Writing Standards: Using Evidence in Writing (CCSS.W.6.9)
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Common Core 6th Grade ELA › Writing Standards: Using Evidence in Writing (CCSS.W.6.9)
Excerpt (literary, 137 words): The clouds stacked like gray books over the harbor, and the wind worried the roofs until the gutters rattled. From the kitchen window, I could see the low dock next door, where Mr. Lee's skiff banged its nose against the posts. No one else was home on our street. I pulled on my raincoat, took the coiled rope from the peg, and stepped outside. The rain came sideways, needling my cheeks. I tightened my grip on the rope and stepped into the rain, heart knocking but feet steady. At the dock, I looped the rope through the bow ring and tied the other end to the cleat, double-checking the knot though my fingers were numb. The skiff settled, thumping softer, and I headed back, water squishing in my shoes.
Student draft: In this scene, the story shows courage as a set of quiet choices instead of loud speeches. The narrator doesn't boast or wait for applause; he just does what needs to be done to help a neighbor. [Add a quoted detail here to support this point.] This kind of steady action reveals bravery through deed, not words.
Which revision best integrates evidence from the passage to support the student's point?
The author uses many adjectives about the weather to show fear, which is why the character is brave.
For example, the narrator notes, "I tightened my grip on the rope and stepped into the rain, heart knocking but feet steady," which shows quiet bravery through action.
The line about the storm sounding scary proves he was bold enough to ignore danger.
As the story explains, he watched from the window until the wind passed, so he didn't make a big deal about it.
Explanation
Choice B accurately quotes a concrete action from the passage and links it to the claim about quiet courage. A is vague and offers no evidence. C mischaracterizes the text with an invented line. D contradicts the passage (he went outside, he didn't wait).
Excerpt (informational, 132 words): School gardens are more than pretty patches of green. In one district, students who spent weekly time planting, measuring, and writing in garden journals showed a 20 percent improvement in science test scores over two years. Teachers also observed fewer off-task behaviors after garden time; in a student survey, 7 out of 10 said classes felt more focused. The program may also cut cafeteria waste, some advocates say, by encouraging students to try vegetables. However, the district has no data yet to support that claim, and a pilot composting effort is still being planned. What the evidence does show, so far, connects gardens with learning and attention, not with waste.
Student draft: The author presents several claims about school gardens. The strongest claim is that gardens support learning and focus, and the article backs this up with concrete evidence. The weakest claim is about reducing cafeteria waste, which the author treats cautiously. [Insert evidence from the article to distinguish the supported claim from the unsupported one.]
Which revision best integrates evidence from the passage to distinguish the supported claim from the unsupported one?
The garden is obviously the best program our school could try, because everyone loves vegetables.
Students said the garden helps, and the article proves cafeterias now throw away nothing.
Scores improved, which means gardens cause success in every subject, not just science.
The author cites "a 20 percent improvement in science test scores over two years" and reports that "7 out of 10" students felt more focused, but also notes there is "no data yet" about cafeteria waste.
Explanation
D accurately integrates the article's data about scores and focus and correctly contrasts it with the noted lack of evidence on waste. A is opinion without evidence. B falsely claims proof about waste. C overgeneralizes beyond the article's scope.
Excerpt (poem, 118 words): On this trail, stones remember the feet that taught them weight. Mist settles, and the hill does not measure me by how fast I climb. The path asks for patience, not haste; it waits while I tie a lace, while I breathe. I count birds, not minutes. A blackberry stain inks my palm like a small badge. Each footprint learns the hill, and in learning, light gathers on the brim of my cap. At the bend, the view keeps its secrets a moment longer, and I keep walking, steady as a clock with no need to run.
Student draft: The poem suggests that the journey matters more than speed. The speaker values steady persistence over quick arrival. [Add a sentence that integrates a specific line from the poem to support this idea.]
Which revision best integrates evidence from the poem to support the student's analysis?
As the speaker says, "the path asks for patience, not haste," highlighting steady progress over rushing.
The poet insists that "the road is short and easy," which proves speed isn't important.
I sprint to the summit shows he moves fast only at the very end.
The poem sort of hints that patience might be okay sometimes, depending on the day.
Explanation
A quotes a precise line that clearly reflects the poem's message about patience over speed. B and C invent lines not in the poem. D is vague and does not integrate specific evidence.
