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Which student response best answers the text-dependent question: How does the illustration enhance your understanding of the author's most important message in this story?

A. The illustration shows a beautiful night sky full of shining stars. Trisha is in the center of the illustration and she looks happy to be reading. There is a lot of light in the illustration: the stars, Trisha's face and her blouse. Trisha is clearly smiling with joy in the picture and really focusing on her book. The illustrator made a good choice to draw this picture and bring this moment to life for the reader.

B. The illustration reveals the beauty and magic of the moment when Trisha learns to read. In the text, the author writes, "as if it were magic," the words and sentences took shape on the page. The author further describes the experience as "light pouring into (Trisha's) brain." Throughout the book, the author has focused on the message of never giving up on your dreams and goals. The illustration shows Trisha finally achieving her goal to read. The illustration also mimics the illustration of the night sky earlier in the book when Trisha's grandmother encouraged her. The beauty of this moment and the author's message are truly enhanced by the illustration of the starry night sky sparkling all around Trisha as she smiles.

C. The author's message is to always be hopeful about the future. Trisha had many difficult things happen in her life. Her grandparents, whom she loved, passed away. She was bullied by a boy named Eric who made her feel terrible at school. Then, she met Mr. Falker, who truly believed in her and didn't give up on her. Mr. Falker protected Trisha from Eric and stopped the bullying. Finally, Trisha learns to read, which proves you should always be hopeful about the future and achieving your dreams.

D. The message and the illustration are both really pretty. The message is to try your best in school. Mr. Falker really wanted Trisha to try her best in school and so did her grandparents. In the end Trisha reads and is happy. The illustration shows Trisha being happy about how her life turned out.

Answer: Incorrect. This response describes the illustration and captures the beauty of the stars and some of the artistic elements of the scene. However, the student does not meet the demands of this text-dependent question. The student does not focus on making the connection between how the illustration enhances the reader's understanding of the message of the author. This student does not identify or discuss the author's message. The student refers to Trisha's feelings in the illustration but the explicit connection between the author's message and the role of the illustration must be made clear for an accurate response. Try again. Correct. This response makes the relationship between the author's message and the role of the illustration extremely clear. The student identifies his/her understanding of the author's message and refers to the beauty of the moment when Trisha learns to read. Appropriate text support is evident. The connection to the starry sky illustration when Trisha is lying under the night sky with her grandmother is discussed and made relevant in that the student connects the elements of both illustrations to the author's overall message. The student does a nice job finding beautiful elements of the illustration(s), the author's message, and specific text references that completely show evidence that this student has met the demands of this text-dependent question. Incorrect. While this student does describe a possible message in the story, the student does not connect the message to an understanding of the role that the illustration plays. The student summarizes many of the bad things in Trisha's life and describes how Mr. Falker saves her and helps her learn to finally read. These examples from the text do prove the power of hope and believing in the future but that's not what was expected from this text-dependent question. Try again. Incorrect. The student gives a surface response by comparing the message and the illustration and deciding both are "pretty." The student goes on to write a somewhat disconnected summary about Mr. Falker's efforts and her ability to read at the end of the story. There is no connection between the author's message and how the illustration enhances the author's message. Try again.