Now let’s figure out how to spot the right textual evidence. No matter how you slice it, the goal is the same: to support your argument. It could be an exact line taken straight from the text (a direct quote), your own version of what the author said (a paraphrase), or even a boiled-down version of a big section (a summary).
What is Textual Evidence?Īlright, let’s break it down: What’s this thing called textual evidence? It’s pretty much any part of a book or article that you use to back up your points. This skill will follow you to college and even to your future job, where being able to back up your ideas with solid facts will really matter. And this isn’t just for getting good grades. High school is all about learning to juggle different kinds of reading – stories, factual articles, you name it – and making strong points about them. However, this process is an immensely powerful exercise in teaching students how to become effective communicators.
It takes work! Digging to find the right evidence, integrating it, citing it correctly, and explaining how it ultimately supports your claim is no simple task. It’s not the most exciting thing to search for text evidence to incorporate into your writing.