SL.6.3: Delineating a Speaker's Argument and Claims
In plain English: SL.6.3 is the Common Core grade 6 ELA standard that asks students to listen to a speaker and outline the argument and each specific claim, then tell apart the claims backed by reasons and evidence from the claims that are not. It builds on SL.5.3 and leads to SL.7.3, where students judge how sound and sufficient the support is.
Delineate a speaker's argument and specific claims, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy · Domain: Speaking and Listening Standards · Cluster: Comprehension and Collaboration · Official standard
Students learn to listen to a speech and take it apart. An argument is the speaker's overall position: what the speaker wants listeners to believe or do. A claim is one statement the speaker wants listeners to accept as true; an argument is built from several claims. A reason says why a claim should be believed, and evidence is the facts, numbers, examples or words of someone who knows that back the reason up. To delineate an argument is to outline it: name the argument, then list each claim in order with the support the speaker gives for it. SL.6.3 then asks students to sort the claims: some are supported by reasons and evidence, and some are not.
The lesson uses two short speeches written for this page and labeled as invented. In Speech 1, a neighbor asks a town parks committee for a fenced dog park; the teacher reads it aloud and the class maps it together. In Speech 2, a sixth grader asks a school council for daily quiet reading time; students map it on their own and answer the quiz about it. Because a page cannot play sound, the speeches are printed as transcripts, but students first hear each one read aloud with the text face down, the way a listener meets a real speech.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
State a speaker's overall argument in one sentence after listening to a speech
Delineate the argument by listing the speaker's specific claims in order
Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker gives for each claim
Distinguish claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not, and explain the difference
Prior Knowledge Required
Students should already be comfortable with:
Summarizing the points a speaker makes and explaining how each claim is supported by reasons and evidence SL.5.3
Explaining how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text RI.5.8
Finding a percent of a quantity as a rate per 100 6.RP.A.3
"Two friends want you to see a movie. One says, 'It's the greatest movie ever made.' The other says, 'It's funny: I laughed through the whole theater scene, and my brother, who hates comedies, liked it too.' Which friend gives you more to go on, and why?"
Take a few answers. Point out that both friends make the same claim, that the movie is worth seeing, but only the second friend gives a reason (it is funny) and an example to back it up. Write the three words claim, reason and evidence on the board. Today students listen for all three in a speech.
Direct Instruction15-20 minutes
Part 1: The words of the standard. Give students the table below to keep. SL.6.3 is a listening standard, so students practice with their ears first and their eyes second.
The parts of a speaker's argument
Term
What it means
Listen for
Argument
The speaker's overall position: what the speaker wants you to believe or do
"I'm here to ask ...," "Please vote ...," the opening and the ending
Claim
One statement the speaker wants you to accept; an argument has several
"First," "Second," "Finally" and other words that start a new point
Reason
Why the claim should be believed
"because," "that's why," "so"
Evidence
Facts, numbers, examples or the words of someone who knows that back up the reason
A claim with no evidence, only an opinion, a feeling or an exaggeration
"everybody," "nobody," "always," "never," "the best ever"
Part 2: Listen first. Students turn Speech 1 face down. Read it aloud once at a normal speaking pace, as the speaker would at a town meeting. Students jot down the speaker's request and every point they hear that starts with "First," "Second" and so on. Then they turn the page over and follow along as you read it again. Delineating means outlining the speech in this order: argument first, then each claim, then its support.
1Good evening. My name is Carmen Reyes, and I live on Birch Street, two blocks from Linden Park. I'm here to ask the committee to build a fenced dog park in the empty corner of Linden Park, next to the tennis courts.
2First, dogs in our town have nowhere to run safely. The town's leash law says that dogs must stay on a leash in every park. That's a good rule, but a dog on a six-foot leash can't get much exercise. The nearest fenced area where dogs can run off leash is in Riverton, eleven miles away.
