Citing Evidence in Argument and Report
Aligned to RI.11-12.1 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
In nonfiction, strong evidence means quoting or paraphrasing the exact data, concession, or qualifier an author uses — including the hedges that show where the author's own certainty ends. Note where the text admits limits, not only where it asserts.
Worked example
A report states that a program 'likely reduced' repeat offenses 'in the two counties studied'; a careful reader cites both the effect and its two hedges — 'likely' and 'in the two counties studied' — because the author is signaling that the finding is real but not yet proven to travel elsewhere.
Practice questions
- Quote a claim from an informational text along with any qualifier attached to it.
- Explain what the qualifier tells you about how far the author's certainty reaches.
- Distinguish a conclusion the text firmly supports from one it only suggests, citing the exact language for each.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Citar Evidencia en Argumento e Informe
En la no ficción, la evidencia sólida significa citar o parafrasear el dato, la concesión o el matiz exacto que usa un autor — incluidas las salvedades que muestran hasta dónde llega su propia certeza. Nota dónde el texto admite límites, no solo dónde afirma.
Ejemplo: Un informe dice que un programa 'probablemente redujo' la reincidencia 'en los dos condados estudiados'; un lector cuidadoso cita tanto el efecto como sus dos salvedades — 'probablemente' y 'en los dos condados estudiados' — porque el autor señala que el hallazgo es real pero aún no se prueba que valga en otros lugares.
More Reading: Informational lessons
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