CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.6

ELAGrades 11–12Craft and Structure

The Standard

Evaluate authors' differing points of view on the same historical event or issue by assessing the authors' claims, reasoning, and evidence.

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 6—12

What This Standard Means

Students need to compare two accounts of the same event or issue and judge how each author builds a point of view. They should identify the author’s claim, trace the reasoning, and check whether the evidence is strong, weak, selective, or missing.

Mastery looks like a student saying, “Author A is more convincing because the evidence is specific and fits the claim, while Author B relies on opinion and leaves out key context.” Students often get stuck summarizing both texts instead of evaluating them, or they notice bias but cannot prove it with details from the source.

Ways to Teach It

  • Give pairs two short accounts of the Boston Tea Party and have them color-code claim, reasoning, evidence, and loaded language.
  • Ask students to write: Which author gives the more convincing account, and what sentence best proves your judgment?
  • Use an exit ticket with one paragraph from each author and ask students to name one claim and rate one piece of evidence.
  • Compare two news articles about the same local issue and have students mark what each writer includes, leaves out, and emphasizes.

Before This Standard

If students are struggling here, check these first.

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Related Standards

Standard text verified against corestandards.org on July 10, 2026.

Page updated July 10, 2026.

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