Finding Text Evidence

Core Skills Workout: Text Evidence-LL
ESSAY: “Should Kids Play Football? ” pages 10-12
February 2015
®
THE LANGUAGE ARTS MAGAZINE
Name: ___________________________________________________ Date: ________________________
Finding Text Evidence
Directions: Read “Should Kids Play Football?” by Jennifer Shotz, then read the questions below carefully. Some will
ask you to select or find pieces of text evidence that support a statement we provide. Other questions will ask you to
support your own statement with text evidence.
1. Choose three pieces of text evidence from “Should Kids Play Football?” that BEST
support the statement.
Kids should not play football because it is too dangerous.
A “An increasing number of kids are choosing not to play.”
B “Football players of all ages have suffered permanent brain damage from repeated
concussions.”
C “ For example, Pop Warner has limited the amount of practice time that includes tackling.”
D “ Several NFL players have stated that the game is so risky they wouldn’t let their own kids play.”
E “Every year, tens of thousands of youth-football players get concussions.”
F “ If we got rid of football, where would we draw the line?”
2. Choose one piece of text evidence that BEST supports the statement. Then
complete the sentence to explain your choice.
There are ways to make youth football safer.
A “A single concussion, if treated properly, will likely heal without any long-term effects.”
B “Yet with all the public attention on the concussion crisis, football seems to be getting safer
every day.”
C “Nationwide programs are training coaches, parents, and athletes to recognize and treat
concussions.”
I chose ____ because ______________________________________________________________________________________
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Core Skills Workout: Text Evidence-LL
ESSAY: “Should Kids Play Football? ” pages 10-12
February 2015
3. Below is a conclusion drawn from “Should Kids Play Football?” along with
two pieces of supporting evidence. Find one more piece of evidence and
write it on the lines below.
Isaiah feared if he kept playing football, he could end up with permanent brain damage.
A “For two weeks, Isaiah had to rest in a dark, quiet room so his brain could heal. Then, for two
miserable months, he felt foggy and had trouble answering questions.”
B “ But as Isaiah slowly recovered from his injury, he began to think hard about the risks of the
game he loved.”
C _______________________________________________________________________________________________________
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4. Read the lines from both articles below. Write a statement that they support.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A “Young athletes learn discipline, focus, teamwork—skills that will help them be successful
later in life.”
B “[Football players] also reap the benefits of being physically active.”
C “Football can even help with college.”
5. Now it’s your turn. Write a statement based on one or both of the articles. Then
list three pieces of text evidence that support that statement.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A ________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
B ________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
C ________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
©2015 BY SCHOLASTIC INC. TEACHERS MAY PROJECT OR MAKE COPIES OF THIS PAGE TO DISTRIBUTE TO STUDENTS.
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