South Dakota ELA 4.RI.8

ELA4th GradeReading Informational Text

The Standard

Identify and explain the reasons and evidence an author uses to support particular points in a text.

South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students find a point an author makes in an informational text. They name the reasons and evidence the author gives, then explain how each supports that point.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can mark the author's point and tell a reason apart from a supporting fact or example. They can explain the connection in their own words.
Common Misconceptions: Students may mistake a topic, such as bees, for a point, such as bees help gardens grow. They may pick a detail just because it is nearby, even when it does not support the point.
How to Assess It: Write on the board: “Our school should plant flowers. Flowers give bees food. Last spring, students saw 20 bees collecting nectar from the flower beds in one morning.” Ask students to name the point, reason, and evidence, then explain the connection.

Lesson moves

Give pairs a short paragraph about planting shade trees and sticky notes to label its point, reason, and temperature fact.
Read a paragraph about school gardens, then ask, “How does the detail about bees support the author's point?”
Play evidence match with cards from a playground shade article; pairs match each point to a reason and supporting fact.
Post a cafeteria sign claiming reusable trays cut trash, with a count of discarded trays; ask students whether the count supports the claim.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 4.RI.8, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

Keep exploring

Grade, subject, topic, and the complete standard are prefilled. Create one free, no account needed.