Middle School English Language Arts Instructional Guide

Standard: Reading 13

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria

Learning Intentions:

Evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not. (RI)

● Students will learn to evaluate arguments and specifc claims in a text. ● Students will understand how to distinguish claims supported by reasons and evidence from those that are not. Success Criteria: ● I can evaluate the argument and specifc claims in a text. ● I can distinguish between claims that are supported by reasons and evidence and those that are not.

Nouns (Know)

Verbs (Do)

● Argument ● Specifc claims ● Text

● Evaluate ● Distinguish

● Reasons ● Evidence

Sample Question Stems and Prompts for Assessment

● "What is the main argument of this text? Is it supported by suffcient evidence?" ● "Which claims in the text are well-supported, and which are not? How can you tell?"

Sample Formative Assessments

Argument Evaluation:

● Activity: Students read an argumentative text and complete a graphic organizer where they identify the main argument and specifc claims. They must evaluate the evidence provided for each claim and determine if it is suffcient.

● Objective: To assess students' ability to evaluate arguments and distinguish between supported and unsupported claims.

Claim Analysis:

● Activity: Students write a short answer response analyzing the claims in an argumentative text. They must evaluate the strength of the evidence for each claim and explain which claims are well-supported and which are not.

● Objective: To assess students' ability to analyze and evaluate the validity of claims and evidence in an argument.

Last Updated May 30th, 2024 Middle School ELA, Page 105