The set of lessons below are adapted from Making Evidence-Based Claims Units by Odell Education. For
the full units and a deeper understanding of these lessons, go to Odelleducation.com.
Overview/Summary:
Making evidence-based claims about texts is a core literacy and critical thinking proficiency that lies at
the heart of the CCSS. The skill consists of two parts. The first part is the ability to extract detailed
information from texts and grasp how it is conveyed. Education and personal growth require real
exposure to new information from a variety of media. Instruction should push students beyond general
thematic understanding of texts into deep engagement with textual content and authorial craft.
The second half of the skill is the ability to make valid claims about the new information thus
gleaned. This involves developing the capacity to analyze texts, connecting information in
literal, inferential, and sometimes novel ways. Instruction should lead students to do more than
simply restate the information they take in through close reading. Students should come to see
themselves as creators of meaning as they engage with texts.
These lessons are designed to cultivate in students the ability to make evidence-based claims
about texts. Students perform a sequence of activities centered on a close reading of text
throughout
The activities are organized into five parts, each associated with sequential portions of text. The parts
build on each other and can each span a range of instructional time depending on scheduling and
student ability.
The lessons intentionally separate the development of critical reading skills from their full expression in
writing. A sequence of worksheets isolates and supports the progressive development of the critical
reading skills. Parts 1-2 focus on making evidence-based claims as readers. Part 3 focuses on preparing
to express evidence-based claims by organizing evidence and thinking. Parts 4 and 5 focus on expressing
evidenced based claims in writing.
Learning Targets:
 I can explain the importance and elements of making evidence-based claims through a close
reading of part of a text.
 I can make evidence-based claims through the close reading of a text.
 I can organize evidence to develop and explain claims through close reading of the text.
 I can make evidence-based claims through writing.
 I can make global evidence based claims through writing.
Essential Question:
How does writing an evidence-based claim lead to greater understanding of a text?
What does Steve Jobs speech to Stanford students tell us about his views on how to live a good life?
Summative Task:
After reading Steve Jobs commencement speech to Stanford graduates, write an evidence-based claim
that answers the second essential question. Provide evidence from the text to support your claim.
Part One
Objective: I can explain the importance of making evidence based claims
through close reading of a text.
Estimated Time:
2-3 days
Focus Standards
RI6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences
drawn from the text.
Supporting Standards
RI6.2: Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a
summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
RI6.3: Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a
text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).
SL6.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher led)
with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their
own clearly.
Materials:
Forming EBC Handout
Forming EBC Worksheet
EBC Checklist 1
Making EBC Worksheet
Text: Steve Jobs Graduation Speech
Activity 1-Introduction to unit:
Write down characteristics of claim on the board: States a conclusion you have come to and that you
want others to think about…all parts of the claim are supported by specific evidence that you can point
to.
Write a familiar topic on the board that students might have an opinion on such as “music” or
“homework”.
Model how to turn one of these ideas or subjects into a claim with evidence: “Country music is the most
popular music in Georgia because the Country Music Channel has the highest ratings.” Explain that
without the evidence it is not a quality claim.
As a whole group, ask students to brainstorm various subjects. Write these subjects on the board.
Example: country music, Barak Obama, dating. Then, individually or in small groups, students create
claims. Have students swap claims and evaluate each other’s claims based on the characteristics above.
Formative Assessment Opportunity
Differentiation: Students can be given multiple means of engagement by having some work individually
and some with partners depending on the student.
To clarify the importance of evidence in a claim, write some basic claims that can be supported by
science such as “it is cold outside”. Ask students to identify evidence that would support this statement
to turn it into a claim: “It is cold outside” can be supported with the evidence that the thermometer says
25 degrees.
After looking at various examples, explain another characteristic of evidence-based claims:
“demonstrates knowledge of and sound thinking about a topic”. Claims become stronger as we expand
our knowledge through looking at more specific evidence.
Move to the concept of Text-Based Evidence: Choose a story or article students have read this school
year. Explain that text-based claims can be what the text says explicitly: “Tom Sawyer gets people to
paint the fence for him.” They can also be conclusions based on what you have read, “Tom Sawyer is a
clever boy”.
