How do sixth grade claim questions get harder?

They turn evaluative: strongest evidence, weakest point, what the author concedes. The reader stops asking what the argument says and starts asking whether it earns its claim.

Why does this skill matter beyond school?

Ads, posts, speeches, and headlines all make claims at your child daily. A reader who can find the claim and weigh its evidence is harder to fool, for life.

6th grade author's claim

6th grade author's claim worksheets

Sixth grade questions evaluate: which evidence is strongest, what the author concedes, and what a doubter would attack first. Reading an argument without being carried away by it is the beginning of every subject that argues, which is most of them.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core RI.6.8.

Each click picks one of the 13 passages written for this grade. Every sheet comes with its answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of passages you'll get

Read the passage. Then circle the letter of the best answer for each question.

Let Middle School Start Later

Our middle school's first bell rings at 7:30, and many sixth graders in first period have brains that, by their own inner clocks, would rather still be asleep. The district should move middle school start times to 8:30 a.m. or later, because the current schedule…

What is the author's claim? middle school should start at 8:30 a.m. or later · students should go to bed earlier on school nights · the school day should be made an hour shorter for everyone · elementary schools should start later than middle schools
Answer: middle school should start at 8:30 a.m. or later
What does the author admit is true about the objection? later starts can disrupt buses, sports, and parents' work schedules · teens could fall asleep earlier if they simply tried harder · the doctors' advice applies only to students in high school · a later start would cost money for new teachers and buildings

Each print picks one of the 13 passages written for this grade, and its questions come with it. With 13 to pick from, a second print can land on one you've used, so check the title before you hand it out.

What's on a 6th grade sheet

6th grade sheets draw from 13 passages, 301 to 329 words long. All 13 are on 5th grade sheets too, along with 13 more.

Some of the titles: Feed the Ground, Not the Truck, Shop Class Built More Than Birdhouses, The Case for the Class Trip, Adopt the Old Dog, Keep the Paper Map in the Glovebox, Everyone Plays.

Reading passage. Read the passage. Then circle the letter of the best answer for each question. One passage per sheet, with its own question set.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

Rank the evidence. Have your child pick the piece's strongest support and its weakest, and defend the ranking. There is rarely one right answer, and the arguing about it is the standard working exactly as intended.

Watch for: The claim is not always the first sentence, but it is always the sentence the whole piece works for. The test: which statement would the author defend if you argued back? Kids treat every sentence in a persuasive piece as fact. Argument writing mixes facts with opinions on purpose, and telling them apart inside the SAME piece is the skill.

Common questions about 6th grade author's claim

How do sixth grade claim questions get harder?: They turn evaluative: strongest evidence, weakest point, what the author concedes. The reader stops asking what the argument says and starts asking whether it earns its claim.
Why does this skill matter beyond school?: Ads, posts, speeches, and headlines all make claims at your child daily. A reader who can find the claim and weigh its evidence is harder to fool, for life.

Related worksheets

Ready to print one?

Want a different passage? Print again. Each print picks one of the 13.

Aligned to Common Core RI.6.8. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated October 2026.

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