Citing Textual Evidence

Objective

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.1: Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.2: Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.3: Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events.

Materials

• Short passage (~150-200 words) on a familiar topic (e.g., a paragraph about the importance of recycling)
• Whiteboard or projector
• Index cards with sentence starters (optional)
• Timer or stopwatch

Time Breakdown (3 minutes total)

Time	Activity	Details
0:00 - 0:30	Introduction & goal setting	Teacher introduces the goal: identify main idea and cite specific evidence.
0:30 - 2:00	Guided Reading & Annotating	Read passage aloud. Think aloud for main idea & details. Select 2-3 sentences as evidence.
2:00 - 2:45	Student Quick Write	Students write 2 sentences: 1) State the main idea, 2) Cite specific textual evidence supporting the main idea.
2:45 - 3:00	Sharing & Wrap-Up	2-3 volunteers share their sentences. Teacher reinforces how to cite textual evidence properly.

Detailed Activities

1. Introduction & Goal Setting (30 seconds)

• Teacher says:
  "Today we are going to practice finding the main idea in a text and proving it by citing exact details from the reading. This skill is important because it helps us understand and explain what we read with proof."
• Quickly explain “citing textual evidence” means finding sentences or parts of the passage that prove your answer.

2. Guided Reading & Annotating the Text (90 seconds)

• Teacher displays the chosen passage.
• Read aloud slowly and clearly while students follow along silently.
• Think aloud: “I think the main idea is about why recycling matters. For example, this sentence says... (point to sentence) ...which supports the idea that recycling helps protect the environment.”
• Mark 2-3 specific sentences visibly on the board/projector to model citing text evidence.
• Use student-friendly annotation marks (circle, underline) to signal important details.

3. Student Quick Write (45 seconds)

• Instruct students to write two sentences in their journals or on a paper:
  1. A clear statement of the central idea of the passage.
  2. One or two specific sentences from the passage that support that main idea, quoted or paraphrased closely.
• Provide sentence starters if needed, e.g.:
  • "The main idea of this passage is..."
  • "The author supports this when they say..."

4. Sharing & Wrap-Up (15 seconds)

• Call on two or three students to quickly share their main idea and evidence sentences aloud.
• Praise specific examples of strong textual evidence.
• Teacher summarizes: “Always remember citing exact details from the text strengthens your answer and shows that you truly understand what you have read.”

---

Assessment

• Informal formative assessment through student quick writes and verbal sharing.
• Check students’ ability to both state a focused main idea and back it up with direct textual evidence.

---

Note: This ultra-condensed 3-minute plan is designed for rapid engagement and evidence-based thinking, suitable as a starter or a quick formative check in a longer lesson on textual analysis.