3Second, a dog park would make the rest of Linden Park safer. Right now, some owners let their dogs off the leash anyway, usually on the soccer field. The parks office keeps a log of complaints, and last year it recorded 38 complaints about loose dogs. Thirty of them were about the soccer field. A dog park would give those owners a legal place to go.
4Third, everybody in this town loves dogs. I have never met a single person who doesn't want a dog park.
5Fourth, the dog park won't cost the town much. A fence for the corner would cost $9,000, according to a written price quote from Valley Fence Company. Our neighborhood group, Friends of Linden Park, has already raised $3,400 with bake sales and a dog wash. We plan to raise the rest by next summer, so the town would not pay for the fence.
6Fifth, a dog park will make Linden Park the best park in the whole state. People will drive here from everywhere just to see it!
7Finally, dog parks are good for people, too. When dogs play together, their owners start talking to each other. I think a dog park would bring our neighborhood closer together.
8So please vote yes on the dog park. Our dogs need a place to run, the soccer field needs a break from loose dogs, and our neighbors have already started paying for the fence. Thank you.
Written for this page (the speaker, park, town, fence company, group and numbers are invented), Speech 1: A Neighbor Asks the Parks Committee for a Dog Park. Original passage written for this page.
Delineating the argument (paragraphs 1 and 8)
What is Ms. Reyes's overall argument, and how many specific claims does she make for it?
Result: Argument: the parks committee should build a fenced dog park in the empty corner of Linden Park. She states it in paragraph 1 ("I'm here to ask the committee to build a fenced dog park") and repeats it in paragraph 8 ("So please vote yes"). Her six claims are in paragraphs 2-7, one per paragraph, each marked by an order word: First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Finally.
A claim supported by reasons and evidence (paragraph 2)
Is the claim "dogs in our town have nowhere to run safely" supported?
Result: Yes. Reason: the leash law keeps dogs on a leash in every park, and a leashed dog can't get much exercise. Evidence: the leash law itself and a checkable fact, that the nearest fenced off-leash area is in Riverton, eleven miles away. The claim has both a why and a how-do-you-know.
A claim that is not supported (paragraph 4)
Is the claim "everybody in this town loves dogs" supported?
Result: No. The only support is "I have never met a single person who doesn't want a dog park," which is one person's experience, not evidence about a whole town. The word "everybody" is a warning sign: one neighbor who is afraid of dogs would make it false.
A claim that is not supported (paragraph 6)
Is the claim that the dog park "will make Linden Park the best park in the whole state" supported?
Result: No. It gives no reason and no evidence, and "People will drive here from everywhere" is an exaggeration. Removing paragraph 6 would not weaken the argument, because nothing else in the speech depends on it.
Show Diagram 2 and walk through its two steps with paragraph 2 (both steps answered yes) and paragraph 6 (step 1 answered no). Explain the rule the lesson uses: the standard says "supported by reasons and evidence," so a claim counts as supported here only when it has both. A reason alone is a start, not nothing: it tells listeners why, but gives them no way to check. Real speeches have borderline cases, such as a reason everyone in the room already knows is true, and those are worth discussing rather than sorting by rule. Also stress that "not supported" does not mean "false." Some people in town may love the idea; the point is that the speaker has not given listeners a way to know.
Guided Practice15 minutes
Pairs finish the argument map for Speech 1. The map has the argument at the top and one box per claim. For paragraphs 3, 5 and 7, pairs write the claim in their own words, highlight the reason in one color and the evidence in the other, and decide: supported or not supported? Then debrief with the class and show Diagram 1, the finished map.
Debrief.Paragraph 3 is supported: the reason is that owners who now let dogs loose on the soccer field would have a legal place to go, and the evidence is the parks office log, 38 complaints about loose dogs last year, 30 of them about the soccer field. Paragraph 5 is supported: the claim is that the park won't cost the town much, the reason is that the neighborhood group will pay for the fence, and the evidence is the written $9,000 price quote and the $3,400 already raised. Ask: "How much is still missing?" ($9,000 - $3,400 = $5,600.) A careful listener notices that raising the rest is still a plan, which is a good question to ask the speaker. Paragraph 7 is not supported: it has a reason (owners talk while their dogs play) but no evidence, and "I think" signals an opinion. On Diagram 2 it stops at step 2. In all, three of the six claims are supported and three are not.
