Virginia SOL 12.RI.3

12.RI.3 is a Standards of Learning standard. These are the knowledge and skills expectations under it.

• 12.RI.3.A

  Evaluate texts with differing points of view on the same or similar events or issues by assessing claims, reasoning, evidence, and connections to other works or...

• 12.RI.3.B

  Analyze how the author organizes an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and develop...

01

What Students Need to Do

Students compare accounts of the same issue and judge the strength of each author’s case. They check claims, reasoning, evidence, and links to other texts or events. They also explain how the order and development of ideas affect meaning.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

Students can decide which account is more convincing and support that judgment with specific details. They can trace how ideas build across a text and explain why the author chose that sequence.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students may treat disagreement as proof that one author is dishonest. They may count examples without checking their relevance or reliability. They often summarize paragraph order but do not explain how that order shapes the argument.

04

How to Assess It

Give students two short excerpts about the same issue. Ask them to identify the stronger claim, cite one supporting detail, and explain how organization affects its impact.

1. 01

   Give pairs two printed editorials to color-code claims, evidence, and reasoning, then arrange paragraph strips to map each author’s sequence.

2. 02

   Ask students to write: Which author is more convincing, and how does one historical connection strengthen or weaken that case?

3. 03

   Run an evidence auction where teams spend ten tokens on the strongest quoted evidence, then defend each purchase.

4. 04

   Compare two local news reports about one policy decision, checking source quality, missing context, and the order used to shape readers’ views.

• 7.RL.3

  The 7th Grade version of this standard.

• 4.RL.3

  The 4th Grade version of this standard.

• 6.RL.3

  The 6th Grade version of this standard.

• 9.RI.3

  The 9th Grade version of this standard.