CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.1
The Standard
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Reading Standards for Informational Text
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students select the strongest passages that support a claim about an informational text. They explain the connection and separate direct statements, reasonable inferences, and unresolved questions.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given an article or essay, a student makes a clear claim and cites two precise, relevant details. The student explains each detail's value and identifies gaps the author does not resolve.
Common Misconceptions
- Students often insert a quotation without explaining how it supports their claim. They may choose merely related details, treat personal opinions as inferences, or fill information gaps with unsupported assumptions.
How to Assess It
- Give students a 300-word news article. Ask: "What conclusion can you draw, which two details best support it, and what question does the article leave unanswered?"
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Print an article and claim cards, then have students highlight supporting lines and physically rank them from strongest to weakest.
After a shared reading, ask students to write: "What can we infer, and which exact words make that inference reasonable?"
Run an evidence-ranking relay where teams match quotations to claims, discard weak matches, and defend their strongest choice.
Compare a product advertisement with an independent review, then identify which claims have solid support and which remain uncertain.
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Printable RI.11-12.1 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.1, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
Download the worksheetLearning progression
Where This Standard Sits
See the whole path on the Reading: Informational Text progression map.
Before This Standard
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Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.1
Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.1
The Grades 11–12 version of this standard.
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