the evidence.

Pattern folders are one of my favorite tools to teach evidence gathering, and I hope you find it useful, too!

- Ms. K