CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.8

ELA7th GradeIntegration of Knowledge and Ideas

The Standard

Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects 6—12

What This Standard Means

Students need to sort statements in science and technical texts into three buckets: facts, judgments backed by research, and guesses or predictions. They should point to words, data, citations, or source notes that show why a claim belongs in each bucket.

Mastery looks like a student saying, “This is a fact because the measurement is given,” or “This is speculation because the author uses may and gives no evidence.” Students often confuse confident wording with proof. They also miss hedging words like likely, suggests, or could.

Ways to Teach It

  • Give students a short article on renewable energy and have them color-code facts, research-based judgments, and speculation with three highlighters.
  • Ask students to write: Which sentence in this article sounds most convincing, and what evidence actually supports it?
  • Use an exit ticket with five statements from a lab report and ask students to label each as fact, judgment, or speculation.
  • Have students compare a weather forecast, a climate data chart, and a headline to see how evidence changes the strength of claims.

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Related Standards

Standard text verified against corestandards.org on July 10, 2026.

Page updated July 10, 2026.

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