Prove It! Script

Warm-Up: What's Your Proof? (5 minutes)

Teacher: "Good morning, everyone! Let's start with a quick thought experiment. Imagine you really, really want something from your parent or guardian – maybe a later curfew on weekends, or that new video game everyone's talking about. How would you convince them? What would you say or do to get them to agree? Turn and talk to a partner for about a minute, then we'll share out."

(Allow students to discuss. Call on a few students to share their strategies.)

Teacher: "I heard some great ideas! Many of you talked about presenting reasons, showing good behavior, or even bringing up examples of other friends. What you were doing, in essence, was providing proof or evidence to support your 'claim' that you deserve what you want.

Today, we're going to learn how to do exactly that, but in our writing. Our lesson is called Prove It! Textual Evidence, and our goal is to become masters at using evidence from texts to back up our ideas. Take a look at our Prove It! Slide Deck on slide 1, 'Prove It! Textual Evidence'."

Direct Instruction: The Evidence Equation (10 minutes)

Teacher: "(Transition to Slide 2: Our Mission Today) By the end of this lesson, you will be able to identify strong textual evidence, integrate it smoothly into your writing, and explain how your evidence supports your claims. This is a super important skill for all of your classes, especially as we get into more complex analytical writing.

(Transition to Slide 3: What's a Claim?) First, let's talk about what we're trying to prove. In academic writing, we call this a claim. A claim is a statement that you want to prove true. For example, 'Reading regularly makes you smarter.' Can anyone think of a claim they've made recently, maybe even without realizing it?"

(Allow a few student responses.)

Teacher: "Great examples! Now, how do we prove those claims? (Transition to Slide 4: What is Textual Evidence?) We use textual evidence. This is the 'proof' you find in a text to support your claim. Think of yourselves as literary detectives, finding clues in the text. Evidence can come in a few forms: direct quotes, where you use the author's exact words; paraphrases, where you put the author's ideas into your own words; or summaries, which are brief overviews of a larger section. We'll focus mostly on direct quotes and paraphrasing today.

(Transition to Slide 5: Why is Evidence Important?) Why bother with all this 'proof'? Good evidence makes your writing stronger, more credible, and clearer. It shows your reader that your ideas aren't just opinions, but are supported by facts or information from the text. It's how you show how you know something.

(Transition to Slide 6: The Evidence Sandwich: C.E.A.) To help us remember how to put it all together, we're going to use the 'Evidence Sandwich' or C.E.A. method:

• C stands for Claim: This is your main idea.
• E stands for Evidence: This is the proof from the text.
• A stands for Analysis: This is your explanation of how the evidence proves your claim. This is often the trickiest part, but it's essential!

(Transition to Slide 7: How to Introduce Evidence) When you bring in evidence, you don't just drop it into your paragraph! You need to introduce it smoothly. Here are some sentence starters that can help you do that: 'According to the text, ...', 'The author states, "..."', 'For example, the passage says, "..."', or 'In paragraph 3, it is revealed that...'. These phrases act like a bridge, connecting your ideas to the evidence.

(Transition to Slide 8: Don't Just Drop It: Explain It!) And remember the 'A' in C.E.A.? After you present your evidence, you must explain how it supports your claim. Don't assume your reader will make the connection! Use phrases like: 'This shows that...', 'This suggests...', 'This is important because...', or 'The evidence highlights...'. This is where you connect your evidence back to your original claim and show your thinking.

(Transition to Slide 9: Let's Practice Together!) Let's look at an example of the C.E.A. sandwich in action. Our claim is: 'Dogs are loyal companions.' Our evidence, a quote from a story, states: "Buddy, a golden retriever, waited by the door every day for his owner to return from work, never missing a single day for ten years." Our analysis then explains: 'This demonstrates Buddy's unwavering loyalty, as he consistently showed up for his owner over a long period, proving the strong bond between them.' See how the analysis connects Buddy's actions directly to the idea of loyalty?"

