4.9.E.ii
The Standard
explaining how the author has used facts for an argument
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 an author’s claim and locate verifiable details used as evidence. They explain how each detail supports a reason or makes the claim more convincing.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can mark the claim, reasons, and facts in a short argument. The student can explain the connection using the frame, “The fact about ___ supports the claim because ___.”
Common Misconceptions
- Students may label any number or strongly worded statement as a fact. They may find evidence but repeat it without explaining its connection to the claim. They may also confuse opinions and examples with verifiable information.
How to Assess It
- Display: “Our school should plant more trees because shaded playgrounds can be 10 degrees cooler.” Ask students to identify the fact and explain how it supports the claim.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give groups claim, reason, and fact cards to sort, then have them connect each fact to the claim with string.
Read a short argument and ask, “Which fact is most convincing, and how does it strengthen the author’s claim?”
Play Evidence Match, where pairs match fact cards to claims and earn a point for each accurate explanation.
Examine a school lunch advertisement and discuss which facts could persuade families to choose the featured meal.
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