Virginia SOL 11.W.1.B.iv
The Standard
Organize claims, counterclaims, and evidence in a sustained and logical sequence that explains how the credible evidence supports well-defined points of view.
Virginia Standards of Learning for English
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students organize a claim, counterclaim, credible evidence, and explanation into a clear line of reasoning. They show how each source supports a specific viewpoint rather than merely inserting facts or quotations.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student builds a clear line of reasoning that develops the claim while fairly addressing a counterclaim. Each piece of credible evidence is placed purposefully and followed by an explanation of what it proves.
Common Misconceptions
- Students often drop quotations into paragraphs without explaining how they support the claim. They may place a weak counterclaim at the end, confuse relevant evidence with credible evidence, or organize by source rather than reasoning.
How to Assess It
- Give students a claim, counterclaim, and three evidence excerpts. Ask them to order the material and write two sentences explaining how the strongest evidence supports the claim.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give groups printed claim, counterclaim, evidence, and commentary cards to arrange into a logical argument, then require them to defend their sequence.
Ask students to write which counterclaim would most challenge a school phone policy argument and explain where it should appear.
Run an evidence-ranking game where teams score source excerpts for credibility, relevance, and strength before placing them into an argument outline.
Use a local editorial and ask students to map its claim, counterclaim, evidence, and reasoning before proposing a clearer order.
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Related Standards
- 12.W.2.A.ii
Organizing claims, counterclaims, and evidence in a sustained and logical sequence to exhibit unity.
- 7.W.1.C
Write persuasively supporting a well-defined point of view with appropriate claims, relevant evidence, and clear reasoning that are logically grouped.
- 11.W.2.A.ii
Organizing claims, counterclaims, and evidence in a sustained and logical sequence to exhibit unity.
- 10.W.1.B.ii
Support well-defined points of view effectively with relevant evidence and clear reasoning in ways that logically advance the claim(s).
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