3.9.D.i
The Standard
the central idea with supporting evidence
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for English Language Arts and Reading · The student recognizes and analyzes genre-specific characteristics, structures, and purposes within and across increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse texts.
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students identify what an informational text is mainly teaching or explaining. They select facts, examples, and details that directly support that central idea.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student states the central idea as a complete thought, not just a topic. The student identifies relevant facts, examples, or explanations from the text that support that idea.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may choose a broad topic, such as “sharks,” instead of stating what the author says about sharks. They may also select interesting details that do not support the central idea.
How to Assess It
- Give students a short informational paragraph. Ask them to write its central idea and underline two sentences that best support it.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give groups sentence strips from one paragraph to sort into central idea, supporting evidence, and unrelated detail.
Read a short article and ask, “What does the author want readers to understand, and which two details prove it?”
Play Evidence Match by having students pair central idea cards with supporting detail cards, then explain each match.
Use a school lunch menu and nutrition note to identify the main message and facts that support it.
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