Maryland ELA RI.K.8

ELAKindergartenReading Informational Text

The Standard

With modeling, prompting and support, identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.

Maryland College and Career Ready Standards for English Language Arts (2025)

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: After a teacher reads a short nonfiction page, children tell what the writer wants them to know. With a prompt, they find the writer's reason. They use the writer's words, not just their own ideas.
What Mastery Looks Like: After hearing 'Wear a coat on cold days. A coat helps keep you warm,' a student says the writer recommends a coat because it keeps you warm. When asked how they know, they point to the second sentence.
Common Misconceptions: Children may give their own reason, such as 'I like my red coat,' instead of the writer's reason. They may repeat 'Wear a coat' when asked why, or say 'coats have pockets' when the page says coats keep you warm.
How to Assess It: Read aloud: 'Wear a helmet when you ride a bike. A helmet helps protect your head if you fall.' Ask, 'What does the writer want you to do, and what reason does the writer give?'

Lesson moves

Give pairs 'Wear a coat' and 'A coat keeps you warm' sentence strips; have them place the reason below the advice.
Read 'Plants need sunlight. Sunlight helps plants grow.' Ask, 'What does the writer want us to know, and why?'
Play Point or Reason with cards reading 'Wear boots in rain' and 'Boots keep your feet dry'; students sort them into labeled baskets.
Post a sink sign reading 'Wash with soap. Soap removes germs'; ask children to point out the reason before washing.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to RI.K.8, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

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