Beginning Proficiency: Modify the graphic organizer to include visual cues and bilingual labels for each section. Teachers should pre-teach academic vocabulary essential for evidence evaluation (e.g., support, contradict, claim) using visual cards and examples in both languages. The thinking steps can be simplified with icons: a magnifying glass for “Name the evidence,” a pencil for “Describe,” and a lightbulb for “Interpret.” Provide students with sentence frames in both languages for each step (e.g., “The text shows…,” “This evidence means…”). When identifying theories, students can use a color-coding system to match evidence to explanations, and they can express their initial understanding in their home language before transitioning to English.
