Classroom Resource

Tune-up: Evaluating Evidence | Skills on Demand

Subject Area

English Language Arts

Grade(s)

6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Overview

In this short practice, students review how to determine whether the evidence that backs up a claim in a reading is sufficient, relevant, and credible and practice evaluating example passages.

English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 6

ELA21.6.2

Make inferences and draw logical conclusions from the content and structures of informational texts, including comparison and contrast, problem and solution, claims and evidence, cause and effect, description, and sequencing.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.6.2

Vocabulary

  • Inferences
  • Logical conclusions
  • Content
  • Structures
  • Informational text
  • Comparison and contrast
  • Problem and solution
  • Claims and evidence
  • Cause and effect
  • Description
  • Sequencing

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Explicit information in a text, like its content and structure, can be used to draw conclusions and support inferences.
  • Text can be structured in different ways, depending on the type of information that is being communicated.
  • A text that follows a comparison and contrast structure will describe how two or more things are alike or different.
  • Problem and solution text structure describes a problem and how the problem was solved or could be solved.
  • Claim and evidence structure proposes a particular claim, then provides evidence to support the claim.
  • Cause and effect text structure describes an event (the cause) and the consequence or result of the event (the effect).
  • A description text structure describes a topic by listing characteristics, features, attributes, and examples.
  • Sequencing text structure presents ideas or events in the order in which they happen.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify the structure of informational texts, including comparison and contrast, problem and solution, claims and evidence, cause and effect, description, and sequencing.
  • Make inferences and draw conclusions from the content and structure of informational texts.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Informational text provides explicit information in its content and structure that can be used to draw conclusions and support inferences.
  • Informational text generally follows a particular structure, and identifying this structure can help them better comprehend and analyze the text.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 6

ELA21.6.10

Determine subject, occasion, audience, purpose, tone, and credibility of digital sources.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.6.10

Vocabulary

  • Subject
  • Occasion
  • Audience
  • Purpose
  • Tone
  • Credibility
  • Digital sources

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Digital sources, such as online academic journals, social media, blogs, and podcasts, have various subjects, appropriate occasions, intended audiences, purposes, and tones.
  • A credible source is free from bias and supported with relevant evidence.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Determine subject, occasion, audience, purpose, tone, and credibility of digital sources.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • It is important to evaluate the credibility of digital sources.
  • Digital sources will focus on different subjects, be used on different occasions, are created with different intended audiences, have different purposes, and a variety of tones.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 7

ELA21.7.2

Evaluate how effectively an author uses structures of informational texts, including comparison and contrast, problem and solution, cause and effect, and substantiated or unsubstantiated claims and evidence, to achieve a purpose.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.7.2

Vocabulary

  • Informational text structures
  • Comparison and contrast
  • Problem and solution
  • Cause and effect
  • Substantiated claim
  • Unsubstantiated claim
  • Evidence
  • Author's purpose

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Authors use particular informational text structures to achieve an intended purpose.
  • A text that follows a comparison and contrast structure will describe how two or more things are alike or different.
  • Problem and solution text structure describes a problem and how the problem was solved or could be solved.
  • Cause and effect text structure describes an event (the cause) and the consequence or result of the event (the effect).
  • Claim and evidence structure proposes a particular claim, then provides evidence to support the claim.
  • Substantiated claims will have relevant, credible supporting evidence, while unsubstantiated claims will not.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify the structure of informational text.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of the text structure in achieving the author's intended purpose.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Authors choose to format their informational text in a particular structure to achieve a specific purpose.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 7

ELA21.7.10

Assess subject, occasion, audience, purpose, tone, and credibility of various digital sources.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.7.10

Vocabulary

  • Subject
  • Occasion
  • Audience
  • Purpose
  • Tone
  • Credibility
  • Digital sources