Independent Practice: Worksheet (8 minutes)

Teacher: "Now it's your turn to be the detectives and build your own evidence sandwiches! (Transition to Slide 10: Your Turn: Prove It!) I'm going to hand out the Evidence Integration Worksheet. You'll read a short passage and then practice making a claim, finding and integrating evidence, and most importantly, analyzing that evidence to explain how it supports your claim. Remember the C.E.A. structure. I'll be walking around to help. You have about 8 minutes for this."

(Distribute worksheets. Circulate and assist students as they work.)

Cool-Down: Exit Ticket - Prove It! (2 minutes)

Teacher: "Alright everyone, let's wrap up. (Transition to Slide 11: Cool Down: One Big Takeaway) On a small piece of paper or a sticky note, please write down two things:

1. One important thing you learned today about using textual evidence.
2. One question you still have about textual evidence or integrating it into your writing.

This will help me see what stuck with you and what we might need to review. Once you're done, you can hand it to me on your way out the door. Great job today, everyone!"

Evidence Integration Worksheet: Prove It!

Instructions: Read the short passage below. Then, follow the prompts to practice integrating textual evidence into your own writing using the C.E.A. (Claim, Evidence, Analysis) method.

Passage: The Mysterious Forest

The old map depicted a winding path leading deep into the Whispering Woods, a place locals avoided after dusk. Tales of strange lights and eerie sounds kept even the bravest villagers away. Elara, however, was not easily deterred. Her grandfather had always spoken of a hidden grove within the woods, where ancient, glowing flowers bloomed only under the rarest full moon. He had given her a small, tarnished silver locket and said, "When the path seems lost, let this guide you." The air grew colder as she stepped beneath the canopy, the trees immediately seeming to close in around her. A faint, almost imperceptible hum filled the silence, and a soft, rhythmic pulse of light flickered in the distance, beckoning her forward.

Your Turn:

1. Make a Claim: Based on the passage, what is one claim you can make about Elara or the Whispering Woods?

2. Find and Integrate Evidence: Find a piece of textual evidence (a direct quote or paraphrase) from the passage that supports your claim. Introduce it smoothly using one of the sentence starters we discussed (e.g., "According to the text,", "The author states,", "For example,").

3. Analyze Your Evidence: Explain how your textual evidence supports the claim you made. Connect the evidence back to your main idea using phrases like "This shows that,", "This suggests,", or "This is important because."

Evidence Integration Answer Key: Prove It!

Note to Teacher: These are example answers. Students' claims, evidence, and analysis may vary but should still demonstrate understanding of the C.E.A. method and be logically supported by the text.

Passage: The Mysterious Forest

The old map depicted a winding path leading deep into the Whispering Woods, a place locals avoided after dusk. Tales of strange lights and eerie sounds kept even the bravest villagers away. Elara, however, was not easily deterred. Her grandfather had always spoken of a hidden grove within the woods, where ancient, glowing flowers bloomed only under the rarest full moon. He had given her a small, tarnished silver locket and said, "When the path seems lost, let this guide you." The air grew colder as she stepped beneath the canopy, the trees immediately seeming to close in around her. A faint, almost imperceptible hum filled the silence, and a soft, rhythmic pulse of light flickered in the distance, beckoning her forward.

Example Answers:

1. Make a Claim: Based on the passage, what is one claim you can make about Elara or the Whispering Woods?

• Claim Example: Elara is a courageous and determined character.

2. Find and Integrate Evidence: Find a piece of textual evidence (a direct quote or paraphrase) from the passage that supports your claim. Introduce it smoothly using one of the sentence starters we discussed (e.g., "According to the text,", "The author states,", "For example,").

• Evidence Example: Despite the fact that "Tales of strange lights and eerie sounds kept even the bravest villagers away," the passage states, "Elara, however, was not easily deterred."

3. Analyze Your Evidence: Explain how your textual evidence supports the claim you made. Connect the evidence back to your main idea using phrases like "This shows that,", "This suggests,", or "This is important because."

• Analysis Example: This shows that Elara possesses a brave and resolute spirit because she is willing to enter a feared and mysterious place that even the "bravest villagers" avoid, indicating her strong determination to achieve her goal. Her refusal to be