CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.5

ELA8th GradeCraft and Structure

The Standard

Analyze in detail the structure of a specific paragraph in a text, including the role of particular sentences in developing and refining a key concept.

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

What This Standard Means

Students need to look closely at one paragraph in an informational text and explain how it is built. They should notice the topic sentence, evidence, examples, definitions, transitions, and closing sentence. They also need to explain what each sentence does for the main idea.

Mastery looks like naming the job of specific sentences, not just summarizing them. Students can say, “This sentence narrows the idea,” or “This example proves the claim.” They often get stuck by describing what a sentence says instead of how it works, or by treating every sentence as equally important.

Ways to Teach It

Give students a printed paragraph, scissors, and sentence strips, then have them reorder it and label each sentence’s job.
Ask students to write: Which sentence most changes or sharpens the paragraph’s main idea, and how?
Use a four-sentence paragraph and have students mark each sentence as claim, evidence, explanation, or refinement.
Show a product review or news paragraph, then ask students how one sentence shifts the reader’s understanding.