Virginia SOL 11.W.2.A.ii
The Standard
Organizing claims, counterclaims, and evidence in a sustained and logical sequence to exhibit unity.
Virginia Standards of Learning for English
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students plan an argument for a named audience and purpose. They arrange claims, counterclaims, responses, and evidence in a logical sequence. They revise and edit so the whole piece stays focused.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can create an outline and draft in which each section builds on the one before it. The counterclaim and response fit naturally, evidence supports the claim, and unrelated material is revised or removed.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may list evidence without explaining how it supports the claim. They may drop a counterclaim into the draft without a clear response. They often treat revision as proofreading instead of changing order, focus, or support.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Name an audience and purpose, then outline a claim, two supporting points, a counterclaim, a response, and a closing in logical order.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs sentence strips containing a claim, three evidence points, a counterclaim, and a rebuttal; students arrange and defend a logical order.
Ask, “How would your argument change for classmates versus the school board?” Students write two openings and compare choices.
Play Outline Relay: teams sequence mixed argument cards, add transitions, and remove one detail that weakens unity.
Students plan a letter to the principal proposing a school change, including evidence, a likely objection, and a clear response.
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Related Standards
- 9.W.2.A.ii
Establishing, supporting, and maintaining a central idea with evidence throughout a piece of writing, organizing ideas in a logical sequence to exhibit unity.
- 9.W.2.A.iii
Using transitions, precise vocabulary, and sentence variety to create a cohesive structure that shows the relationship between arguments, evidence, and ideas.
- 12.W.2.A.ii
Organizing claims, counterclaims, and evidence in a sustained and logical sequence to exhibit unity.
- 11.W.1.B.iv
Organize claims, counterclaims, and evidence in a sustained and logical sequence that explains how the credible evidence supports well-defined points of view.
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