Independent Practice15 minutes
Students work alone on Speech 2, written for this page: a sixth grader asks the school council to add twenty minutes of quiet reading every day after lunch. Read it aloud once with the text face down, as before. Students write the argument in one sentence and list each claim they heard. Then they turn the page over, complete a blank argument map, and answer the quiz: questions 1-10, 17, 18 and 20 are about Speech 2, and the rest use the standard with new speakers.
1Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Jordan Ellis, and I'm in sixth grade at Westbrook Middle School. I'm asking the School Council to add twenty minutes of quiet reading time every day, right after lunch, for the whole school.
2My first reason is that many students don't have time to read for fun. Last month, our class surveyed 90 sixth graders. We asked how many minutes they read for fun on a school day. Fifty-four of them said less than ten minutes. When we asked those 54 students why, 31 of them said they don't have time.
3My second reason is that reading time works. Ms. Park's sixth-grade class tried it for four weeks in March. Every day after lunch, they read quietly for twenty minutes. In February, before the trial, her class checked out 46 library books. In March, during the trial, they checked out 81.
4Third, quiet reading would make everyone calmer after lunch. Everybody knows that our hallways after lunch are the loudest place in the whole world.
5Fourth, if we have reading time, every student at Westbrook will become a great reader by June.
6Some people worry that reading time will take time away from classes. I understand that worry. But Ms. Park's class did not fall behind. Her class finished the fractions unit in math on the same day as the other two sixth-grade classes.
7Last, kids who read are nicer people. My cousin reads all the time, and she's the nicest person I know.
8Please vote to give Westbrook twenty minutes of quiet reading every day after lunch. Thank you for listening.
Written for this page (the student, school, teacher, survey and numbers are invented), Speech 2: A Sixth Grader Asks the School Council for Quiet Reading Time. Original passage written for this page.
Closure5 minutes
Exit ticket: "Write down one claim you heard outside class this week, in an ad, an announcement or a conversation. Is it supported by a reason and evidence? How do you know?" Read two or three aloud and let the class vote supported or not supported.
Teacher note. Both speeches, their speakers, places and numbers are invented for teaching, and each transcript says so. The planted unsupported claims are deliberately easy to spot at first; real speakers often mix a strong claim and a weak one in the same paragraph, which is why the lesson asks students to judge each claim, not each paragraph or each speaker. One example or one person's experience can be real evidence for a small claim; it is too little for a claim about a whole town or about everyone, as in paragraph 4 of Speech 1. How much evidence is enough is the focus of SL.7.3, so in grade 6 accept a well-argued answer on a borderline case.
Homework. Tonight students listen to a real speech, talk or commercial, map its argument and sort its claims. Show them the directions and rubric before they leave.
Differentiation Strategies
For Struggling Students
Give a partly filled argument map for Speech 2 with the argument and the paragraph numbers of the claims already written in
Give a word bank for the two steps of Diagram 2: "because," "so," and "that's why" for reasons; numbers, names, records and surveys for evidence
Let students hear Speech 2 twice before they see it, pausing after each paragraph to say the claim aloud in their own words
For Advanced Students
Rewrite one unsupported claim from Speech 2 so that it has a reason and evidence Jordan could really collect, and read it aloud to the class
Choose the one supported claim in Speech 1 that leaves the biggest question for a listener, and write the question you would ask the speaker
Preview SL.7.3: after the quiz, choose one claim in Speech 2 that you sorted as supported and explain whether its evidence is enough for a claim about the whole school
Assessment Guidance
What to Look For
Strong answers do three things: they state the argument as the speaker's overall request or position (not just the topic), they list the claims in the order the speaker made them, and they name the actual reason and evidence for each claim before calling it supported or not. Watch for students who call a claim supported just because it sounds true or because they agree with it, who treat a reason alone as enough, or who treat any number as evidence without checking that it backs up that claim. Also listen for students who say "not supported" means "a lie"; the standard asks only whether the speaker gave support.
