CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.8

ELA6th GradeIntegration of Knowledge and Ideas

The Standard

Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Reading Standards for Informational Text

What This Standard Means

Students need to follow an author’s argument from beginning to end. They should identify the main claim, smaller claims, reasons, and evidence. They also need to judge whether each claim is actually supported, not just stated with confidence.

Mastery looks like a student marking a text and explaining, “This claim works because the author gives data,” or “This claim is weak because there is no proof.” Students often mix up reasons and evidence. They may also accept opinions, anecdotes, or strong wording as proof.

Ways to Teach It

Give pairs a printed article and four highlighters to mark main claim, subclaims, reasons, and evidence in different colors.
Ask students to write: Which claim in the article is strongest, and what exact evidence makes it strong?
Use an exit ticket with three sentences from the text and have students label each as claim, reason, or evidence.
Show a product review or school policy letter and have students decide which claims are supported well enough to trust.