Writing Evidence and Central Ideas

What is textual evidence?

• Your claim.

• Proof from the text to support your answer.

• What the author thinks about a topic.

• An explanation in your own words about your claim.

Why is it important to provide textual evidence?

• It makes your paragraph longer.
• It allows your reader to get the important facts from the article without reading the whole thing.
• It shows that you know what you are talking about.
• It supports your answer and reasoning.

oWhat is an inference?

• Something you have a gut feeling about.
• An educated guess based on the text.

• Evidence that supports your claim.
• What the story is mostly about.

Which piece of evidence supports that Kathleen is brave?

• "Even slight miscalculations could send the Vulcan cruiser thousands of miles off course."
• Kathleen might never see her parents again.
• "Kathleen reassured them with a confident look as she logged onto the navigation computer."
• Something could go wrong during takeoff. 

Which piece of evidence could be used to BEST support this statement: High school students should be required to wear uniforms.

• When adding everything up, a school uniform could end up costing more than $200.
• A student reported, "Allowing us to wear our own clothes gives us a chance to show our unique style and independence."
• At one school that recently required students to wear uniforms, attendence rates went up, and behavior incidents went down.
• School uniforms can be ordered online .

What does the central idea of a story tell the reader?

• a specific detail from the story
• The conflict of the story
• What the story is about 
• The universal truth, moral, or idea the author wants to express

We often let others know what we are thinking without using words. The name that we give for this kind of communication is body language. Body language includes gestures, facial expressions, and posture. Body language does not always mean the same thing to everyone.

What is the CENTRAL IDEA of the above paragraph?

• We sometimes use words to express ourselves.

• We use body language to communicate with others.

• Body language may not mean the same thing to everyone.

• Body language includes gestures, facial expression, and posture.

It's no surprise that exercise increases energy. The physical challenge prepares your body in a variety of ways. Blood sugar is more quickly converted to fuel, more oxygen is supplied to your cells, and fight-or-flight hormones are released. Instead of leaving you exhausted, exercise energizes. Do it in the morning for an all-day high or later in the afternoon for a pick-me-up.

What is the CENTRAL IDEA of the paragraph above?

• Exercise increases your energy.

• Everyone should exercise daily.

• Exercise is easier than it looks.

• Exercise makes you live longer.

True or False: The central idea is directly tied to the author's main point or reasoning.

• False

• True

Being able to identify the central idea of a text shows...

• that you can cite evidence from the text.

• that you know how to write.

• that you understand the text.

• that you like what you are reading.