Reteach: Author's use of evidence 01072026

Open Ended

Read this sentence from paragraph 1: "Between 2 to 3 million people play Minecraft every day."

Why do you think Minecraft has become one of the most popular video games in the world?

Sentence Stem: The author uses this fact to support the idea that the game is very popular because_______________. The author claims “___________________”. In other words,___________________.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence from paragraph 1 best supports the idea that Minecraft is played by many people around the world?

• "Let's look at some of the reasons why this game is special and different."

• "Between 2 to 3 million people play Minecraft every day in many countries."

• "Now picture a simple idea like this turning into one of the most popular video games of all time."

• "Minecraft is fun, but some feel that what makes it so popular is that it's much more than just another video game."

Open Ended

Read this sentence from paragraph 3: "Players who had used Minecraft's Creative Mode scored higher on the tests than the other students."

How does the author use the fact that players who had used Minecraft's Creative Mode scored higher on the tests than other students to support the claim about creativity?

Sentence Stem: The author uses this fact to support the claim about creativity because ________________. The author claims “__________”. In other words,_________________.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence from paragraphs 2–3 best supports the argument that playing Minecraft may make players more creative?

• "In 2019, a study at Iowa State found Minecraft players scored higher on creativity tests."

• "So, it's possible that being creative in Minecraft transfers to real life, but more studies are needed."

• "Minecraft is called a 'sandbox game' because its players can create their own world within the game."

• "After 40 minutes of screen time, they were asked to do four activities that tested their creativity."

Open Ended

Read this sentence from paragraph 4: "Teachers have also found that completing a Minecraft project in a group helps students learn to work together."

How does the author use the fact that teachers have found that completing a Minecraft project in a group helps students learn to work together to support the claim that Minecraft is useful in classrooms?

Multiple Choice

Which idea from paragraphs 4–5 does the author include to support the claim that teachers can use Minecraft to teach school subjects?

• The company launched a special edition just for schools with lesson resources online.

• With something as open-ended as Minecraft, I'm a firm believer that you could teach any subject.

• Students often seem to learn better during these lessons because playing Minecraft doesn't seem like work.

• Teachers are using the game to teach everything from math to history to computer coding.

Open Ended

Read this sentence from paragraph 7: "That means that a project that started in a kid’s

imagination in Minecraft might be built in the real world!"

How does the author use this fact to support the claim that Minecraft can change real places?