Excerpt (literary nonfiction, 131 words): On the first morning at my new school, my stomach fluttered when the bus doors folded open. The hallway smelled like pencil shavings and floor wax, and every poster was a stranger. I am not pretending change is easy. But I have learned to meet it with small plans: a list taped to my binder, the locker combination written on a card, three names to learn by lunch. Change is a staircase, not a catapult. You climb it step by step, and if you miss one, you try again. By the afternoon, I still felt like the new kid, but the steps I took were mine.
Student draft: In this memoir, the author's perspective is balanced: she admits to feeling nervous about change, yet believes that careful routines can make it manageable. [Add a sentence that uses evidence from the passage to capture both parts of her view.]
Which revision best integrates evidence from the passage to support the student's claim about the author's perspective?
She believes change happens effortlessly and instantly, so plans aren't necessary when starting something new.
She was terrified all day, and nothing she tried helped her feel any better.
She admits, "my stomach fluttered when the bus doors folded open," yet argues that "change is a staircase, not a catapult," and points to "a list taped to my binder" as a small plan.
Friends cheered from the sidewalk, proving change comes only from other people, not from your own routines.
Explanation
C accurately integrates two key quotes showing both the author's nervousness and her belief in step-by-step routines. A and B distort the author's view. D introduces an event not in the passage.
On the first day I drew the bow across the violin, the note came out like a quarrel between cats. Grandma only smiled and tapped a slow beat on the arm of her chair. Between scales she slid a plate of warm cookies my way and said, "Progress is a patient friend." Weeks stacked into months. Calluses formed where my fingers pressed the strings. I learned to breathe with the metronome, to start again when I squeaked. On a rainy Saturday, we carried the violin case to the community center. I played a simple melody without stopping. The sound wasn't grand, but it was mine. Grandma's arthritic hands rested steady in her lap as she listened, and her eyes crinkled like someone hearing good news.
Student draft: In this story, the theme is perseverance supported by encouragement. The narrator shows that improvement takes time and that Grandma's steady presence matters, [insert evidence]. This suggests progress comes from steady practice rather than instant talent.
Which revision best integrates evidence from the passage to complete the student paragraph?
As the narrator explains, "Progress is a patient friend," a gentle reminder that improvement grows slowly.
The narrator gets "cookies" during practice, which proves that treats are the reason for success.
The narrator plays "a simple melody" at the community center, so they become a star overnight.
Because Grandma has "arthritic hands," she cannot help, so the narrator learns alone.
Explanation
Choice A accurately quotes a key line and connects it to the idea that growth takes time. The other choices distort the passage's meaning by focusing on treats (B), suggesting instant fame (C), or misreading Grandma's support (D).
Over the past two years, our city has added 35 school gardens, turning asphalt corners into beds of soil and seedlings. In a survey of 600 students who helped tend the plots, 68 percent reported trying at least one new vegetable, and many described feeling calmer after garden time. Teachers noted fewer behavior incidents on garden days. A small study at three schools found that average science quiz scores rose modestly following lessons that used the gardens. The program is not without challenges—some principals worry about upkeep during winter months—but supporters argue the benefits are clear. The author also claims that "everyone learns faster outdoors," a statement left hanging without any data or source.
Student draft: The author argues that school gardens help students and offers evidence for some claims. In one place, the author supports a claim with data by [insert evidence]. However, the statement that everyone learns faster outdoors is not backed up in the passage.
Which sentence best completes the student paragraph while distinguishing a supported claim from an unsupported one?
The passage says gardens are fun, which proves everything about them.
Although the author mentions a "small study," it gives no results, so the claim has no evidence.
The author cites a survey of 600 students in which 68 percent tried a new vegetable, but the claim that everyone learns faster outdoors lacks evidence.
The worries about winter upkeep show the author is wrong about everything.
Explanation
Choice C correctly names a specific, supported claim (survey of 600 students, 68 percent tried a new vegetable) and contrasts it with an unsupported claim. A is vague, B misreads the text (the study did report modest gains), and D overgeneralizes.
Before the expedition, our leader spread five maps across the kitchen table and traced a route with a pencil stub, erasing and redrawing until the lines made sense. We spent evenings knotting ropes with our eyes closed, then checking one another's work. Twice we hiked to base camp and turned back when the wind sharpened to a warning. On the summit day, a lucky break opened the clouds just as we reached the ridge. Luck certainly smiled in the final hour, but it was careful preparation that put us within reach of that smile.
