Kentucky Reading and Writing RL.9-10.1

ELAGrades 9–10Reading Literature

The Standard

Cite relevant and thorough 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 details that state facts directly and details that suggest something the author leaves unstated. They choose enough evidence to support their reading and explain how it fits.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can identify what a character does, infer a reason, and point to specific lines for both. They explain how each line supports the claim instead of just adding a quote.
Common Misconceptions: Students may choose a quote because it mentions the character, even when it does not support their claim. They may present a guess about a motive as a stated fact or ignore details that challenge their reading.
How to Assess It: Give students Della's hair-selling scene from "The Gift of the Magi." Ask: "What does Della sell, and what does her choice suggest about Jim? Use two details and explain each."

Lesson moves

Cut lines from Della's hair-selling scene into cards; have pairs sort stated facts from clues to her motive and explain their choices.
Ask: "What does Della's choice reveal about her priorities?" Have students write a claim and explain two details from the story.
Give pairs four quotes and a claim about Della; have them rank the quotes by how well each supports the claim.
Show a printed text message exchange; ask students what a sender states and what their words suggest, citing exact phrases.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to RL.9-10.1, 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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