CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.6
The Standard
Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author's point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 6—12
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students examine word choice and the facts an author includes or leaves out. They explain what those choices show about the author’s viewpoint or reason for writing.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students can underline loaded words and point out facts the author highlights or leaves out. They use those clues to explain the author’s attitude and likely goal.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may treat any strong opinion as bias without citing specific wording or missing facts. They may also confuse the author's viewpoint with the views of a person quoted in the text.
How to Assess It
- Use this exit ticket: “The council finally ended the unfair tax, giving struggling farmers the relief they deserved.” Ask students to identify two clues and explain the author’s viewpoint.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs two accounts of one event and colored markers to highlight loaded words, selected facts, and omitted details.
Ask students to write: Which sentence most clearly shows the author’s viewpoint, and what exact words reveal it?
Play Clue Sort by having teams place phrase cards under loaded language, included fact, omitted fact, or neutral wording.
Compare two headlines about the same local issue and discuss how word choice shapes a reader’s first impression.
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Printable RH.6-8.6 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.6, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
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Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.6
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.6
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author distinguishes his or her position from that of others.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.6
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.6
Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
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