02
Classroom Activities
3 Activities
1
Claim Card Sort
12 minPairs
Pairs read 8 claim cards aloud to each other, sort them into supported and not supported, and mark the reason and evidence on every supported card. Each card comes from a different invented speaker.
The 8 Cards
Card 1: "The school should add a bus stop on Hill Road, because students there walk too far. The bus office says 22 students on Hill Road live more than a mile from the nearest stop."
Card 2: "Pizza Friday is the best idea anyone has ever had."
Card 3: "The library should stay open until 5:30, because students are still using it when it closes. The sign-in sheet shows 15 to 20 students still there at the 4:30 closing time every day last week."
Card 4: "Recess should be longer, because kids need more time outside."
Card 5: "Nobody likes the new lunch menu."
Card 6: "The gym should open at 7:30 for early arrivals, because many students wait outside. The office counted 64 students at the front gate before 7:45 on Monday."
Card 7: "Our team will definitely win the championship if we get new uniforms."
Card 8: "PE classes need a water break on hot days, because students get overheated. The nurse's log shows 12 visits for heat headaches after outdoor PE in September."
Procedure
Partner A reads a card aloud; Partner B, without looking, says "supported" or "not supported" and why
Switch roles for each card; then check the cards together with Diagram 2
On each supported card, highlight the reason in one color and the evidence in the other
You should end with 4 supported cards and 4 cards that are not supported
Discussion Questions
Card 4 has a reason. Why does it still land in the "not supported" pile?
Pick one card from the "not supported" pile. What evidence could turn it into a supported claim?
2
Listen and Map
15 minPairs
Each partner writes a four-claim mini-speech, reads it aloud, and the other partner maps it by ear alone.
Procedure
Each partner chooses a school request (for example, a class field trip, a new club or a change to the lunch line) and writes a speech of about six sentences: the argument, then four claims
At least one claim must be supported with a reason and evidence, and at least one must have no evidence
Partner A reads the speech aloud twice; Partner B listens without looking and fills in a blank argument map, marking each claim supported or not supported
Partner A checks the map against the script; then switch
Discussion Questions
Which claim was hardest to catch by ear? What would have helped you hear it?
Did your partner hear any claim as supported that you wrote as unsupported, or the other way around? Why?
Variation for Online Classes
Partner A records the speech as a voice message, and Partner B fills in the map on a shared document before reading the script.
3
Support It or Cut It
15 minGroups of 4
Groups take one unsupported claim from Speech 1 and decide whether to cut it or to rewrite it with a reason and evidence the speaker could really find.
Procedure
Each group gets one claim: paragraph 4, paragraph 6 or paragraph 7 of Speech 1
Decide: can this claim be supported? If yes, write what evidence Ms. Reyes could collect and where (for example, a survey or a count); if no, explain why cutting it makes the speech stronger
Rewrite the paragraph, or write the new ending without it, on chart paper
One member reads the new version aloud; the class uses Diagram 2 to decide whether the claim is now supported
Discussion Questions
Is invented or guessed evidence allowed? Why must real evidence be something a listener could check?
Which groups chose to cut their claim? Did the speech lose anything?
Modification for Large Classes
Give two groups the same claim and have one support it and the other cut it; the class compares the two versions.
03
Diagrams & Visual Aids
2 diagrams
Diagram 1: Argument Map of Speech 1
The finished argument map of Speech 1 (invented), with the argument at the top and the six claims from paragraphs 2-7 below. Each box names the support the speaker gives. Three claims are supported by a reason and evidence and three are not. Show it during the Guided Practice debrief.
Diagram 2: Two Steps to Check a Claim
A two-step check for any claim you hear. A claim is supported only when the speaker gives a reason and backs it with evidence. Warning words at the bottom often signal a claim with no evidence, but always check with the two steps.
