CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.1
The Standard
Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn 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 identify what a literary passage states directly and make logical inferences from details. They cite specific words or sentences and explain how the evidence supports their analysis.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students make a clear claim about a character, event, or theme. They cite a relevant phrase or sentence and explain how it supports an explicit idea or inference.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may retell the plot instead of making a claim. They may choose an unrelated quote, treat a guess as an inference, or omit how evidence supports their thinking.
How to Assess It
- Give students a short passage and ask: “What can you infer about the character’s motivation? Cite one detail and explain how it supports your inference.”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs claim and evidence cards from a short story, then have them match each claim to the strongest supporting detail.
Ask students to write: “What does the character want, and which exact words reveal or suggest it?”
Play Evidence Relay, where teams locate a supporting quote for each inference and explain their choice before earning a point.
Use a product review and ask students to separate stated facts from reasonable inferences, citing words that support each inference.
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Printable RL.6.1 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.1, 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.RI.7.1
Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.1
Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.1
The 6th Grade version of this standard.
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