English Language Arts6-8
Analyzing Text Evidence: Proving a Character's Biggest Challenge
By Amy T.
A short, two-model practice set for 7th graders that compares a weak and a strong analysis of the same quote from a climbing story. Students learn to move past summary and explain how each piece of evidence proves a character's challenge is the biggest one, building the reasoning they need for their essays.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use this as a warm-up or mini-lesson before students revisit their own essay drafts, roughly 20 to 30 minutes, with students first reading Model A and Model B independently and then discussing the difference in pairs.
- Discussion question: What does Model B explain that Model A only describes, and how does that explanation help prove the blizzard is Elias's biggest challenge?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: Provide a sentence frame such as "This quote shows ___, which proves ___ because ___," and have them fill it in for the Elias quote before attempting their own evidence.
- Extension for advanced students: Ask them to compare the blizzard to another challenge Elias faces and argue which one matters most, using two pieces of evidence and explicit reasoning for each.
- Estimated time: about 25 minutes for the model comparison, plus 15 minutes for students to apply the same analysis to one piece of evidence from their own essay.
English Language Arts6-8
Analyzing Text Evidence: Proving a Character's Biggest Challenge
By Amy T.
A short, two-model practice set for 7th graders that compares a weak and a strong analysis of the same quote from a climbing story. Students learn to move past summary and explain how each piece of evidence proves a character's challenge is the biggest one, building the reasoning they need for their essays.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use this as a warm-up or mini-lesson before students revisit their own essay drafts, roughly 20 to 30 minutes, with students first reading Model A and Model B independently and then discussing the difference in pairs.
- Discussion question: What does Model B explain that Model A only describes, and how does that explanation help prove the blizzard is Elias's biggest challenge?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: Provide a sentence frame such as "This quote shows ___, which proves ___ because ___," and have them fill it in for the Elias quote before attempting their own evidence.
- Extension for advanced students: Ask them to compare the blizzard to another challenge Elias faces and argue which one matters most, using two pieces of evidence and explicit reasoning for each.
- Estimated time: about 25 minutes for the model comparison, plus 15 minutes for students to apply the same analysis to one piece of evidence from their own essay.