CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.9
The Standard
Analyze a case in which two or more texts provide conflicting information on the same topic and identify where the texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretation.
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 compare informational texts about the same topic and locate exact points of disagreement. They decide whether each conflict concerns a checkable fact or an author's interpretation.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can cite exact passages where sources conflict. The student can label each conflict as factual or interpretive and explain the difference using evidence.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may treat different wording as disagreement. They may also confuse factual conflicts, such as dates or numbers, with different interpretations of the same facts.
How to Assess It
- Give students two short accounts of one school event. Ask them to quote one disagreement, label it fact or interpretation, and explain their choice.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Print claim and evidence strips from two articles, then have pairs sort them into agreement, factual disagreement, or interpretive disagreement.
Ask students to write: Where do the authors disagree, and is the conflict about facts or what those facts mean?
Play a card match game where teams pair conflicting statements, then earn points by correctly labeling each conflict.
Compare a company product description with two customer reviews, noting disagreements about measurable features and opinions about quality.
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Printable RI.8.9 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.9, 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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What This Unlocks
Mastery here sets students up for these next.
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Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.9
Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.3
Evaluate various explanations for actions or events and determine which explanation best accords with textual evidence, acknowledging where the text leaves matt...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.6
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.
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