04
Homework Assignment
~30 min
SL.6.3 Homework: Map a Real Speaker's Argument
Directions: Listen to a real speaker who is trying to convince listeners of something, for 2-5 minutes. You may choose a student council speech, a public comment at a school board or city council meeting (many are posted online), a commercial, a short talk, or a family member who agrees to give you a one-minute speech about a change they want. Listen once without taking notes, then listen again and take notes. Write where and when you heard it. Answer in complete sentences.
Part 1: Map the Argument (Problems 1-2)
Name the speaker and the situation. Then state the speaker's overall argument in one sentence that begins "The speaker wants listeners to ..."
List every specific claim the speaker makes, in the order you heard them (at least three). Write each claim in your own words, with the time in the recording or the part of the speech where you heard it.
Part 2: Sort the Claims (Problems 3-4)
For each claim, write the reason the speaker gives and the evidence the speaker gives. If there is none, write "none."
Sort the claims into two lists: supported by reasons and evidence, and not supported. For one claim in each list, explain in two sentences how you decided.
Part 3: Test and Improve (Problems 5-6)
Choose one claim that is not supported. Name the evidence that could support it and where the speaker could find it.
Write three or four sentences for a friend: using only the supported claims, has the speaker given you good grounds to agree? Name the supported claim that matters most to your answer.
Rubric
Criterion
Full Credit (2 pts)
Partial Credit (1 pt)
No Credit (0 pts)
Argument
States the speaker's overall position or request in one clear sentence
Names the topic but not the position
Missing or inaccurate
Claims
Three or more claims in order, in the student's own words, with where each was heard
Claims listed out of order, copied word for word, or fewer than three
No claims listed
Support
Reason and evidence (or "none") named accurately for every claim, and each claim sorted correctly with a clear explanation
Some claims sorted without naming their support, or one claim sorted incorrectly
Claims sorted by agreement, not by support
Improvement
Names real, checkable evidence and a place to find it, and a judgment based on supported claims only
Evidence named but vague, or judgment based partly on unsupported claims
Missing
05
Quiz: 20 Questions
Interactive, with answers
Instructions
Questions 1-10 and 17, 18 and 20 are about Speech 2, the quiet-reading speech in the Independent Practice phase of the lesson plan (written for this page and invented). Questions 11-16 and 19 use new speakers, who are also invented. Your score updates as you answer, and Reset quiz clears everything so you or your students can try again.
Multiple choice: pick an option to check it. Short answer: write your answer, then reveal the model answer.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice
What is Jordan's overall argument in Speech 2?
Answer: D
Jordan states the request in paragraph 1 ("I'm asking the School Council to add twenty minutes of quiet reading time every day, right after lunch, for the whole school") and repeats it in paragraph 8. That request is the argument; the other points are claims that support it. Choice A takes a detail from paragraph 3 for the argument. Choice B misreads the survey's "less than ten minutes" as a request. Choice C turns one claim (paragraph 4) into the whole argument.
Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice
What evidence does Jordan give for the claim in paragraph 2 that many students don't have time to read for fun?
Answer: A
Paragraph 2 gives the survey numbers: 90 sixth graders asked, 54 who read less than ten minutes, and 31 of those 54 who said they don't have time. Choice B is the evidence for a different claim (paragraph 3). Choice C sounds like paragraph 4's "Everybody knows," which is not evidence at all. Choice D is from paragraph 7 and is about a different claim.
Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In the survey in paragraph 2, what percent of the 90 sixth graders said they read for fun less than ten minutes on a school day?
Answer: B
54 out of 90 is 54/90 = 0.6, or 60%. Choice A reads the count, 54, as if it were a percent. Choice C divides the wrong number: 31/90 is about 34%, the share who said they have no time. Choice D finds 31/54, about 57%, which is the share of the 54 students who gave that reason, not the share of all 90.
Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In paragraph 3, how many more library books did Ms. Park's class check out in March than in February?