The more closely we read the more complex our evidence-based claim can be: “Mark Twain presents
Tom Sawyer as a good bad boy who tricks others but also gets into trouble.” To support this we may
need evidence from more than one place in the book.
Ask students to think of a character they have read about earlier in the school year from the textbook or
another text available in the classroom. Have them write down a claim about that character that is
either based on a conclusion or explicitly stated. They should also write down some quotes from the text
to support that claim. This can be done on an index card or blank sheet of paper. Formative Assessment
Opportunity
Differentiation: Allow multiple means of engagement by letting students pick stories they have read and
enjoyed.
Activity Two- Independent Reading:
Place the following text-dependent question on the board: “What important detail do we learn about
the speaker as he begins his commencement speech?”
Have students read the first paragraph all the way through on their own. Then, read the paragraph outloud, except this time read the text-based question first. Then, model finding one detail on the board.
Next, allow students time to re-read the paragraph again and find more details that we learn about the
speaker. These are all now possible claims that might be right and might be wrong. The key is that
students will be reading to either support or change their claim. Thus, they now have a purpose for
reading.
Activity Three- Read Aloud and Class Discussion:
Post the following text-based questions:
1. In line 16 we learn that Steve Jobs’ mother “refused to sign the adoption papers.” Why did she
do this and why did she “relent” a few months later?
2. What were the reasons why Steve Jobs “decided to drop out” of college? Why was doing so
“one of the best decisions I ever made”?
3. What are the “dots” that Steve Jobs connected between his post-college experiences and his
designing of the first Mac computer?
4. What do you think he means when he says “you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can
only connect them looking backwards”?
Read the next eight paragraphs aloud or have them listen to Jobs give the speech. After reading,
either lead an oral discussion through these questions or have them answer them in small
groups or independently. The key is that students are developing the essential skills of selecting
interesting and important textual details and connecting them inferentially. Formative
Assessment Opportunity
Differentiation: Provide multiple means of representation by having students read and/or listen to the
speech. Provide multiple means of expression by allowing students to highlight, underline, or otherwise
note the important and interesting details.
Activity Four- Model Forming Evidence-Based Claims:
Using the Forming Evidence-Based Claims Worksheet, students go back over the text read aloud and
complete the following steps
1. Identify interesting details that are related and that stand out from reading the text
2. Explain why they think these are interesting and how they connect
3. State a conclusion they have come to and can support with evidence from the text after reading
and thinking about it.
Before students go through this process, be sure to model first. Additionally, you may want to provide
an initial detail in the first box to get them started. Then they will have to find details that connect to
that detail. Formative Assessment Opportunity
Homework or Activity 1 for Part 2:
Students will read paragraph 9-14 and use the making EBC Worksheet to find evidence to support the
teacher- provided claim.
Part 2: Making Evidence-Based Claims
Objective: Students will write evidence-based claims through a close reading of the text.
Focus Standards
RI6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences
drawn from the text.
Supporting Standards
RI6.2: Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a
summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
RI6.3: Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a
text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).
SL6.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher led)
with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their
own clearly.
Materials:
Making EBC Worksheet
Forming EBC Handout
Forming EBC Worksheet
EBC Criteria Checklist I
TCD Checklist
Activity 1 or Homework from Part 1- Independent Reading and Finding Supporting Evidence:
Students read paragraph 9-14 independently. They will complete the Making Evidence-Based Claims
Worksheet as they read. This asks them to identify evidence for a claim made by the teacher.
Activity 2- Read Aloud and Class Discussion:
Provide students with the following text-dependent questions and have them answer them orally during
or after reading paragraphs 9-14. It is important that students see that close-reading is rereading.
1. In paragraph 10 we learn that between ages 20 and 30, Steve Jobs experienced great success
and great failure. What does the text tell us were his successes and how did his failure occur?
2. Why does Jobs claim that, “getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have
happened to me?”
3. What does Jobs mean when he says, “Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick”? He then
tells his audience two thing not to do, beginning his sentences with the word “Don’t.” What
does paragraph 14 suggest he is trying to tell the Stanford graduates?
Activity3- Find Supporting Evidence:
Through the discussion the students should have pointed to some claims that can be made about the
text. Monitor the types of claims being made orally and identify one for everyone to use. In pairs,
students continue to find evidence about this claim and place them on their Making EBC Worksheet.