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Digital sources, such as online academic journals, social media, and blogs, have various subjects, appropriate occasions, intended audiences, purposes, and tones.
  • A credible source is free from bias and supported with relevant evidence.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Assess the subject, occasion, audience, purpose, tone, and credibility of digital sources.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • It is important to evaluate the credibility of digital sources.
  • Digital sources will focus on different subjects, be used on different occasions, are created with different intended audiences, have different purposes, and a variety of tones.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 8

ELA21.8.2

Make complex inferences from the structure and content of a text, including comparison and contrast, problem and solution, cause and effect, and substantiated and unsubstantiated claims and evidence, to draw logical conclusions about the author’s perspective.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.8.2

Vocabulary

  • Complex inferences
  • Text structure
  • Text content
  • Comparison and contrast
  • Problem and solution
  • Cause and effect
  • Substantiated claim
  • Unsubstantiated claim
  • Evidence
  • Logical conclusions
  • Author's perspective

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Authors use particular text structures to indicate their perspective.
  • A text that follows a comparison and contrast structure will describe how two or more things are alike or different.
  • Problem and solution text structure describes a problem and how the problem was solved or could be solved.
  • Cause and effect text structure describes an event (the cause) and the consequence or result of the event (the effect).
  • Claim and evidence structure proposes a particular claim, then provides evidence to support the claim.
  • Substantiated claims will have relevant, credible supporting evidence, while unsubstantiated claims will not.
  • Inferences and conclusions can be drawn by analyzing and synthesizing information in text.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify the structure and content of text.
  • Utilize text structure and content to make complex inferences and draw logical conclusions about an author's perspective.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Authors choose to use specific content and format their text in a particular structure to demonstrate their perspective on a topic.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 8

ELA21.8.11

Analyze digital texts to determine subject, occasion, audience, purpose, tone, and credibility.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.8.11

Vocabulary

  • Digital text
  • Credibility
  • Subject
  • Occasion
  • Audience
  • Purpose
  • Tone

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Digital texts, such as online academic journals, social media, and blogs, have various subjects, appropriate occasions, intended audiences, purposes, and tones.
  • A credible source is free from bias and supported with relevant evidence.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify and analyze the subject, occasion, audience, purpose, tone, and credibility of digital texts.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • It is important to evaluate the credibility of digital text.
  • Digital texts will focus on different subjects, be used on different occasions, are created with different intended audiences, have different purposes, and a variety of tones.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 9

ELA21.9.12

Interpret digital texts to determine their subject, occasion, audience, purpose, tone, and credibility.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.9.12

Vocabulary

  • Digital text
  • Credibility
  • Subject
  • Occasion
  • Audience
  • Purpose
  • Tone

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Digital texts, such as online academic journals, social media, and blogs, have various subjects, appropriate occasions, intended audiences, purposes, and tones.
  • A credible source is free from bias and supported with relevant evidence.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify and interpret the subject, occasion, audience, purpose, tone, and credibility of digital texts.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • It is important to evaluate the credibility of digital text.
  • Digital texts will focus on different subjects, be used on different occasions, are created with different intended audiences, have different purposes, and a variety of tones.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 10

ELA21.10.12

Interpret digital texts to determine subject, occasion, audience, purpose, tone, and credibility.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.10.12

Vocabulary

  • Digital text
  • Credibility
  • Subject
  • Occasion
  • Audience
  • Purpose
  • Tone

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Digital texts, such as online academic journals, social media, and blogs, have various subjects, appropriate occasions, intended audiences, purposes, and tones.
  • A credible source is free from bias and supported with relevant evidence.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify and interpret the subject, occasion, audience, purpose, tone, and credibility of digital texts.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • It is important to evaluate the credibility of digital text.
  • Digital texts will focus on different subjects, be used on different occasions, are created with different intended audiences, have different purposes, and a variety of tones.
Link to Resource
https://aptv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/evaluating-evidence-interactive-less…

CR Resource Type

Learning Activity

Resource Provider

PBS
Accessibility
License

License Type

Custom

Custom License Type (URL)

https://aptv.pbslearningmedia.org/help/terms-of-use/#restrictions

Comments or Notes

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