A hermeneutical approach changes the kinds of questions students encounter. Instead of focusing on recall or summary, questions are designed to surface how students interpret and evaluate meaning.
The example below shows how this works in a typical middle-school reading passage and question set activity.
📘 Sample Informational Passage (8th Grade, Nonfiction)
Title: Can Community Gardens Reduce City Heat?
Many cities are searching for ways to reduce “urban heat islands,” areas where temperatures rise higher than surrounding neighborhoods because of concrete, traffic, and lack of shade. A recent study by the Urban Climate Initiative (UCI) examined whether building small community gardens could help reduce local temperatures.
The study tracked 40 community gardens built over the past two years. According to the report, neighborhoods with new gardens experienced an average temperature drop of 1.2°F during the summer. In contrast, similar neighborhoods without gardens showed an average drop of only 0.4°F. At first glance, this seems to suggest that community gardens help cool cities.
However, the report also notes several factors that make the findings uncertain. First, 22 of the 40 garden sites were paired with new tree-planting programs, which are known to reduce heat but were not measured separately. Second, seven garden neighborhoods also received reflective roofing on nearby public buildings, another factor that lowers temperatures. Because these improvements overlapped, the study could not isolate which change caused the cooling effect.
Timing was another limitation. The study collected data for only one summer, even though gardens were completed at different times—some only weeks before measurements began. Weather patterns shift year to year, so a single season of data may not reveal consistent trends.
Even with these uncertainties, the final report declares, “Community gardens are a proven solution for lowering city temperatures.” Given the overlapping variables and short timeline, more research is needed to determine whether gardens themselves reduced heat.
🧠 Hermeneutic Approach to Questions (with TEKS + VSOL Standards)
(Correct answers marked with *.)
1. (TEKS 8.8E, 8.9D; VSOL 8.5, 8.6)
Which detail BEST explains why the study’s conclusion may not be fully reliable?
A. The study measured cooling for a single summer. *
B. The report used confident wording in the conclusion.
- The researchers studied 40 community gardens in total.
D. Temperature drops were recorded only in garden neighborhoods.
2. (TEKS 8.8F, 7G; VSOL 8.5, 8.6i)
Why is it flawed to claim that community gardens alone caused the temperature decrease?
A. The researchers collected temperature data in the summer.
B. Many garden sites also had new tree-planting programs. *
C. Gardens do not attract much traffic in the area.
D. Many cities do not track heat data.
3. (TEKS 8.8E, 7E; VSOL 8.5, 8.6h)
Which factor MOST weakens the claim that the gardens were the primary cause of cooling?
A. Some neighborhoods cooled by 1.2°F.
B. Non-garden neighborhoods cooled by only 0.4°F.
- Neighborhoods from many different parts of the city were included.
D. Some garden neighborhoods also received reflective roofing on buildings. *
4. (TEKS 7G, 8.8F; VSOL 8.6i)
What reasoning error is present in the report’s statement that gardens are “a proven solution”?
A. The report uses too much scientific vocabulary.
B. The researchers overgeneralize from limited data. *
C. The study included too many variables.
D. The report compared cities in different climates.
5. (TEKS 8.1D, 8.8E; VSOL 8.5)
Which question would a critical reader MOST need to ask before accepting the reported temperature drops?
A. How many volunteers worked in each garden?
B. Did weather patterns contribute to the temperature changes? *
C. How much did the gardens cost to build?
D. Were the gardens used more frequently than usual?
6. MULTIPLE SELECT (TEKS 8.8E, 8.8F; VSOL 8.6i)
Which factors make it difficult to know whether gardens caused the cooling effect? Select ALL that apply.
A. New trees planted at 22 of the garden sites. *
B. Reflective roofing added to buildings in several neighborhoods. *
C. The study lasted for only one summer. *
D. Some gardens were completed only weeks before temperature measurements. *
E. Neighborhood residents reported enjoying the gardening activities.
7. MULTIPLE SELECT (TEKS 7G, 8.8F; VSOL 8.6h, 8.6i)
Which details show that the researchers may have confused correlation with causation? Select ALL that apply.
A. Gardens were built over a two-year span.
B. Garden neighborhoods also received other heat-reducing improvements. *
C. The report concludes that gardens “are a proven solution.” *
D. The study did not separate the effects of different cooling projects. *
E. The researchers collected temperature data carefully.
8. (TEKS 8.8E, 8.9D; VSOL 8.5, 8.6h)
Why does the limited study period weaken the conclusion?
A. Summers in cities always have identical weather conditions.
B. A single summer cannot show long-term temperature trends. *
C. Gardens only affect temperatures after several decades.
D. Temperature tools malfunction in hot weather.
9. MULTIPLE SELECT (TEKS 8.8E, 1D; VSOL 8.6h, 8.6i)
Which steps would MOST improve future studies on the effect of community gardens on temperature? Select ALL that apply.
A. Collecting temperature data for several years. *
B. Measuring the separate effects of gardens, trees, and reflective roofs. *
C. Building gardens only in cooler regions.
D. Ensuring all gardens are completed before data collection begins. *
E. Interviewing residents about how much they like gardens.
10. (TEKS 7E, 8.8F; VSOL 8.6i, 8.6h)
If a city based its policies only on this study, what is the main risk it would face?
A. It would eliminate all other cooling strategies.
B. It would guarantee lower temperatures across the city.
C. It would increase heat because gardens require lots of water.
D. It would invest without knowing whether gardens actually reduce heat. *
