Students acquire the ability to recognize valid evidence. At the end of the lesson, they are able to:
- Describe the meaning of valid evidence.
- Examine the reliable sources that the text uses to bolster its claims.

- How can readers decide which information from what they hear, read, and see to believe?
- How do literary and informational texts become meaningful to strategic readers?
- How does interaction with text elicit thought and response?
- What is the true purpose of this text?

- Validity: Refers to statements that have the appearance of truth or reality.
- Claim: A statement that a person asserts as true.
- Cite: Quote an authority or provide an example to support a response.
- Evidence: Information that supports a claim.

- chart paper
- overhead projector/document camera
- Valid Evidence Samples (L-6-3-3_Valid Evidence Samples)
- Research Chart (L-6-3-3_Research Chart)
- http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/index.html

- The objective of this lesson is to help students become more adept at identifying reliable evidence that is used to support a claim and how that aids the reader in understanding the text. Discuss the legitimate evidence that the students have gathered with them to gauge their comprehension of the material. Assess the extent to which students have achieved the objective of identifying reliable evidence to back a statement. Whenever necessary, give more instructions.
- Keep an eye on the students as they converse with one another. Assess pupils' proficiency in the following areas:
+ Explain valid evidence.
+ Describe how a reader can comprehend a text more fully by evaluating reliable evidence.

Explicit instruction, modeling, scaffolding, and active engagement 
W: Help students define the terms "valid" and "evidence" by using an anticipation guide. Then, have them collaborate to define the term "valid evidence."
H: Assign students to work in groups to find reliable evidence for a range of topics, and then assign them to work alone to find reliable evidence for a topic of their choosing.
E: Let students work in groups to talk about their findings and how they arrived at their conclusions about what constitutes legitimate evidence.
R: Give students the chance to talk with a partner about what they've learned, present it to the class as a whole, and then defend or revise their understanding.
E: Examine students' comprehension of identifying valid evidence by observing them. Give them a chance to show off what they have learned.
T: Give students the chance to demonstrate their understanding of valid evidence recognition through an independent assignment, as well as through participation in small and large groups.
O: This lesson's learning exercises include large-group instruction and discussion, small-group inquiry, partner work, and individual application of the material.

Key Question: What constitutes valid evidence?

Write the following scenario and question on chart paper or give a copy to each student as a way to help them prepare for the lesson:

Jason's family is going to the mall, but he refuses to go. As an eleven-year-old, he makes the case that he ought to be permitted to spend time at home alone. Ray, his friend, stays at home by himself a lot, he says.

Should Jason be permitted to stay at home in light of the evidence and argument?

Ask students to write out their responses, but at this point in time, please ask them not to share. Later in the lesson, the students will review and talk about their responses.

Part 1

Question: "What makes something valid?" Write down the students' answers on the chart paper. Possible responses could be as follows:

It's accurate.
It's relevant.
It makes sense.
It makes sense.
It can be sustained.
It is crucial.
Consider the question, "What is evidence?" Put the answers from the students on chart paper. Possible responses could be as follows:

proof
the foundation of your opinion
a sign that something
backup
information that supports a claim
truths
Using the answers you've recorded, have students collaborate with a partner to define the term valid evidence. Choose the best definition as a class. For instance: Valid evidence is genuine, appropriate information that is based on facts and supports an argument.

Part 2

Using an overhead projector or document camera, show the first of the Valid Evidence Samples (L-6-3-3_Valid Evidence Samples). Ask: "Which of the following is an example of valid evidence based on the claim?" Explore the decisions that students make. Ask students to explain their responses as you go through the examples.

Ask students to review the lesson's opening scenario and their response to the anticipation guide question. Inform the students that they are free to revise their responses in light of what they have learned so far in this lesson. Next, ask the students to present their responses and justifications to the class. Students must acknowledge that Jason has not offered any reliable proof to bolster his claim that he should be left alone at home. Among the causes could be the following:

The ability of an individual to live alone at home is not dependent on their age.
Just because someone else can do something doesn't mean you should be able to do it as well.
Part 3

Ask students to select a discussion topic. You might want to recommend subjects like these:

recycle
utilizing cell phones in class
increasing the driver's license age limit
adjusting the school day's start time
having classes or schools with just one gender
providing options for healthier school lunches
Give students the task of conducting research and locating valid evidence to back up the position they want to defend. Promote the use of print materials like newspaper or magazine articles as well as the Internet among your students. Remind students to consider what constitutes legitimate evidence when conducting their research. Remind students that not everything they discover online is accurate, pertinent, or sensible. Students should fill out a research chart (L-6-3-3_Research Chart) with their supporting documentation and sources.

Permit students to discuss their findings with a companion. Ask students to examine each piece of evidence on their own, talk about why they believe it to be valid or invalid, and then write their conclusions in the validity column on the chart. Allow them to make any necessary edits to their work.

As a last task, assign students who selected opposing viewpoints to present their data to the class. Give the class the task of determining which evidence is reliable and why.

Extension:

Students who are prepared to go above and beyond the call of duty may utilize the reliable evidence they have gathered and present it in a manner appropriate to the subject matter. This could be an advertisement, a Web page, a podcast, a letter to the editor, a letter to parents, or a letter to the principal of the school.
Give a claim like "Global warming is increasing the temperature on our planet" to students who need more learning opportunities. Take them to a website like http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/index.html to locate reliable data justifying this claim.