CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.K.8
The Standard
With prompting and support, identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Reading Standards for Informational Text
What This Standard Means
Students need to notice what the author is trying to tell them, then find the reasons the author gives for that idea. In kindergarten, they do this with teacher support, pictures, repeated reading, and simple nonfiction texts.
Mastery looks like a student saying, “The author says helmets keep us safe because they protect our heads.” Students often name a fact from the book without linking it to the author’s point. They may also rely only on the picture, so keep asking, “How do you know?” and “What did the author tell us?”
Ways to Teach It
- Read a short nonfiction book, then use sticky notes to mark the author’s point and one reason on separate pages.
- Ask, “What does the author want us to think, and what reason did they give?” after rereading one page aloud.
- Show one page and ask students to point to or say the reason that supports the author’s idea.
- Use a school rule poster and ask what reason it gives for washing hands, lining up, or wearing sneakers in gym.
Plan a Lesson for CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.K.8
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What This Unlocks
Mastery here sets students up for these next.
Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.8
Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s).
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.8
Describe how reasons support specific points the author makes in a text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.8
Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text.