Florida B.E.S.T. ELA.2.R.2.4
The Standard
Explain an author’s opinion(s) and supporting evidence.
Florida B.E.S.T. Standards for English Language Arts
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students identify what an author thinks or believes about a topic. They point to facts, reasons, or examples that the author uses to support that view.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students clearly state what the author thinks or believes. They identify relevant facts, reasons, or examples and explain how those details support the author’s view.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may label any fact as the author’s opinion. They may also give their own opinion instead of naming the author’s view, or choose a detail that does not support it.
How to Assess It
- Give students this prompt: “The school should add a garden because students can study plants and grow vegetables.” Ask them to underline the opinion and circle two supporting reasons.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs sentence strips from a short article, and have them sort each strip under “author’s opinion” or “supporting evidence.”
Read a paragraph aloud, then ask, “What does the author want readers to believe, and which detail supports that idea?”
Play Evidence Match: students pair opinion cards with evidence cards, then explain why each match makes sense.
Examine a school lunch poster, identify its opinion, and list the facts or examples used to persuade students.
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Printable ELA.2.R.2.4 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to ELA.2.R.2.4, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
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Related Standards
- ELA.3.R.2.4
Identify an author's claim and explain how an author uses evidence to support the claim.
- ELA.1.C.1.3
Write opinions about a topic or text with at least one supporting reason from a source and a sense of closure.
- ELA.1.R.2.4
Identify an author's opinion(s) about the topic.
- ELA.4.R.2.4
Explain an author's claim and the reasons and evidence used to support the claim.
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