Middle School English Language Arts Instructional Guide

Learning Intentions: ●​ Students will evaluate arguments and specific claims in a text. ●​ Students will assess the validity of key statements by examining the relevance and sufficiency of supporting evidence. Success Criteria: ●​ I can identify the main argument and specific claims in a text. ●​ I can evaluate the validity of key statements by examining the supporting evidence. ●​ I can assess whether the supporting evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims.

Evaluate an argument and specific claims in a text, assessing the validity of key statements by examining whether the supporting evidence is relevant and su ffi cient. (RI)

Nouns (Know)

Verbs (Do)

●​ Argument ●​ Claim ●​ Validity ●​ Supporting Evidence ●​ Relevance

●​ Evaluate ●​ Assess ●​ Examine

Sample Question Stems and Prompts for Assessment

●​ What is the main argument presented in the text? ●​ What specific claims does the author make to support their argument? ●​ What criteria can we use to assess the sufficiency of the evidence provided? ●​ Are there any key statements in the text that lack sufficient supporting evidence? ●​ Can you find examples of strong and weak evidence in the text? ●​ How might the argument be strengthened with additional or more relevant evidence?

Sample Formative Assessments

Graphic Organizer: Argument and Evidence Mapping ●​ Activity: Students will use a graphic organizer to map out the main argument, specific claims, and supporting evidence from a text. They will then evaluate the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence. ●​ Objective: To assess students' ability to identify and evaluate arguments and evidence. Evidence Quality Ranking ●​ Activity: Students will rank pieces of evidence supporting specific claims in order of quality, from most to least relevant and sufficient, and justify their rankings. ●​ Objective: To assess students' ability to critically evaluate and compare the quality of evidence.

Standard: Reading 14

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria

Last Updated June 2nd, 2026 Secondary ELA, Page 152