CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.1
The Standard
Refer to details and examples in 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 Literature
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students explain information the author states directly and make reasonable inferences about characters, events, and settings. They support each explanation with specific details from the story.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students answer questions accurately and point to specific words, actions, or events as support. They explain how each chosen detail supports an idea about the story.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may treat an inference as a guess based only on personal experience. They may copy a detail without explaining how it supports their answer, or choose evidence unrelated to the question.
How to Assess It
- Give students a short story and ask: “What does the character want, and what can you infer about why? Use two details to support your answer.”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs story-detail cards to sort into “directly stated” and “inferred,” then match each inference with supporting evidence.
After reading a scene, ask students to write: “What is the character feeling, and which two details show it?”
Play Evidence Detective by giving teams inference cards and having them race to find the strongest supporting sentence in the story.
Present a cafeteria conflict scenario and have students separate observed facts from conclusions about each person’s motives.
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Printable RL.4.1 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.1, 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: Literature 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.RL.6.1
Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.1
Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.1
The 4th Grade version of this standard.
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