What changes about text evidence in sixth grade?

More of the claims are inferences. A fourth grader finds the line that shows a stated fact. A sixth grader finds the line that proves something the passage only implies, which is what the grade-6 standard asks for.

How can I tell if my child really understands evidence?

Ask what the chosen sentence proves, in their own words. If the answer matches the claim, they have it. If it only matches the topic, reread the claim together and look again.

6th grade text evidence

6th grade text evidence worksheets

Sixth grade text evidence worksheets ask for the line that supports what a passage states and what it only implies. Every option is a real sentence from the passage, and many claims are inferences, so your child has to read the claim closely before hunting for proof.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core RI.6.1.

Each click picks one of the 15 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.

The Vote That Built Congress

In the summer of 1787, fifty-five delegates met in Philadelphia with a problem that nearly ended their work before it began. They agreed that the country needed a stronger national Congress. They could not agree on who should control it. Under the Articles of Confederation,…

Which sentence most strongly supports the claim that small-state delegates feared losing power under a plan based on population? To them, equal votes were the only protection against being swallowed by their powerful neighbors. · Small-state delegates answered with the New Jersey Plan, which kept one vote per state. · Delaware, with fewer than sixty thousand people, counted exactly as much as Virginia, with well over half a million. · The large states considered this unfair.
Answer: To them, equal votes were the only protection against being swallowed by their powerful neighbors.
Which sentence most strongly supports the claim that the Connecticut plan gave each side something it wanted? In the House of Representatives, seats would be based on population, as the large states wanted; in the Senate, every state would have two members, as the small states wanted. · Congress would have two houses. · Bills would have to pass both. · The solution came from Connecticut, a middle-sized state with reasons to fear both sides.

Each print picks one of the 15 passages written for this grade, and its questions come with it. With 15 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 15 passages, 386 to 459 words long. 6th to 8th grade print from the same 15 passages. What changes is the standard (RI.6.1 here) and the teaching notes below. None of these passages are on 5th grade sheets. On 5th grade sheets they run 257 to 280 words.

Some of the titles: Reading Is Power, The Doctor Who Said Wash, Eighteen Months at a Gallop, Second Chair, The Trip No Butterfly Finishes, High Water.

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

Split the claim into its parts before looking for proof. A claim like 'she hid her worry' has two parts, the worry and the hiding, and the right line shows both. A line that shows only one is a near miss, and near misses are what the wrong options at this grade are made of.

Watch for: Kids pick the sentence that mentions the same TOPIC as the claim. Evidence must support the claim, not merely be nearby. The wrong options are true lines from the same passage for exactly this reason. The best evidence is often not the most exciting sentence. A quiet line that shows the fact directly beats a dramatic line that only hints.

Common questions about 6th grade text evidence

What changes about text evidence in sixth grade?: More of the claims are inferences. A fourth grader finds the line that shows a stated fact. A sixth grader finds the line that proves something the passage only implies, which is what the grade-6 standard asks for.
How can I tell if my child really understands evidence?: Ask what the chosen sentence proves, in their own words. If the answer matches the claim, they have it. If it only matches the topic, reread the claim together and look again.

Related worksheets

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Want a different passage? Print again. Each print picks one of the 15.

Aligned to Common Core RI.6.1. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated October 2026.

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