Student draft: In this memoir, the author suggests that preparation mattered more than luck. To prove this, the writer describes specific steps the team took, such as [insert evidence]. This shows their plan guided each decision.
Which revision best integrates evidence from the passage to complete the student paragraph?
The team "trusted luck in the final hour," which shows planning wasn't needed.
They "studied maps, practiced knots, and even turned back twice when the wind warned them," demonstrating that a plan guided every choice.
The climbers were brave and strong, so success was automatic.
The author says planning helped, but there are no details to support it.
Explanation
Choice B accurately combines multiple concrete details from the passage to support the claim about preparation. A contradicts the text, and C and D are vague or false about the presence of details.
By noon the path dissolved into a weave of roots and stones, and my legs voted for speed. But the forest is no place for hurry. When I paused, the hush stitched itself around me. A fern unfurled beside my boot; light drifted like dust in a jar. The moss taught me time—slow, steady, quiet. I sat long enough to notice a narrow trail stitched with fox prints, a map I would have missed if I'd been racing the clock. I rose and walked again, not faster, but with my eyes open to what the woods wanted to show.
Student draft: The narrator believes patience leads to deeper understanding of the woods. To support this idea, the paragraph needs a sentence that reflects the narrator's perspective and includes a detail from the passage: [insert evidence].
Which sentence best completes the student paragraph?
The narrator gets lost because patience is confusing.
The narrator says walking fast is best because the trail is hard.
The narrator likes nature, which is interesting and fun.
The narrator calls the forest "no place for hurry" and learns from "the moss" while spotting a fox path he would have missed by racing.
Explanation
Choice D reflects the author's perspective that slowing down reveals more, and it accurately integrates details about the moss and fox prints. A, B, and C either contradict the passage or are too vague to show perspective supported by evidence.
Excerpt: I stepped onto the creaking boards of the footbridge. Below, the river writhed, brown and fast, licking at rocks like a hungry animal. My palms were damp, and fear buzzed like a jar of angry bees inside my chest. One slip, one soft spot in the wood, and I'd be a leaf swept under. I could have turned back—no one was watching, and the long way home would add only twenty minutes. But the sky was already bruising toward evening, and my little brother hated the dark. I gripped the rail. Not today, I said to my feet. Not to fear, not to quitting. One plank, then another, the boards answering with tired groans as I moved across.
Student Draft: The narrator shows real courage by recognizing the danger and moving forward anyway. To make that clear, I should add a line from the passage [insert evidence here] so readers see how the character pushes past fear.
Which revision best integrates evidence from the passage into the student's paragraph?
The text says the river was "brown and fast," which means the character was not actually scared.
The passage states: "One plank, then another, the boards answering with tired groans."
As the narrator admits that "fear buzzed like a jar of angry bees," she insists, "Not today," and steps on.
According to the author, "the long way home would add only twenty minutes," so the choice was easy.
Explanation
Choice C accurately quotes the narrator's fear and her refusal to quit, directly supporting the claim about pushing past fear. A distorts meaning, B drops a quote without linking it to courage, and D focuses on the time, not bravery.
Excerpt: A school garden has grown into an outdoor classroom at Maple Middle. During science, students test soil, record rainfall, and chart plant growth. The harvest does more than fill salad bowls. Last year, the cafeteria spent 12% less on produce purchases during the fall months because the garden supplied lettuce, tomatoes, and herbs. Students and families also donated over 300 pounds of extra vegetables to the community pantry. Teachers report that classes are calmer after garden work, though we do not yet have survey data on attention. The garden is not just about food; it connects lessons to life and gives students a place to lead.
Student Draft: The author's strongest evidence that the garden benefits the school is about measurable results. I need to quote that evidence [insert evidence here] to show the claim is supported.
Which revision best integrates evidence from the passage to support the student's point?
The author notes that cafeteria produce spending dropped 12% in the fall and that students donated over 300 pounds of vegetables.
The author explains that the garden is awesome and helps everyone feel better about school.
The author proves the garden improves attention because teachers said classes are calmer.
The author mentions that many schools use gardens to teach science and math.
Explanation
Choice A cites the specific, measurable results (12% savings and 300 pounds donated). B is vague praise, C overstates anecdotal comments as proof, and D adds a claim not supported by the excerpt.