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Reading and Writing 6-8 / Week 01 / Thursday
4/6
Week 01 · Evidence Hunters

Thursday

The strongest evidence
// Say what you see, then say what it means
⏱ about 20 min

Thursday: The Strongest Evidence

Three cards sit on the Signal Desk, each with a line from a story about a lost dog.

"All three prove he never went far," Rocket says. "Pick any one."

Raven lines the cards up. "They do not prove it equally. What do you notice about this one?"

Rocket reads it. "It says he is scared of the big road. So he probably stayed close."

"Probably," Raven repeats. "That word is a crack in the case."

Nova dims her light to a thin beam and points it at the middle card. "Which line needs the least guessing?" she asks.

Rocket reads the middle card aloud. "Her house was two doors from the ramp." He nods slowly.

"That one," he says. "No probably. Just distance. That is the strongest evidence."

Learn it: not all evidence is equal

Several lines can support one point. The strongest evidence is the line that supports it most directly, with the least guessing.

Ask: does this line state the point, or does it only make the point likely? Stated beats likely.

Raven thinks aloud: "The text says his house was two doors from the ramp. That is distance, stated. It beats a line about what he is scared of."

Weaker evidence is not useless. It can back up the strongest line as a second piece.

  • Gather every line that could support the point.
  • Cross out lines that need a lot of guessing.
  • Pick the line that states the point most directly.
  • Use the rest as backup, in order of strength.

Read it

Read it
Biscuit Comes Home
The card on the corkboard said: "LOST. Biscuit. Brown dog, white paws, answers to his name. Last seen on Maple Street."
Raven read it twice. Then she took her notebook and went to find the owner, a girl named Priya from the blue house.
"He slipped out this morning," Priya said. "He never goes far. He is scared of the big road."
Raven wrote that down. Then she and Rocket walked the block, one side each.
Behind the library branch, Rocket found paw prints in the mud by the drinking fountain. They were still fresh.
"White paws," Raven said, pointing at a pale smudge on the step. "He stopped here."
At the community garden, the gate was latched. No prints. Raven crossed it off her list.
Near the skate ramp, a neighbor said she had heard barking under the ramp around noon.
Rocket crawled under the ramp with Nova's light. In the shade, curled on a pile of leaves, lay a brown dog with white paws.
"Biscuit?" Rocket said. The dog's tail thumped twice.
Priya's house was two doors from the ramp. Biscuit had never been more than a block from home.
Rocket carried him out into the light. Priya was already running down the sidewalk, calling his name.
He was back on his porch before dinner, asleep with his nose on Priya's shoe.
That night, Raven pinned a new card over the lost notice. It said: "FOUND. He was never far."
CHECK IT: BISCUIT COMES HOME
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Which line most strongly supports the point that Biscuit never went far?
Which evidence best shows the paw prints were Biscuit's?
Which clue told the crew where to look last?
The dog's tail thumped twice. What does this most strongly support?
StatementTrue or false?
The crew found prints at the community garden.?
Biscuit was found under the skate ramp.?
Biscuit came home after dark.?
Priya said Biscuit never goes far.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEThe garden had no prints and was crossed off. Biscuit was home before dinner, not after dark.
Around what time of day did the neighbor hear barking? Type the word.
WHY THIS EXERCISEThe time is explicit, and it is the clue that sent the crew under the ramp.
WEIGH IT: STATED OR LIKELY?
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
"Biscuit had never been more than a block from home." Stated or likely?
Biscuit went under the ramp to hide from the sun. Stated or likely?
Priya was glad to see him. Stated or likely?
RANK THE EVIDENCE THAT BISCUIT STAYED CLOSE, STRONGEST FIRST
  • ?Priya's house was two doors from the ramp.
  • ?Fresh prints with a white smudge were found behind the library, on the same block.
  • ?Priya said he is scared of the big road.
WHY THIS EXERCISEThe strongest line states the point directly. The prints need one step of guessing, and the fear needs two.
Try it
Say one point about a story you know well.
Think of two lines or moments that support it. Decide aloud which one is stronger, and say why.

You can now weigh evidence, not just find it. Tomorrow Nova reviews the whole week.

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