4.70 Choose Relevant Reasons and Evidence Worksheet

During a dry summer, the city asked residents to use less water. Mr. Jones compared two ways to water his garden: a sprinkler and a drip hose. He watered with the sprinkler for 15 minutes and noticed water spraying onto the sidewalk and evaporating in the sun. The next day, he used a drip hose for the same amount of time. The soil near the plant roots was wet, but the sidewalk stayed mostly dry. When Mr. Jones checked his water meter, the drip hose used less water than the sprinkler. He decided to keep using the drip hose. Claim: Drip hoses can water plants with less wasted water than sprinklers.

In science, the class tested whether sunlight helps plants grow. They planted two bean seeds in the same kind of soil and used the same size cups. One cup stayed on the windowsill, and the other cup stayed in a closet. Both cups got the same amount of water each day. After a week, the window plant was taller and greener. The teacher explained that using two plants with everything the same except sunlight makes the test fair, so students can trust the result. Claim: Using a control in an experiment makes the results more reliable.

Rosa wrote an opinion paragraph asking the school to add more shade on the playground. Her first draft said, “Shade is good because it’s hot.” Her teacher asked her to revise by adding precise facts from a short article about sun safety. Rosa reread the article and added a statistic about how sunburn can happen faster than people think. She also added a detail about how shade can lower the temperature on blacktop. In her final draft, Rosa’s reasons were clearer, and the paragraph sounded more convincing. Claim: Adding precise facts can make an opinion paragraph more convincing.