Backing Up Claims

This worksheet supports students in Grades 4, 5, and 6 as they build critical reading, argument analysis, and evidence evaluation skills using an informational passage about recycling. Through close reading and structured analysis, learners identify author claims, locate supporting facts and examples, and consider whether the evidence presented is strong enough to support each point, reinforcing both literacy and environmental understanding.

Academic Focus

• Claims vs. Evidence (Grades 4-6)
  Identify clear claims made by the author and distinguish them from supporting details.
• Evidence Evaluation
  Locate facts, statistics, and examples that support each claim.
• Informational Argument Skills
  Analyze how writers use evidence to strengthen persuasive informational texts.
• Environmental Literacy
  Deepen understanding of recycling, sustainability, and responsible decision-making.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource
  Designed by educators to align with ELA, science literacy, and social studies standards.
• Structured Graphic Format
  Clear organization helps students pair claims with evidence accurately.
• Flexible Classroom Use
  Works well for independent practice, partner work, homework, or assessment.
• Critical Thinking Emphasis
  Encourages students to judge the strength and sufficiency of evidence.
• Low-Prep Design
  Print-and-go worksheet for classroom or homeschool instruction.

This printable worksheet strengthens essential skills in identifying claims, citing evidence, and evaluating informational arguments. By analyzing a real-world topic like recycling, students improve close reading, reasoning, and environmental awareness across subject areas. It’s a practical, engaging resource for both classroom instruction and homeschool learning.

This worksheet is part of our informational text worksheets collection.