Answering with Text Evidence
Aligned to RI.3.1 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
Answer questions about a text by pointing to the exact words that prove your answer, not just guessing.
Worked examples
Example 1
Question: Why do some animals migrate? The text says 'they travel to find food in winter' — that sentence is your evidence.
Example 2
Question: Why did the colonists protest the tax? The text says 'they had no vote in Parliament' — quote that line, do not just say 'they were angry.'
Example 3
Evidence has to come from the text, not from what you already knew. If you cannot point to the sentence, it is not evidence yet.
Practice questions
- Find a sentence that answers a 'why' question in a text.
- Why is pointing to the text better than guessing?
- Quote one detail that supports your answer.
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
Responder con evidencia del texto
Responde las preguntas sobre un texto señalando las palabras exactas que prueban tu respuesta, en lugar de adivinar.
Ejemplo 1: Pregunta: ¿Por qué algunos animales migran? El texto dice 'viajan para encontrar comida en invierno' — esa oración es tu evidencia.
Ejemplo 2: Pregunta: ¿Por qué protestaron los colonos contra el impuesto? El texto dice 'no tenían voto en el Parlamento' — cita esa línea, no solo digas 'estaban enojados.'
Ejemplo 3: La evidencia tiene que venir del texto, no de lo que ya sabías. Si no puedes señalar la oración, todavía no es evidencia.
More Reading: Informational lessons
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