CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.8
The Standard
Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author's claims.
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 identify an author’s claim, then check whether the reasons and evidence actually support it. They should separate facts, examples, data, and expert quotes from opinions or weak statements. They also need to notice gaps, bias, exaggeration, and evidence that does not match the claim.
Mastery looks like a student saying, “The claim is partly supported because the author gives strong data here, but ignores another cause.” Students often get stuck by summarizing the text instead of judging it. They may also treat any statistic or quote as strong evidence without asking if it is relevant, reliable, or enough.
Ways to Teach It
- Give students a short editorial and three colored highlighters: claim in yellow, reasons in blue, evidence in green.
- Ask students to write: Which piece of evidence best supports the author’s claim, and which piece is weakest? Explain why.
- Use an exit ticket with one claim and four evidence statements, and have students rank them from strongest to weakest.
- Bring in a political ad, museum sign, or school policy memo, and have students test whether the evidence proves the claim.
Plan a Lesson for CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.8
Generate a complete lesson plan aligned to this standard, with objectives, activities, and materials. Free, no account needed.
What This Unlocks
Mastery here sets students up for these next.
Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.8
Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author's claim or a recommendation for solving a scientific or technical problem.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.8
Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s).
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.8
Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support t...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.8
Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text.