CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.9
The Standard
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Writing Standards
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students select relevant evidence from literary or informational texts to support an interpretation, reflection, or research claim. They explain how each quotation or paraphrase supports their thinking and cite the source accurately.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students make a defensible claim and select the strongest relevant evidence from the text. They integrate quotations or paraphrases smoothly, cite them accurately, and explain the link between evidence and claim.
Common Misconceptions
- Students often insert a quotation without explaining how it supports the claim. They may choose evidence that only summarizes the text, ignore conflicting details, or assume paraphrases do not need citations.
How to Assess It
- Use today's reading for an exit ticket: “State one claim, include one quotation or paraphrase, and explain in two sentences how it supports your claim.”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Print six evidence cards from a class text, then have groups sort them into strong, weak, and irrelevant support for one claim.
Ask students to write: Which detail best supports the author's message, and what reasoning connects that detail to your claim?
Run an evidence auction where teams spend ten points on quotations, then justify why their purchases provide the strongest support.
Compare two news reports on one event, then use cited details to explain how each source shapes readers' understanding.
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Printable W.11-12.9 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.9, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
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