CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.1
The Standard
Cite strong and thorough 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 reasonable inferences from its details. They select strong evidence and explain how it supports their analysis.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students make a clear claim about a passage and support it with precise details or quotations. They explain how each piece of evidence supports both direct meaning and reasonable inference.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may choose a quote that mentions the topic but does not prove the claim. They may state an inference as fact, copy long passages, or leave evidence unexplained.
How to Assess It
- Give students a one-page excerpt and ask: “What does the character fear, and which two details best support your inference?” Require a brief explanation after each detail.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs printed claim and evidence cards, then have them sort matches and reject weak or unrelated evidence.
Ask students to write: “What does the narrator hide from others, and which details reveal it?”
Play Evidence Showdown, where teams rank three quotations from strongest to weakest support and defend their order.
Have students examine customer reviews, infer a buyer’s priorities, and cite two phrases that support the inference.
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Printable RL.9-10.1 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.1, 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
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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.11-12.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining ...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.1
The Grades 9–10 version of this standard.
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