CurriculumGrade 6English Language Arts

Evaluating an Author's Argument

Aligned to RI.6.8 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.

What this lesson teaches

Separate the author's claims from their evidence, then judge whether the evidence is relevant and sufficient. Watch for opinions presented as facts.

Worked example

An author claims a park should be built and supports it with survey data and cost estimates — relevant evidence. A line like 'everyone agrees' is an unsupported claim.

Practice questions

  1. Identify one claim and the evidence given for it in an article.
  2. Is the evidence enough to convince you? Why?
  3. Find a sentence that's opinion, not fact.

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.

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En español

Evaluar el Argumento de un Autor

Separa las afirmaciones del autor de su evidencia y luego juzga si la evidencia es relevante y suficiente. Presta atención a las opiniones que se presentan como hechos.

Ejemplo: Un autor afirma que se debe construir un parque y lo respalda con datos de encuestas y estimaciones de costo — evidencia relevante. Una frase como 'todo el mundo está de acuerdo' es una afirmación sin sustento.

More Reading: Informational lessons

Evidence in NonfictionRI.6.1Central Idea and SummaryRI.6.2How Ideas Are DevelopedRI.6.3Meaning of Words in NonfictionRI.6.4How Text Structure Builds IdeasRI.6.5The Author's Purpose and ViewRI.6.6

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