Virginia SOL 12.W.2.A.iii
The Standard
Selecting appropriate evidence from multiple texts to clarify ideas, illustrate a counterargument, and/or strengthen a thesis in writing.
Virginia Standards of Learning for English
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students choose useful evidence from more than one text and match it to a clear claim. They explain how each detail supports, clarifies, or challenges the thesis. They reconsider evidence while drafting and revising for a particular reader and goal.
What Mastery Looks Like
- The student selects relevant evidence from several credible texts. Each quotation or paraphrase has a clear purpose and explanation. The student can revise weak evidence choices to better fit the thesis, audience, and counterargument.
Common Misconceptions
- Students often choose evidence that matches the topic but does not support the thesis. They may drop quotations into a paragraph without explaining the connection. Some avoid opposing evidence or mistake any disagreement for a strong counterargument.
How to Assess It
- Provide a thesis and three brief excerpts from different texts. Students choose two excerpts, label each source, and explain how each supports or complicates the thesis.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give groups three printed source excerpts to sort under thesis, clarification, and counterargument headings, then have them explain each placement.
Write one paragraph answering: Which excerpt best supports the claim, and why is it stronger than the other choices?
Run an Evidence Draft: teams draw a claim card, choose the strongest support from four source cards, and defend their choice.
Have students compare two editorials on a local issue, then draft a school board comment using evidence from both.
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