CurriculumGrade 9English Language Arts

Evidence and Inference in Nonfiction

Aligned to RI.9-10.1 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.

What this lesson teaches

Support a claim about an informational text with the strongest explicit statements and well-reasoned inferences; explain how each piece proves your point.

Worked example

An article states a city cut bus fares, then notes ridership rose 40%; the explicit numbers plus the inference that cost had blocked riders together support the claim that price shaped access.

Practice questions

  1. Cite one explicit fact and one inference that support the same claim.
  2. Explain why one piece of evidence is stronger than another.
  3. Identify a claim that lacks sufficient evidence in a text.

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

Evidencia e inferencia en la no ficción

Apoya una afirmación sobre un texto informativo con las declaraciones explícitas más fuertes y con inferencias bien razonadas; explica cómo cada una prueba tu punto.

Ejemplo: Un artículo dice que una ciudad bajó la tarifa del autobús y luego señala que los pasajeros aumentaron 40%; los números explícitos y la inferencia de que el costo frenaba a la gente sostienen juntos la afirmación de que el precio moldeaba el acceso.

More Reading: Informational lessons

Central Ideas & Analyzing ArgumentsRI.9-10.2How Ideas Unfold in NonfictionRI.9-10.3Technical and Connotative Word ChoiceRI.9-10.4How Claims Are RefinedRI.9-10.5Purpose and RhetoricRI.9-10.6Comparing Accounts Across MediaRI.9-10.7

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