Once students enter upper elementary, they begin seeing more text-based questions. Teaching students to read is one thing, but teaching students how to read to write can seem like another level. In upper elementary, we ask students to begin backing up their answers with text evidence. Typically, teachers are met with vague responses. The amount of times I have seen, “I just know” or “Because it’s in the story” would be hard to count. Sure, they understand they should use text evidence, but actually finding it and citing it? That’s where things get tricky. I love using the RACES strategy to help students write a text-based response. However, the RACES writing strategy is only a start. The next step is teaching students how to cite text evidence, beyond just plugging in a quote. 

Students must learn how to hunt for the right evidence, introduce it smoothly, and explain why it matters. So, how do we take them from guessing to citing with confidence? Let’s break it down step by step!

What is text evidence?

Text evidence is the proof students pull from a passage to support their answers. I always like telling students it’s the receipts for their thinking! I explain to students that I need concrete details that show they aren’t just making things up. 

In upper elementary, students are expected to go beyond opinions and gut feelings. Instead, they need to refer back to the text and use direct evidence to justify their responses. This skill is essential, not just for reading comprehension, but across all subjects.

Why teach students how to cite text evidence?

Teaching students to cite text evidence is more than just “proving” their answer. Citing text evidence is an essential reading and writing skill that students build upon each year. As your students learn how to properly cite text evidence many other skills will strengthen. 

Other skills students will develop:

• Reading comprehension
• Critical thinking
• Ability to support ideas with facts 

Students who struggle to cite text evidence will either make vague claims, copy random sentences, or struggle to explain their reasoning. To prevent this, explicitly teach students how to cite text evidence. Students will learn how to find key details in a passage and integrate them smoothly into their answers. 

The best part—students become more engaged and accountable for their learning! No more “ I just know” answers.

Step #1: Read the Entire Text

First and foremost, remind students that they need to read the entire text first. There are always students who go straight to the questions and then hunt and peck for their answers. This doesn’t allow students to fully comprehend the information presented and can lead to misunderstanding the question. 

To teach this, I like to use short engaging reading passages like the ones found in the Citing Text Evidence Worksheets. 

Step #2: Understand the Question

Before students can cite text evidence, they need to fully understand what the question is asking. Often, students rush to find an answer without thinking about what they need to prove. Teach them to identify keywords in the question, such as why, how, or explain. Then, students can determine what type of evidence they should look for. 

A great strategy is to have students restate the question in their own words before going back to the text. Using something like the RACES writing strategy can make this step easy to follow. The “R” in RACES stands for restate, and reminds students to restate the question first. These Citing Text Evidence Worksheets include a RACES writing guide breaking down each piece to answer text-based questions. 

Step #3: Find Relevant Evidence

Once students understand the question, they need to brainstorm how they may answer the question based on their knowledge of the passage. Next, students can go on a text evidence scavenger hunt! 

Teach students how to skim and scan the passage for information that supports their answers. I always ask the students to color-code the information per question. For example,  highlighting text evidence that supports question one in yellow. 

Honestly, this helps slow down those speed racers who tend to fly through each question. Give students ample time to look for key details, quotes, or facts that directly support answers. 

Step #4: Introduce the Evidence

This step is very important when teaching students how to cite text evidence. Students now need to support their responses with the text evidence they have found. If you are using the RACES writing strategy, this would be the “C” for cite text evidence. I always teach students that they have two options—paraphrasing or using a direct quote. 

Using a Direct Quote

It is essential that students fully understand what a direct quote is. Explain to students that using a direct quote requires copying down the exact words from the text. Additionally, students have to remember to add quotation marks around the quote. 

Simply dropping a quote into a response without introductions can make writing feel choppy or unclear. Teach students to set up their evidence by providing a sentence starter. 

Instead of writing:

The dog ran away. “The dog bolted out the door and into the street.”

Students should write:

The author shows that the dog ran away when she writes, “The dog bolted out the door and into the street.”

Some easy ways to introduce text evidence include:

• The text states…
• According to the article…
• The author explains…

Using these phrases ensures that students smoothly integrate their evidence instead of just tossing it into their response. Luckily, the Citing Text Evidence Worksheets provide specific examples of sentence starters listed on the RACES writing guide. This guide is printable and can be used as part of a writing center bulletin board, or can easily be placed inside a student notebook. 

Paraphrasing 

Paraphrasing means rewriting someone else’s words in your own way while keeping the original meaning the same. Unlike a direct quote, a paraphrase does not require quotation marks.

Students can still use a sentence starter when paraphrasing:

• From the reading, I know…
• In paragraph ___, it says…
• The author claims…

Encouraging students to practice paraphrasing helps them develop stronger reading comprehension and critical thinking skills.

Step #4: Cite the Evidence Correctly

Teaching how to cite text evidence isn’t just choosing the right evidence. Students must also properly format the evidence. This requires lots of practice. Thankfully, the Citing Text Evidence Worksheets have 10 nonfiction passages packed with text-based questions your students can practice with throughout the year. 

Specifically, students need to make sure they use quotation marks around direct quotes and paraphrase when possible. Additionally, including the source or paragraph number is icing on the cake!

Here is an example:

Correct: The text states, “The dog bolted out the door and into the street” (paragraph 3).
Incorrect: The dog ran away (the story).

As teachers, we all want our students to become great writers. Explicitly teaching students how to cite correctly helps them build good habits for writing in upper grades.

Step #5: Explain the Evidence

Finding and citing evidence is great! However, if students don’t explain and elaborate, their answer is incomplete. Students often struggle with this. They assume the evidence speaks for itself. 

Start by having students explain—“How does this evidence support my answer?” Next, teach students to elaborate and make their explanations longer. Students can also use a sentence starter for this step.

Encourage students to use phrases like:

• This shows that…
• This proves…
• This makes me think that…

By explaining their evidence, students strengthen their reasoning and make their answers more convincing. Plus, they are gaining confidence in how to cite text evidence! 

How to Cite Text Evidence Resources

Finding resources that target how to cite text evidence is crucial. Luckily, the Citing Text Evidence Worksheets focus on just that—citing text evidence!

This resource includes 10 nonfiction text evidence reading passages with questions. Additionally, it has a RACES writing guide for students. It helps teach students how to cite text evidence by understanding and incorporating evidence into their writing.

Practicing how to cite text evidence throughout the year is key! Students need repeated practice to ensure they master the skill. The Citing Text Evidence Worksheet BUNDLE is perfect for year-round practice! 

With the bundle, teachers can display the RACES classroom poster set, provide students with a RACES writing strategy bookmark, and scaffold instruction with writing graphic organizers.

Furthermore, there are 20 nonfiction reading passages with text-based questions to ensure students gain plenty of practice month to month. 

Wrapping It All Up

Teaching students how to cite text evidence is a game-changer in upper elementary. Students will learn how to find, introduce, and explain their evidence. The best part—their writing becomes stronger and more meaningful!

Citing text evidence is not just about answering a question. Students also develop critical thinking skills that benefit them in every subject. With explicit instruction, plenty of practice, and the right resources, students can move from vague responses to well-supported answers. 

So, keep encouraging your students to dig deeper and back up their ideas. Eventually, your students can become thoughtful, analytical readers and writers!

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Save this how-to for later!

Are you looking to improve your way of teaching how to cite text evidence? Your upper elementary students will benefit from a complete breakdown of exactly what to do when citing evidence. Make sure to save this blog to your favorite reading or writing Pinterest board. You’ll be able to come back to it later when you’re ready to teach text-based questions.