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Common Core ELA6th GradeReading: Literature

RL.6.1: Cite Textual Evidence to Support Analysis

Also written as CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.1 · Cluster: Key Ideas and Details.

All 41 6th Grade ELA Standards

The Official Wording

Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

Common Core State Standards, Grade 6, Reading: Literature · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What RL.6.1 Means in Plain English

Sixth graders back every claim about a story or poem with the words that prove it, whether the text says it outright or only hints. If a student decides a character is hiding something, they quote the line that gave it away and explain how that line leads there.

In 5th grade (RL.5.1) students quoted accurately when explaining a text and drawing inferences. Sixth grade puts the quote to work in an analysis, so it has to prove a point, not decorate one. In 7th grade (RL.7.1) students cite several pieces of evidence for each point.

RL.6.1 I Can Statements

  • I can quote a line that proves what a story states.
  • I can explain how a detail supports something the author only hints at.
  • I can choose the piece of evidence that best supports my claim.

RL.6.1 Worked Example

A sister comes home with a suitcase too big for the weekend, and since nobody says why, the answer has to be built from evidence.

Read the Story
Lena’s suitcase was too big for a weekend visit. Teo noticed that before he noticed her new haircut.At dinner Dad asked about her midterms. Lena pushed her rice from one side of the plate to the other and said, “They happened.”That night Teo found her college sweatshirt in the hall closet, folded under the winter coats, where no one would look until December.Lena caught him holding it. “Don’t tell Mom yet,” she said.
A short passage written for this page.
Question: Why has Lena really come home? Support your answer with what the text states and with details that lead to an inference.
Not Yet“Lena is sad about college. You can tell because she acts sad at dinner.”The evidence just repeats the claim. Nothing is quoted, and the text never says Lena is sad, so the reader can’t check where the idea came from.
Meets the Standard“Lena seems to have left college without telling her parents. The text states her suitcase is ‘too big for a weekend visit,’ so she plans to stay. Asked about midterms, she says only ‘They happened,’ which dodges the question. She hides her college sweatshirt ‘where no one would look until December’ and asks Teo not to tell Mom ‘yet,’ so something has changed that she isn’t ready to admit.”It separates what the text states from what it implies, quotes four specific details, and explains how each one points to the same inference.
Question Stems to Use
What does the text say directly about this?What can you infer, and which line led you there?Which quote is the strongest proof, and why that one?How does this detail support your claim?Is there a line that argues against your inference?

Common Mistakes with RL.6.1

Evidence that repeats the claim

“She’s sad because she acts sad.”

Try this: Require a quotation mark in every piece of evidence, then ask students to point to the exact line on the page.

A quote with no explanation

“Lena says ‘They happened.’ This proves she left college.”

Try this: Add a “because” sentence after every quote that says what the words show and how they connect to the claim.

Citing only what is stated

Lists the suitcase and the sweatshirt but never says what they suggest

Try this: Split a T-chart into “The text says” and “So I think,” and fill both columns before writing the answer.

Where RL.6.1 Fits

Comes BeforeRL.5.1Quote accurately when explaining what a story says and when drawing inferences.
AlongsideRI.6.1The same evidence move with articles, memoirs and other nonfiction.W.6.9Use evidence from stories in their own written analysis.
Comes NextRL.7.1Cite several pieces of evidence to support each point of an analysis.

Practice RL.6.1

Quick Check

  1. What does the story state directly about Lena’s suitcase?
  2. How does Lena answer Dad’s question about her midterms?
  3. Where does Teo find the sweatshirt, and what does the hiding place suggest?

RL.6.1: Other Names

RL.6.1CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.1

Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Official wording from the Common Core State Standards PDFs at corestandards.org, last checked October 14, 2026. The explanation, I can statements, example, mistakes and practice on this page are EMStudio’s own, written beside the official wording. They are not part of the standard.