Answer: C
81 - 46 = 35 more books. Choice A comes from a subtraction slip: taking 1 from 6 instead of regrouping gives 5 in the ones place and 45. Choice B adds the two months (46 + 81 = 127) instead of subtracting. Choice D overstates the change: twice 46 is 92, and the class checked out 81.
Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which of Jordan's claims is NOT supported by reasons and evidence?
Answer: B
Paragraph 5 is a single sentence with no reason and no evidence, and "every student" is a warning word: one student who does not become a great reader would make it false. Choice A has survey numbers, Choice C has the library checkout numbers, and Choice D has the math unit finished on the same day, so all three give a reason and evidence.
Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In paragraph 4, Jordan says, "Everybody knows that our hallways after lunch are the loudest place in the whole world." Is the claim in paragraph 4 supported by reasons and evidence?
Answer: D
Paragraph 4 claims reading time would make everyone calmer, but the only support is "Everybody knows" and "the loudest place in the whole world," an exaggeration no one could check. Choice A mistakes a warning phrase for proof. Choice B invents evidence: the speech mentions no noise measurement. Choice C gets the right label for a wrong reason: that is not a rule; a speaker may make any claim, but it needs support.
Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In paragraph 6, Jordan answers people who worry that reading time will take time away from classes. What support, if any, does Jordan give for this claim?
Answer: B
The evidence is the fractions unit: Ms. Park's class, which had reading time, "finished the fractions unit in math on the same day as the other two sixth-grade classes." That shows one class did not fall behind. Choice A is never said. Choice C comes from paragraph 5, a different, unsupported claim. Choice D is never said; Jordan is asking the council to agree.
Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In paragraph 7, Jordan says kids who read are nicer people and gives the example of a cousin. Does this example support the claim?
Answer: C
The claim is about all "kids who read," but the only evidence is one cousin, and Jordan is the only judge of her niceness. One example about one person is too little to back a claim about everyone. Choice A has the right answer for a wrong reason: it invents a rule; the problem is how little the example shows, not where the cousin goes to school. Choice B is also a wrong reason, because examples can be evidence, as the fractions unit in paragraph 6 shows. Choice D misreads "someone who knows": the cousin is not an expert on whether readers are nicer.
Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which sorting of Jordan's six claims (paragraphs 2-7) is correct?
Answer: A
Paragraphs 2 (survey), 3 (library checkouts) and 6 (the fractions unit) each give a reason and evidence. Paragraphs 4 ("Everybody knows"), 5 (a promise with no support) and 7 (one cousin) do not. Choice B counts "Everybody knows" as evidence and misses the fractions unit. Choice C counts one cousin as enough evidence. Choice D misses the survey numbers in paragraph 2.
Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which sentence from Speech 2 is evidence rather than a claim?
Answer: C
The February checkout count is a fact that a listener could check in the library's records, and it backs up the claim that reading time works. Choice A is the claim that this evidence supports. Choice B is a claim with no support. Choice D restates the argument as a request.
Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice
A speaker at a town meeting says: "The town should put a stop sign at Elm Street and Third Avenue. That corner is dangerous. The police department recorded 14 crashes there in the past two years, more than at any other corner in town." Which part is the evidence?
Answer: D
The police record is a fact a listener could check, so it is the evidence. Choice A is the claim (here, also the speaker's request). Choice B is the reason: it says why a stop sign is needed. Choice C only describes the situation; it is not part of the speaker's support.
Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which claim is supported by a reason and evidence?
Answer: A
Choice A gives a reason (students want a club) and evidence that backs it up (27 sign-ups in two days). Choice B gives a reason, but "the smartest game that anyone has ever invented" is an opinion with no evidence. Choice C uses "everyone I know," one person's impression. Choice D gives a reason with no evidence.
Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice
A classmate says, "We should have a class pet because pets are fun." Using the two steps in Diagram 2, what is this claim missing?