Students should practice placing quotation marks around their evidence. They should also not use too
much text as the evidence. The goal is to be precise regarding strong evidence. To demonstrate the
importance between claim/evidence relationship, teachers may want to provide an erroneous claim
contradicted by the evidence. Formative Assessment Opportunity
Differentiation: Provide various claims for students to choose to support. They can choose the one that
they feel they can best find evidence for.
Activity 4- Class Discussion of EBC:
Introduce students to the Text-Centered Discussion Checklist. Using this checklist, provide feedback on
students’ evidence for the claims. Then, allow other students to provide feedback on the claims using
the checklist. Feedback here is critical. Formative Assessment Opportunity
Activity 5- Forming EBCs in Pairs:
Using the Forming Evidence-Based Claims Worksheet, students go through the process of creating their
own quality claim that can be supported by evidence. This can be done in pairs. Students will then selfevaluate using the EBC Criteria Checklist 1. Formative Assessment Opportunity
For homework, students will read paragraphs 15-20 independently and use the Forming EBC Worksheet
to make a claim and support it with evidence. This can also be the first activity of Part 3.
Part Three: Organizing Evidence-Based Claims
Focus Standard: ELACC6RI1: Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly
as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Supporting Standard:
ELACC6RI2: Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through
particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
ELACC6RI3: Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and
elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).
ELACC6SL1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required
material; explicitly
Materials:
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Organizing EBC Worksheet
Forming EBC Worksheet
EBC Criteria Checklist 1
Jobs Speech
Activity 1 or Homework from Part 2- Independent Reading and Forming EBCs:
Students read paragraphs 15-20 independently and use the Forming EBC Worksheet to make a claim
and support it with evidence. This can also be the last activity in part 2.
Activity 2- Read Aloud:
Read paragraphs 15-20 aloud to the class while students follow along or play the audio of the speech.
Differentiation: Provide students multiple means of representation by allowing student to listen to audio,
listen to teacher read, or watch on video.
Activity 3- Model Organizing EBCs:
The focus of this activity is modeling the process of developing and organizing an evidence-based claim
by doing the following:
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reflecting on how one has arrived at an EBC
breaking the claim down into parts
organizing supporting evidence in a logical sequence
anticipating what an audience needs to know in order to understand the claim
planning a line of reasoning that will substantiate the claim
As the teacher models organizing EBCs, he/she should think aloud the following questions and how to
answer them:
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What do I mean when I state this claim? What am I trying to communicate?
How did I arrive at this claim? Can I “tell the story” of how I moved as a reader from literal
details of the text to a supported claim about the text?
Can I point to the specific words and sentences in the text from which the claim arises?
What do I need to explain so that an audience can understand what I mean and where my claim
comes from?
What evidence (quotations) might I use to illustrate my claim? In what order?
If my claim contains several parts (or premises), how can I break it down, organize the parts, and
organize the evidence that goes with them.
If my claim involves a comparison or a relationship, how might I present, clarify, and organize
my discussion of the relationship between parts of text?
Use the Organizing Evidence-Based Claims worksheet. Use either a student made claim or a teacher
claim to model the process of answering the above questions and completing the worksheet at the
same time. The key is to provide significant amounts of modeling and think- alouds so students can see
the process and hear the thinking behind it.
Differentiation: Teachers may want to video themselves modeling this process or create screencasts. This
provides multiple means of presentation for students unable to follow the first times.
Activity 4-Organizing EBC’s in Pairs:
Read aloud or play recorded audio of paragraphs 15-20. In pairs, students will complete the Organizing
Evidence-Based Claim Worksheet that answers the following question:
Why does Steve Jobs make the puzzling claim in paragraph 21 that “Death is very likely the single best
invention of life?”
Students should take time to analyze each critical word of this sentence and those around it to make
their claim and complete the Organizing Evidence-Based Claim Worksheet.
Activity 5-Class Discussion of student EBC’s:
Pairs of students will share their claims and how they organized it using the graphic organizer.
Formative Assessment
Activity 5 or Activity 1 for Part 4:
Students read the final four paragraphs of the speech and use the Forming EBC Worksheet to make a
claim and support it with evidence.
Writing Evidence-Based Claims
Focus Standards RI6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly
as well as inferences drawn from the text.
