Virginia SOL 12.RI.1.C
The Standard
Analyze the argument and specific claims in texts, examining whether the reasoning is valid, the evidence is relevant, and whether there are any false premises or unsupported claims.
Virginia Standards of Learning for English · Key Ideas and Confirming Details
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students identify the writer’s main position and separate reasons from supporting evidence. They test each step of the logic, check whether the evidence fits, and flag assumptions or claims without support.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can map an argument into its conclusion, reasons, evidence, and unstated assumptions. The student can cite exact lines and explain where the logic holds or breaks.
Common Misconceptions
- Students often treat any fact or statistic as strong support, even when it does not address the claim. They may confuse a doubtful premise with a weak conclusion. They also accept confident wording as proof.
How to Assess It
- Use this exit prompt: “Our school should replace printed textbooks because every student owns a reliable laptop. A nearby school cut paper costs by 30 percent after going digital, so digital books will improve our grades.” Identify the conclusion, evaluate each premise, and explain whether the evidence supports the conclusion.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give groups a printed argument cut into claims, reasons, evidence, and assumptions, then have them arrange and label the logical chain.
Ask students to write: Which sentence does the most work in this argument, and what happens if it is false?
Play Evidence Match by giving teams claim cards and evidence cards, then awarding points only when they explain the logical connection.
Compare claims from two product advertisements, then verify one statistic and identify what information each advertisement leaves out.
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Related Standards
- 6.RI.1.C
Trace the argument and specific claims in texts, distinguishing claims that are supported by evidence and reasons, from claims that are not.
- 7.RI.1.C
Trace the argument and specific claims in texts and assess whether all the evidence presented is relevant and whether irrelevant evidence was introduced.
- 10.RI.1.C
Evaluate the argument and specific claims in texts, examining whether the reasoning is valid, the evidence is relevant, and whether there are any false or unsup...
- 8.RI.1.C
Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning and evidence are relevant and sufficient to support the claims.
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