CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.9b
The Standard
Apply grades 11—12 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., "Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning [e.g., in U.S. Supreme Court Case majority opinions and dissents] and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public advocacy [e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses]").
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students analyze how authors of major nonfiction texts build arguments. They trace premises, claims, evidence, and conclusions, then evaluate the reasoning in evidence-based writing.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students accurately identify an author’s premises, purpose, claims, evidence, and conclusions. They explain how constitutional principles or legal reasoning shape the argument, then support their evaluation with precise quotations.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may summarize the topic instead of evaluating the argument. They may treat quoted evidence as proof without explaining how the author connects it to a claim or principle.
How to Assess It
- Give students one paragraph from a majority opinion or public address. Ask them to identify one claim, trace its reasoning, and judge whether the evidence supports it.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs a majority opinion and dissent, then use colored sticky notes to label claims, constitutional principles, evidence, and reasoning.
Discuss: Which author’s purpose most shapes the argument, and where does that purpose affect a claim or choice of evidence?
Run a reasoning sort where students match premise, claim, evidence, and conclusion cards from a presidential address, then defend each match.
Compare a school policy proposal with a public advocacy text, then write which uses stronger reasoning and why.
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Printable W.11-12.9b Worksheet
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