CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.1c
The Standard
Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts
What This Standard Means
Students need to connect parts of an argument so the reader can follow the thinking. They should use transitions and linking language to show cause, contrast, addition, examples, and concession. The focus is not fancy wording. It is making clear how each reason supports the claim, how evidence fits the reason, and how counterclaims are handled.
Mastery looks like an argument that reads in a clear chain: claim, reason, evidence, explanation, counterclaim, response. Students often get stuck by dropping in evidence without explaining it, using the same transition repeatedly, or adding counterclaims that feel separate from the main argument.
Ways to Teach It
- Give students a cut-up argument and have them arrange the claim, reasons, evidence, counterclaim, and linking phrases into a logical order.
- Ask students to revise one paragraph using three transitions that show contrast, cause, and evidence, then explain why each one fits.
- Have students highlight linking words in their draft and label what relationship each one shows, such as example, contrast, or result.
- Use an opinion article from a local news site and mark how the writer connects claims, reasons, evidence, and opposing views.
What This Unlocks
Mastery here sets students up for these next.
Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1c
Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between rea...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1c
Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s)...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.1c
Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
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