Answer: C
The claim (we should have a class pet) has a reason ("because pets are fun"), so it passes step 1. Nothing backs up the reason, such as a survey of the class or another class's experience, so it stops at step 2: not supported. Choice A ignores the claim at the start. Choice B misses "because pets are fun." Choice D treats a reason as if it were evidence too.
Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice
A radio commercial says: "Zoomy sneakers are the fastest shoes in the universe! Everybody's wearing them!" Which description is accurate?
Answer: A
"The fastest shoes in the universe" is an exaggeration no one could test, and "everybody" is a warning word with no count or survey behind it, so neither claim is supported. Choice B assumes that being broadcast makes a claim true. Choice C mistakes a sweeping word for evidence. Choice D invents a rule; companies may make claims, and listeners should check them.
Question 15 of 20 · Multiple Choice
A student council candidate says: "Vote for me for treasurer. I kept the money box for our class bake sale, and my count matched the teacher's count to the penny. Also, I'm the most popular person in the grade." What is the candidate's overall argument?
Answer: B
The argument is the overall request, "Vote for me for treasurer," and everything else is there to support it. Choices A and D are evidence for a claim the candidate implies but does not say: that the candidate can be trusted with money. Choice C is a second claim, and it has no support.
Question 16 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which evidence would best support the claim "Our school library needs more graphic novels"?
Answer: D
The librarian's count is a fact a listener could check, and 300 checkouts of only 40 books shows that students want more graphic novels than the library has. Choice A is an opinion, not evidence. Choice B is about two people only. Choice C is a sweeping claim of its own, not evidence for this one.
Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer
Delineate the first half of Jordan's argument. Write Jordan's argument in one sentence. Then list the claims in paragraphs 2 and 3, and for each one write the reason and the evidence Jordan gives.
Model answer: Argument: Jordan wants the School Council to add twenty minutes of quiet reading every day after lunch for the whole school. Claim 1 (paragraph 2): many students don't have time to read for fun. Reason: students say they are too busy. Evidence: of 90 sixth graders surveyed, 54 read for fun less than ten minutes on a school day, and 31 of those 54 said they don't have time. Claim 2 (paragraph 3): reading time works. Reason: a class that tried it read more. Evidence: Ms. Park's class checked out 46 library books in February and 81 in March, during the trial. Rubric: full credit for the argument stated as a request and both claims with their reason and evidence; partial credit for the argument and claims with the support missing or mixed up; no credit if the argument is only the topic ("reading").
Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer
Choose one claim from Speech 2 that is not supported. Quote it, explain in one or two sentences why it is not supported, and describe evidence Jordan could collect to support it.
Model answer: Paragraph 4: "quiet reading would make everyone calmer after lunch." It is not supported, because the only support is "Everybody knows" and an exaggeration about the loudest place in the world. Jordan could ask the teachers who have classes right after lunch to rate how calm their class is on days with and without reading time, or count how many times students are sent to the office after lunch in Ms. Park's class before and during the trial. Rubric: full credit for an accurate quotation of an unsupported claim (paragraph 4, 5 or 7), a correct explanation and evidence that could really be collected; partial credit for two of the three; no credit for a supported claim.
Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer
A coach speaks at a school assembly (invented): "Our school should start a running club. Last spring, 48 students signed up for the one-day fun run, and two PE teachers have offered to coach. Running clubs are the coolest thing ever. Also, the club will make every runner faster than anyone else in the district." Delineate the argument and sort the claims.
Model answer: Argument: the school should start a running club. Claim 1: students want to run and the club has coaches. It is supported: the reason is that there is interest and help, and the evidence is the 48 fun-run sign-ups and the two PE teachers' offer. Claim 2: running clubs are the coolest thing ever. Not supported: it is an opinion and an exaggeration with no evidence. Claim 3: the club will make every runner faster than anyone else in the district. Not supported: "every runner" is a promise no one could keep, and there is no evidence. Rubric: full credit for the argument, all three claims and a correct sorting with the support named; partial credit for the argument and a correct sorting of two claims; no credit for listing the claims without sorting them.
Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer
Why should a listener separate supported claims from unsupported ones before deciding whether to agree with a speaker? Answer in two or three sentences, using one example from Speech 2.
Model answer: A speech can sound convincing because of claims that have nothing behind them, so a listener who counts every claim can be fooled. In Speech 2, "every student at Westbrook will become a great reader by June" sounds exciting, but it has no evidence; a listener should decide based on the claims that do have support, like the library checkouts in Ms. Park's class. Separating the two also shows the speaker what evidence is still needed. Rubric: full credit for a clear reason and an accurate example from Speech 2 that names a supported or unsupported claim; partial credit for a reason with no example or an inaccurate example; no credit for a summary of the speech.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
06
Frequently Asked Questions
10 Questions
What does SL.6.3 mean?
SL.6.3 means that sixth graders can listen to a speaker, outline the speaker's argument and each specific claim, and tell which claims are backed by reasons and evidence and which are not. "SL" stands for Speaking and Listening, and "delineate" means to outline or trace the parts in order.
What is the difference between a claim, a reason and evidence?
A claim is what the speaker wants you to accept, a reason says why, and evidence shows how the speaker knows. In "The field needs new lights, because games end in the dark; the league moved four games last fall because of darkness," the first part is the claim, "games end in the dark" is the reason, and the four moved games are the evidence.
How is SL.6.3 different from RI.6.8?
They ask for the same thinking in two different ways: RI.6.8 is about a written text, and SL.6.3 is about a speaker. RI.6.8 asks students to trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text; SL.6.3 asks them to delineate a speaker's argument, often after hearing it only once or twice, without being able to reread. That is why this lesson has students listen with the text face down first.
Does "not supported" mean the claim is false?
No. A claim that is not supported may still be true; the speaker just has not given listeners a reason and evidence to believe it. Students should say "not supported," not "a lie," and ask what evidence would settle it.
What changes in SL.7.3 and SL.8.3?
In grade 7, students still delineate the argument and claims, but they also evaluate the soundness of the reasoning and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence. Grade 8 adds identifying when irrelevant evidence is introduced. Grade 6 builds the base: find the parts and tell supported claims from unsupported ones.
Can students practice SL.6.3 with a printed speech?
Yes, if they hear it first. A printed transcript lets students check their notes and cite paragraphs, but the standard is about listening. Read the speech aloud, or play a recording, while students keep the text face down and jot down the argument and claims; then let them read it to check.
Is SL.6.3 on state tests?
It can be, depending on the state. Some state tests include listening sections in which students hear a short recording and answer questions about a speaker's claims and support; others assess listening only in class. Check your state's test guide, and practice with short recordings as well as transcripts.
How can parents practice SL.6.3 at home?
Commercials and ads are ideal practice. After one plays, ask: "What does the ad want us to do? What reasons did it give? Did it give any evidence, or just 'the best' and 'everybody'?" Short news interviews and speeches at local meetings work well too.
How do I grade SL.6.3 work?
Grade whether the student states the argument as a position, lists the claims in order, names the actual reason and evidence for each, and sorts the claims by support, not by agreement. The homework rubric on this page covers all four. A student who agrees with a claim and calls it supported for that reason has missed the main idea of the standard.
What kinds of speeches work well for SL.6.3?
Short persuasive speeches with several separate claims: student council speeches, public comments at school board or city council meetings, commercials and short talks. Model speeches written for class, like the two on this page, let a teacher plant claims with and without support. Keep the first speeches to one or two minutes so that students can hold them in mind.
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Related Standards
5 standards
These standards connect to SL.6.3: prerequisites to review first, parallel standards at the same level, and next steps that build on it.
Before this lesson
SL.5.3Prerequisite
Summarize a speaker's points and explain how each claim is supported
Lesson coming soon
Alongside
RI.6.8Parallel
Trace and evaluate the argument and claims in a text, telling supported from unsupported
Lesson coming soon
SL.6.4Parallel
Present claims and findings in logical order with pertinent details
