CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.9b
The Standard
Apply grade 5 Reading standards to informational texts (e.g., "Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point[s]").
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students read an informational text and identify the author’s specific points. They connect each point to the reasons and evidence that support it, then explain those links in writing.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students identify a specific point and match it with relevant reasons and details from the text. They explain the connection using accurate quotations or paraphrases.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may list facts without explaining what each fact supports. They often confuse the general topic with the author’s specific point. Some match evidence by location rather than meaning.
How to Assess It
- Give students one short informational paragraph. Ask, “What point does the author make, and which reason and detail best support it?”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs color-coded cards with points, reasons, and evidence to sort into matching sets, then have them explain each match.
Ask students to write: “Which detail most strongly supports the author’s point, and why is it stronger than another detail?”
Play Evidence Match by displaying a point and having teams choose the best supporting detail from three options and defend their choice.
Compare two product advertisements and identify each seller’s point, supporting reasons, and factual evidence before deciding which advertisement is more convincing.
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Printable W.5.9b Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.9b, 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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Where This Standard Sits
Before This Standard
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What This Unlocks
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Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.9a
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- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.9b
Apply grade 7 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g. "Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is ...
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