CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.1a

ELA6th GradeText Types and Purposes

The Standard

Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons and evidence clearly.

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts

What This Standard Means

Students need to state a clear opinion that can be argued, not just a topic or fact. They also need to set up their writing so the reader can follow the main claim, the reasons, and the evidence without getting lost.

Mastery looks like an introduction with a debatable claim, followed by reasons in a logical order. Evidence should match each reason. Students often get stuck writing claims that are too broad, listing reasons randomly, or adding evidence that does not prove the point.

Ways to Teach It

Give students sentence strips with one claim, three reasons, and evidence, then have them arrange and label a strong argument plan.
Ask students to write: Which school rule should change, and what are your two strongest reasons?
Have students highlight the claim in one color, reasons in another, and evidence in a third on a short draft.
Show a product review and have students identify the reviewer’s claim, reasons, and evidence before writing their own review.