CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.1
The Standard
Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
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 find exact words or sentences in an informational text that answer a question or support an inference. They copy the evidence accurately and explain how it supports their thinking.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students answer direct and inferential questions with a relevant quotation copied exactly. They explain how the quoted words support their answer without adding ideas the text cannot support.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may copy a whole paragraph instead of choosing the strongest sentence or phrase. They may change the author’s words, omit quotation marks, or make an inference based on personal opinion rather than evidence.
How to Assess It
- Give students a short article and ask, “What can you infer about the author’s view of the topic?” Require one accurate quotation and one sentence explaining how it supports the inference.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs claim cards and quotation strips from an article, then have them match each claim to the strongest supporting quotation.
Ask students to write: “What does the author imply but not directly state?” and support their response with one accurate quotation.
Play Evidence Match, where teams earn points by selecting the best quotation for each literal or inferential question.
Read a product review and have students quote evidence to decide whether the reviewer would recommend the product. Tied
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Printable RI.5.1 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.1, 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
If students are struggling here, check these first.
What This Unlocks
Mastery here sets students up for these next.
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Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.1
Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.1
Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to suppo...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.1
The 5th Grade version of this standard.
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