Reading: Informational Text Progression Map

Common Core ELAGrades K to 12110 core standards · 100 connections

The same reading anchor skills applied to nonfiction, from identifying a topic in kindergarten to evaluating arguments and evidence in high school.

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Cite evidence

Read across grades to see how this skill develops.

Kindergarten

1 standard

Grade 1

1 standard

Grade 2

1 standard

Grade 3

1 standard

Grade 4

1 standard

Grade 5

1 standard

Grade 6

1 standard

Grade 7

1 standard

Grade 8

1 standard

Grades 9–10

1 standard

Grades 11–12

1 standard

How to Read This Map

Start in the focused explorer, where standards are grouped into human-readable skill threads and placed in grade order. Select a standard to see what it builds on and what it unlocks. The full network preserves every verified connection: solid lines are essential prerequisites and dashed lines are supporting connections. Cross-topic foundations appear in a selected standard's details. Every standard links to a full breakdown with teaching ideas. How these connections are verified.

All standards on this map, as a list

Cite evidence

  • RI.1.1Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
  • RI.2.1Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
  • RI.3.1Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
  • RI.4.1Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
  • RI.5.1Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
  • RI.6.1Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
  • RI.7.1Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
  • RI.8.1Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
  • RI.9-10.1Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
  • RI.11-12.1Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
  • RI.K.1With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

Central ideas and themes

  • RI.1.2Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
  • RI.2.2Identify the main topic of a multiparagraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text.
  • RI.3.2Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.
  • RI.4.2Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.
  • RI.5.2Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.
  • RI.6.2Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
  • RI.7.2Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.
  • RI.8.2Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
  • RI.9-10.2Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the...
  • RI.11-12.2Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an...
  • RI.K.2With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.

People, events, and ideas

  • RI.1.3Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.
  • RI.2.3Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text.
  • RI.3.3Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and...
  • RI.4.3Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
  • RI.5.3Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.
  • RI.6.3Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).
  • RI.7.3Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).
  • RI.8.3Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).
  • RI.9-10.3Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn...
  • RI.11-12.3Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text.
  • RI.K.3With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.

Word meaning and tone

  • RI.1.4Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a text.
  • RI.2.4Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.
  • RI.3.4Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.
  • RI.4.4Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.
  • RI.5.4Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.
  • RI.6.4Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.
  • RI.7.4Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.
  • RI.8.4Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone,...
  • RI.9-10.4Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and...
  • RI.11-12.4Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term or...
  • RI.K.4With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.

Text structure

  • RI.1.5Know and use various text features (e.g., headings, tables of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text.
  • RI.2.5Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently.
  • RI.3.5Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently.
  • RI.4.5Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.
  • RI.5.5Compare and contrast the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more texts.
  • RI.6.5Analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph, chapter, or section fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the ideas.
  • RI.7.5Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to the development of the ideas.
  • RI.8.5Analyze in detail the structure of a specific paragraph in a text, including the role of particular sentences in developing and refining a key concept.
  • RI.9-10.5Analyze in detail how an author's ideas or claims are developed and refined by particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text (e.g., a section or chapter).
  • RI.11-12.5Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes points clear, convincing, and engaging.
  • RI.K.5Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book.

Point of view and purpose

  • RI.1.6Distinguish between information provided by pictures or other illustrations and information provided by the words in a text.
  • RI.2.6Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe.
  • RI.3.6Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text.
  • RI.4.6Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic; describe the differences in focus and the information provided.
  • RI.5.6Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.
  • RI.6.6Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.
  • RI.7.6Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author distinguishes his or her position from that of others.
  • RI.8.6Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.
  • RI.9-10.6Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.
  • RI.11-12.6Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness, or beauty of the...
  • RI.K.6Name the author and illustrator of a text and define the role of each in presenting the ideas or information in a text.

Media and formats

  • RI.1.7Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas.
  • RI.2.7Explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine works) contribute to and clarify a text.
  • RI.3.7Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).
  • RI.4.7Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information...
  • RI.5.7Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.
  • RI.6.7Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.
  • RI.7.7Compare and contrast a text to an audio, video, or multimedia version of the text, analyzing each medium's portrayal of the subject (e.g., how the delivery of a speech affects the impact of the...
  • RI.8.7Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.
  • RI.9-10.7Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person's life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.
  • RI.11-12.7Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.
  • RI.K.7With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts).

Arguments and evidence

  • RI.1.8Identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
  • RI.2.8Describe how reasons support specific points the author makes in a text.
  • RI.3.8Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence).
  • RI.4.8Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text.
  • RI.5.8Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s).
  • RI.6.8Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.
  • RI.7.8Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims.
  • RI.8.8Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is...
  • RI.9-10.8Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious...
  • RI.11-12.8Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning (e.g., in U.S. Supreme Court majority opinions and...
  • RI.K.8With prompting and support, identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.

Comparing texts

  • RI.1.9Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).
  • RI.2.9Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic.
  • RI.3.9Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic.
  • RI.4.9Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
  • RI.5.9Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
  • RI.6.9Compare and contrast one author's presentation of events with that of another (e.g., a memoir written by and a biography on the same person).
  • RI.7.9Analyze how two or more authors writing about the same topic shape their presentations of key information by emphasizing different evidence or advancing different interpretations of facts.
  • RI.8.9Analyze a case in which two or more texts provide conflicting information on the same topic and identify where the texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretation.
  • RI.9-10.9Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (e.g., Washington's Farewell Address, the Gettysburg Address, Roosevelt's Four Freedoms speech, King's "Letter from Birmingham...
  • RI.11-12.9Analyze seventeenth-, eighteenth-, and nineteenth-century foundational U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (including The Declaration of Independence, the Preamble to the...
  • RI.K.9With prompting and support, identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).

Text complexity

  • RI.1.10With prompting and support, read informational texts appropriately complex for grade 1.
  • RI.2.10By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 2—3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as...
  • RI.3.10By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 2—3 text complexity band independently...
  • RI.4.10By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 4—5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as...
  • RI.5.10By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 4—5 text complexity band independently...
  • RI.6.10By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 6—8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
  • RI.7.10By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
  • RI.8.10By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 6—8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
  • RI.9-10.10By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 9—10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. By the end of grade 10,...
  • RI.11-12.10By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 11—CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. By the end of grade...
  • RI.K.10Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.

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