CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.1a
The Standard
Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students complete the assigned reading and mark details they may use in discussion. They refer to notes or page numbers to support comments, question claims, and reconsider ideas.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student arrives with useful notes, annotations, or questions. During discussion, the student points to exact details, asks relevant questions, and explains how the evidence supports or changes an idea.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may bring notes but never use them, offer opinions without support, or say “the text says” without naming a detail. Some confuse probing questions with arguing or simply repeat what another speaker said.
How to Assess It
- After a short shared text, run a three-minute trio discussion. Each student must use one marked detail and ask one follow-up question connected to a classmate’s idea.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give groups printed evidence cards from a shared article; students sort them by claim, then use one card during a roundtable.
Ask, “Which idea from the reading changed or complicated your view, and what exact detail caused that change?”
Play Evidence Relay: one student states a claim, the next adds a page-based detail, and the third asks a probing question.
Use a school lunch proposal; students review a menu and survey data, then discuss one change using specific evidence.
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Printable SL.6.1a Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.1a, 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
Before This Standard
If students are struggling here, check these first.
What This Unlocks
Mastery here sets students up for these next.
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Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.1a
Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, o...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.4.1a
Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explo...
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