Across subjects, pupils are expected to answer a question, select evidence and explain the connection. The core process is shared, but the evidence and explanation differ between disciplines.

Teach the full routine using examples from the subject. Avoid a generic writing frame that ignores how historians, scientists and literary critics use evidence differently.

Teach the shared process

Use three stages:

1. Answer. State a clear response to the question.

2. Select. Quote, paraphrase or identify the most relevant evidence.

3. Connect. Explain why that evidence supports the response.

Model your thinking rather than displaying only a finished answer.

For example: “I think the reaction was exothermic. The temperature increased from 20°C to 34°C. That rise shows energy was transferred to the surroundings.”

Make the disciplinary difference explicit

English

Evidence may be a quotation, language choice, structural feature or pattern across the text. The explanation should show how the evidence supports an interpretation.

Science

Evidence may be a result, measurement, observation or relationship in data. The explanation should connect the evidence with a scientific claim or principle.

History

Evidence may come from a source, event or historian’s interpretation. The explanation should consider relevance, context and sometimes provenance.

Geography

Evidence may include data, a map, case-study detail or process. The explanation should connect it with the geographical argument.

The wording “use evidence” is not enough. Show pupils what counts as evidence in that subject.

Model quotation and paraphrase

A quotation is useful when the exact words matter. Paraphrase is often better when the pupil needs to show understanding or condense information.

Teach pupils to choose the smallest relevant quotation. Copying a whole paragraph usually hides which evidence supports the answer.

After selecting evidence, ask:

• “What exactly does this show?”

• “Why is it relevant?”

• “How does it support or qualify the answer?”

• “Would different evidence be stronger?”

Reduce support step by step

Move from:

• a complete teacher think-aloud;

• teacher provides the answer and pupil selects evidence;

• pupil answers and selects while teacher models the connection;

• one brief prompt for the missing stage;

• independent response.

A temporary prompt such as Answer. Select. Connect. can help, but remove it once the process is secure.

Avoid copied evidence without reasoning

If a pupil gives a quotation and stops, ask them to complete: “This matters because...” The final explanation should refer back to the question.

For example, in English:

• Quotation only: Lady Macbeth is ruthless. “Look like th’ innocent flower, / But be the serpent under’t.”

• Connected: Lady Macbeth is ruthless. She tells Macbeth to “look like th’ innocent flower, / But be the serpent under’t”. The serpent hidden under the flower shows she wants him to hide a deadly plan behind a welcoming face.

Do not reward the length of the quotation. Strong evidence is precise and well connected.

Adapt for oral responses

Where writing is a barrier, rehearse the reasoning aloud. The teacher can record the three parts or allow the pupil to highlight the evidence before writing.

This preserves the comprehension demand while reducing the transcription load. The written scaffold can then be reintroduced gradually.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Using the same evidence frame in every subject.

• Providing the quotation before the pupil has searched.

• Accepting copied text without explanation.

• Asking for more evidence when one strong example is sufficient.

• Treating a reasonable alternative interpretation as wrong when it is supported.

• Keeping a writing frame after the pupil can reason independently.

• Confusing recall of a fact with evidence for a claim.

Evidence and further reading

The Education Endowment Foundation’s Improving Literacy in Secondary Schools explains disciplinary literacy and why reading practices vary by subject. Its Reading Comprehension Strategies summary discusses explicit modelling and independent application.