Kentucky Reading and Writing RL.8.1

ELA8th GradeReading Literature

The Standard

Cite relevant textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

Kentucky Academic Standards for Reading and Writing (2025) · Key Ideas and Details

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students find story details that answer a question directly. They also infer what a character thinks or feels and use relevant lines to explain why.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student picks a line that supports a claim, not just one that mentions the character. They can explain how the line supports a direct answer or an inference.
Common Misconceptions: Students may pick a quote that mentions the character but does not support their claim. They may present an inference as something the story states outright, or make a guess without a text clue.
How to Assess It: After students read the opening of “The Tell-Tale Heart,” ask: Why does the narrator say he watches the old man, and what does his account suggest about his state of mind? Have students cite a line for each answer and explain their inference.

Lesson moves

Give pairs a printed scene and two claim cards; have them highlight the line that best supports each claim.
Ask students what the narrator says about the old man's eye and what his word choice suggests, citing a line for each.
Post three quotations for a claim about the narrator's fear; teams pick the strongest and explain why the others are weaker.
Have students read a fictional text-message exchange about a missed bus and cite messages that show what a character says and implies.

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