Standard: 4.W.9b – Apply grade 4 Reading standards to informational texts (e.g., “Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text”).
Grade level: Grade 4
Subject: English Language Arts
Domain: Writing
Teacher Overview
This standard focuses on teaching students to apply their reading comprehension skills to informational texts by identifying how authors use reasons and evidence to support their points. This is crucial for developing critical thinking and analytical skills in young readers. Students need to be comfortable with identifying main ideas and supporting details in texts, and have a basic understanding of what constitutes evidence and reasons in both fiction and non-fiction contexts.
Mastering this standard will enable students to critically evaluate texts, distinguishing between strong and weak arguments. This skill is foundational for advanced reading and writing tasks in higher grades.
Common Misconception 1
Some students may mistakenly believe that any detail in the text can be considered evidence. This misconception arises from a lack of understanding of what relevant evidence is.
Intervention 1
Use guided practice to help students identify relevant evidence in sample texts, contrasting it with irrelevant details. Provide clear criteria and examples.
Common Misconception 2
Another common misconception is that students may confuse the author’s opinion with factual evidence, thinking they are the same.
Intervention 2
Use examples to show the difference between opinion and evidence. Engage students in activities where they categorize statements as either opinion or evidence.
Prerequisite Knowledge
Students should understand basic reading comprehension skills, such as identifying the main idea and supporting details in a text. They should also be familiar with the concept of evidence and reasons in both fiction and non-fiction texts.
Subsequent Knowledge
After mastering this standard, students will be able to critically evaluate the strength of an author’s arguments and evidence, and apply these skills to more complex texts in higher grades. They will also be prepared to use evidence effectively in their own writing.
Instructional Activities
- Have students read a short article and highlight sentences that provide evidence supporting the author’s main point.
- Conduct a class discussion analyzing an author’s argument in a persuasive text, identifying reasons and evidence.
- Assign a project where students find a news article and present the evidence used by the author to support their claims.
- Use graphic organizers to help students map out the main points and supporting evidence in a text.
- Create a game where students sort statements from a text into categories of ‘evidence’ and ‘opinion’.
