CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.1e
The Standard
Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from or supports the argument presented.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students write an ending that grows directly from their claim, evidence, and reasoning. They synthesize the argument's main point without copying the thesis or adding new evidence.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A strong writer closes the line of reasoning, reinforces why the claim matters, and leaves the reader with a clear final understanding. The conclusion fits the argument and avoids unrelated claims.
Common Misconceptions
- Students often repeat the introduction word for word or list body points without showing how they connect. They may introduce a new claim, new evidence, or an exaggerated call to action that the argument did not support.
How to Assess It
- Give students a short argument with the conclusion removed. Ask them to write a three-sentence ending that connects the claim, key reasoning, and significance without adding new evidence.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Print a short argument in sections, then have pairs arrange the claim, reasons, and conclusion and mark the links with colored arrows.
Ask students to compare two endings and write which one follows the argument more closely, citing one specific connection.
Play Conclusion Repair: teams revise weak endings that repeat, wander, or add new evidence, then earn points for each successful fix.
Read the final paragraph of an editorial, then identify how it reinforces the writer's claim and shapes the reader's takeaway.
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Printable WHST.11-12.1e Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.1e, 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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Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.1e
Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.1e
The 7th Grade version of this standard.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.1e
Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
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