W.6.9b Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and
research
Supporting Standards
RI6.2: Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details;
provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
RI6.3: Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and
elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).
SL6.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas
and expressing their own clearly.
Materials:
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Writing EBC Handout
Forming EBC Worksheet
Organizing EBC Worksheet
EBC Criteria Checklist II
TCD Checklist
Jobs Speech
Activity 1- Independent Reading and Making EBCs:
Students read the final four paragraphs of the speech and use the Forming EBC Worksheet to make any
claim from the speech and support it with evidence. This could also have been homework at end of Part
3.
Activity 2- Model Writing EBCs:
Parts 1-3 have built a foundation for what a claim is, how to develop one while reading, and how to
organize evidence to support it. Next, students will begin writing paragraphs with claims and support.
Review the Evidence-Based Claim Criteria Checklist II with additional writing-related criteria. Go through
this checklist with students and clarify key concepts. Next, using the Model Writing EBC Handout, apply
the checklist to the paragraphs provided. Be sure to think-aloud the process behind your analysis of the
paragraph using the checklist.
Differentiation: To provide multiple means of engagement, the teacher could provide paragraphs with
claims from pop-culture such as music and movie reviews. Students can also be asked to find these on
mobile devices or computers.
Activity 3-Writing EBC’s in Pairs:
In pairs and using the completed Organizing EBC’s previously created, students write evidence-based
claims. Writing should set the context, express the claim, effectively organize the evidence, and
incorporate the EBC Criteria Checklist II. Formative Assessment Opportunity
Differentiation: If students are struggling to complete this activity with the Jobs speech, they can try to
write the paragraph with something more familiar.
Activity 4- Class Discussion of Written EBC’s:
Students will take turns sharing and posting (if possible) their evidence- based claims. Use the EBC
Criteria Checklist II to guide evaluations. Students may also use the Text-Centered Discussion Checklist
to evaluate their own and each other’s participation. Formative Assessment Opportunity
Activity 5- Read Aloud and Class Discussion:
After listening to or watching the final four paragraphs in the speech, students will share their EBC’s
from Activity 1. After discussion, students can move through the process once again of going from
Forming EBC to Organizing EBC Worksheet to preparing to write the final paragraphs. Formative
Assessment Opportunity
Differentiation: Provide multiple means of expression by giving alternative graphic organizers to the
Forming EBC and Organizing EBC Worksheets.
Activity 6- Independent Writing of EBCs:
Using the Organizing EBC Worksheet, students write EBC paragraphs. Formative Assessment
Opportunity
Homework or Activity 1 of Part 5- Independent Reading and Making EBC’s.
After independently reading the entire text again, students use the Organizing EBC Worksheet to make
a new evidence-based claim.
Part 5: Developing Evidence-Based Writing
Objective: Students develop the ability to express global evidence-based claims
in writing through a close reading of the text
Focus Standards
RI6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text.
W6.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and
research.
Supporting Standards
RI6.2: Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details;
provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
RI6.3: Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and
elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).
W.6.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style
are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Materials:
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Organizing EBC Worksheet
Writing EBC Handout
EBC Criteria Checklist
Evidence-Based Writing Rubric
Activity 1 - Independent Reading and Making EBC’s:
After independently reading the entire text again, students use the Organizing EBC Worksheet to make
a new evidence-based claim. This is to be done independently
Activity 2- Class Discussion of Global EBCs:
Using the guiding questions from Part 3, model analyzing student evidence-based claims paragraphs
responding to the entire (global) speech. Student will also offer feedback. It will be useful to use the
checklists and Writing EBC Handouts to guide discussion and reflection. Formative Assessment
Activity 3-Writing EBCs in Pairs:
In pairs, students read each other’s evidence-based claims and use the checklist to evaluate whether it
meets the criteria. Students should see if their claims have sub claims and how best to organize those
claims. Students can then share the discussion they had, the nature of their claims, and why they chose
to organize them the way they did.
Summative Assessment:
After reading Steve Jobs commencement speech to Stanford graduates, write an evidence-based claim
that explains Jobs views on the choices the students should make in order to live happy lives. Provide
evidence from the text to support your claim.
See Evidence Based Writing Rubric for guidance on evaluation.