Response Skills: Reflecting On And Adjusting Responses As New Evidence Is Presented (TEKS.ELA.6.6.I) Practice Test

In an article about our school's new garden, the writer argues that the best spot for a pollinator patch is the wide, open field beside the parking lot because it gets sun all day. The student council asks for opinions. Initial student response: The open field is obviously best. Bees love sunlight, and the space is huge, so the garden will thrive. New evidence: The custodian explains that the field is mowed every week during soccer season, and strong winds sweep across it. Our science teacher shares a guide noting that many native bees and butterflies prefer patches with some wind protection and nearby shrubs. She also points out that soil behind the library stays moist, and that area receives morning sun but afternoon shade. A few classes plan to plant flowering shrubs along the library wall. With this added information, the council revisits the decision and asks students to adjust their recommendations.

While reading a folktale, our class meets Mara, the keeper of the village well. During a drought, travelers ask for water, but Mara refuses them at midday and sends them away. Initial student response: Mara is selfish because she hoards water when others are thirsty. New evidence: Later in the text, the narrator reveals that the upstream stream was poisoned by bitter roots, and the well clears only after the sun drops. Mara has been rationing morning water for elders and sick children and drawing extra buckets at night when the water runs sweet again. She also leaves jars along the road at dusk for travelers to find. By the end, the village thanks Mara for protecting them from illness. With this new context, readers are asked to reconsider their first judgment.