Citing Strong Textual Evidence
Aligned to RL.9-10.1 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
Support analysis by citing the strongest, most relevant evidence — both stated facts and reasonable inferences — and explain the link.
Worked examples
Example 1
Claim: the narrator feels trapped. Evidence: he describes the town as 'four walls I cannot climb' — a metaphor showing confinement.
Example 2
Claim: the coach does not trust the new player. Evidence: he is described as watching her warm up with his arms folded, and he substitutes her out in the fourth minute. Neither detail says distrust outright, so the inference rests on both together — the posture and the timing — which is what makes the evidence strong rather than merely present.
Example 3
Common mistake: dropping a quotation and walking away. Writing The narrator says 'four walls I cannot climb.' and moving to the next sentence leaves the reader to do the analysis. Every quotation needs three parts: a lead-in that frames it, the quoted words themselves, and an explanation of what they prove. The explanation is the part that earns credit, and it is the part most often missing.
Practice questions
- Cite explicit and inferred evidence for one claim.
- Why choose the strongest evidence rather than the first you find?
- Explain how a quote supports your interpretation.
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 textual sólida
Apoya tu análisis citando la evidencia más sólida y relevante —tanto hechos explícitos como inferencias razonables— y explica la conexión entre ambos.
Ejemplo 1: Postura: el narrador se siente atrapado. Evidencia: describe el pueblo como 'cuatro paredes que no puedo escalar' — una metáfora que expresa encierro.
Ejemplo 2: Afirmación: el entrenador no confía en la jugadora nueva. Evidencia: se lo describe observando su calentamiento con los brazos cruzados, y la sustituye al minuto cuatro. Ningún detalle dice desconfianza de forma directa, así que la inferencia se apoya en ambos juntos — la postura y el momento — y eso es lo que hace fuerte la evidencia en vez de solo presente.
Ejemplo 3: Error común: soltar una cita y seguir de largo. Escribir El narrador dice 'cuatro paredes que no puedo escalar'. y pasar a la siguiente oración deja el análisis en manos del lector. Toda cita necesita tres partes: una entrada que la enmarque, las palabras citadas y una explicación de qué demuestran. La explicación es la parte que da puntos, y es la que más se olvida.
More Reading: Literature lessons
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