5. Claim/Support Outline
What is it?
In the Common Core State Standards, there is new emphasis on students’ ability to
analyze and support a proposition or claim. Claim/support outlines help students learn to be critical readers and recognize different viewpoints, theories, hypotheses, facts, opinions, and debatable assertions made by authors (Buehl, 1995). In addition, such outlines provide a framework for analyzing the different types of evidence authors present to support their propositions. A claim/support outline can also be a guide for students’ independent research. It provides students with a framework for examining expository texts and reference material for relevant information and arguments.
How do I use it?
1. Discuss the difference between facts and opinions by helping students brainstorm
definitions and examples for each. For example, “The Colorado Rockies’ home park
is named Coors Field” is a factual statement, whereas “The Colorado Rockies is a
great baseball team” is an opinion that may or may not be supported by facts.
2. Introduce and define the word claim, which is a statement about the subject of an
argument. Claims (or propositions) can be argued. Provide students with possible
claims, such as “today’s movies are too violent”; “the school playground needs new
playground equipment”; or “gun control prevents crime.” Divide students into collaborative groups and have each group generate a list of arguments that might be
used to support one of these claims.
3. Help the class categorize types of arguments that could be used to support various claims. Introduce a blank claim/support outline, and model how support for a
claim could be classified as any of the following: facts, statistics, examples, expert
authority, logic, or reasoning.
4. Assign a text passage that follows a claim/support structure, and have students
complete a claim/support outline as they analyze the author’s arguments. Have
students work in pairs to identify the claim and point out the text clues that helped
them identify that claim.
5. In collaborative groups, have students use their outlines to categorize the arguments that support the claim. Then have groups share their organizers with the
rest of the class.
6. As students become confident with this strategy, ask them to use claim/support
outlines with a variety of texts that could include support for opposing claims (e.g.,
controversial topics and current events).
Figure S5.1 4 Claim/Support Outline
