Claims and Warrants

Overview

In this lesson, students learn the difference between a claim and a warrant, then practice identifying both in short, student-friendly arguments. This builds toward the unit’s focus on how authors persuade readers and where reasoning and evidence can be strong or weak.

Learning intentions

• Students will be able to define a claim as a position an author argues for.
• Students will be able to define a warrant as the hidden reasoning that connects the claim to the supporting evidence or reasons.
• Students will be able to identify claims and warrants in a text passage.
• Students will be able to explain whether a warrant seems reasonable or missing using text details.

Success criteria

• I can point to the sentence(s) that state the claim.
• I can describe the warrant in my own words (the “because/therefore” logic connecting reasons to the claim).
• I can use evidence from the passage to support my identification of claim and warrant.
• I can say what makes the warrant valid, unclear, or unsupported (relevance and sufficiency of support).

Curriculum links

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.8: Students delineate and evaluate arguments and claims, including validity of reasoning and relevance/sufficiency of evidence.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.8: Students delineate and evaluate arguments and specific claims, including identifying false statements or fallacious reasoning.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.1: Students write arguments using valid reasoning and relevant, sufficient evidence (applied in short response during this lesson).
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2: Students write informative/explanatory responses by organizing and accurately analyzing content (used for quick written warrant explanations).

Lesson structure (50 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Warm-up: “What’s the point?” Teacher displays 2–3 brief argument statements (no more than one sentence each) on the board and asks students to underline the part that answers: “What does the author want me to believe?” Students write a quick label: Claim or Not a Claim.

2. 5–15 min · Mini-lesson: claim vs. warrant Teacher uses a model argument (3–5 sentences) and thinks aloud:

• Claim: the conclusion/position.
• Warrant: the unseen rule or reason that links evidence/reasons to the claim (often answerable by “What must be true for this to work?”). Students fill in a simple graphic organizer with two columns labeled “Claim (explicit)” and “Warrant (implicit).” Teacher circulates and checks for accuracy.

3. 15–30 min · Guided practice: annotate for claims Teacher hands out a short informational argument excerpt (appropriate for grade level) and prompts: “Highlight the sentence(s) that contain the author’s position.” Students work in pairs to identify the claim and underline it with a sticky note that says “Claim.”

4. 30–40 min · Guided practice: find the warrant Teacher adds a second prompt to the same excerpt: “Circle the part that gives reasons, then write the warrant in the margin starting with: ‘Because…, therefore…’ or ‘The author assumes that…’” Students complete warrant sentences in their notebooks and share one with their partner. Teacher prompts students to check if their warrant is supported by the passage details.

5. 40–47 min · Quick argument evaluation (validity + evidence check) Teacher directs a whole-class discussion using two categories on the board:

• “Warrant seems reasonable because…”
• “Warrant is unclear/missing because…” Students contribute one sentence each referencing the text (reason relevance and sufficiency, and whether reasoning is valid).

6. 47–50 min · Exit ticket Students respond to one prompt: “In one paragraph, identify the claim and the warrant from the passage. Then explain whether the warrant is strong, unclear, or unsupported, using at least one detail from the text.” Teacher collects responses.

Resources

• Short informational argument excerpt (3–6 paragraphs or ~250–400 words) for annotation
• Graphic organizer with two columns: Claim and Warrant
• Highlighters/colored pencils (or digital annotation tool)
• Sticky notes or annotation labels: “Claim” and “Reasons”
• Sentence starters for warrants: “The author assumes that…,” “Because…, therefore…”
• Exit ticket prompt printed or on slide
• Timer for segment pacing

Assessment

• Collect warm-up labels (Claim vs. Not a Claim) to identify misconceptions quickly.
• During annotation, check pair work for correct claim identification and a reasonable warrant explanation.
• Grade/monitor exit tickets for: (1) claim identified, (2) warrant stated in their own words, (3) evaluation of warrant strength using text details (relevance/sufficiency).

Differentiation

• Provide sentence frames for warrants and evaluations: “The author’s reasoning depends on the idea that ___.”
• Offer a model “warrant worked example” for students who need additional support, then fade it during independent writing.
• For advanced students, ask them to propose an alternative warrant and say which one fits the text better and why (validity of reasoning).
• For EAL/MLD students, allow discussion in pairs first, then have them copy one well-formed warrant sentence starter from the board to build clarity.
• For students needing structure, provide a checklist for paragraph response: “Claim sentence identified; warrant written; one supporting detail quoted or paraphrased; evaluation sentence included.”