Understanding Claims and Reasoning

What is a claim?

• A personal opinion

• A random fact

• A summary of a text

• A statement that contains the main idea of an argument

Which of the following is an example of evidence?

• "I think school should start later."

• "My cousin hates waking up early."

• "Many people agree that school starts too soon."

• "Studies show that students perform better with more sleep."

Which of the following best defines reasoning?

• A summary of the argument

• Extra details added for fun

• A list of facts

• Explanations that state why the writer believes in the claim

Which is NOT a type of evidence?

• A scientific study

• A quote from an expert

• A statistic

• A personal feeling

What makes reasoning strong?

• It only repeats the evidence

• It presents random facts

• It does not explain why the evidence matters

• It clearly connects the evidence to the claim

"Schools should start later. Studies show that students who get more sleep have better focus and higher grades. This proves that starting school later could improve academic performance."

What is the claim?

"Homework should be limited to 30 minutes per night. A study found that excessive homework leads to student stress. If students are overwhelmed, they won’t retain information as well."

What is the evidence?

"Schools should provide free lunch to all students. According to research, students who eat balanced meals are more engaged in class. This means free lunches could help students focus and succeed."

What is the reasoning?

True or False: Evidence should always be an opinion.

• True

• False

True or False: A claim must be debatable.

• True

• False