Citing textual evidence requires students to look back into the text for evidence to support an idea, answer a question or make a claim. Citing evidence requires students to think more deeply about the text, analyze the author, source etc. Students also practice finding strong evidence to support their ideas.
It is important to support your answers because using evidence discussion strengthens a person comprehension and confidence. When analyzing a text, it is important to provide these specifics to support your argument and give it legitimacy.
An example is if your little brother told you that the mall in your town was going to open up a petting zoo, would you believe him? What if he told you he read it on a sign at the mall? What if he told you specifically that he read about it on a sign to the left of the carousel which read ''Petting zoo coming in September''? The more specifics someone can provide when making a claim, the more they can support their argument.
