{"id":5605,"date":"2025-06-08T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-08T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/?p=5605"},"modified":"2025-05-27T19:22:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T23:22:09","slug":"how-to-teach-claim-evidence-reasoning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/how-to-teach-claim-evidence-reasoning\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Teach Claim, Evidence, Reasoning in the English Classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you’ve ever felt like your students are tossing out opinions without backing them up—or writing essays that feel more like rambling journal entries—then it might be time to teach them the Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) framework<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the CER process has its roots in the science classroom, English teachers are starting to realize what science teachers have known all along: CER helps students build critical thinking, make evidence-based arguments, and communicate more clearly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short? It’s a great way to boost writing skills and student engagement—especially in middle and high school ELA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know that my own students’ writing became more detailed, more specific, and more analytical when I implemented CER! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how do you take the CER strategy and make it work in English Language Arts?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s break it down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

​(Need to introduce C-E-R fast? Check out my CER Writing Resource Bundle right here!<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Blog post Pinterest Pin that reads, \"How to Teach Claim Evidence Reasoning\" above the image of an arc of pen tips<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

What Is CER?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In short, CER is a writing framework or formula you can use to scaffold analytical writing–just like you would use a 5-paragraph essay framework to scaffold essay writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CER stands for Claim, Evidence, Reasoning—a writing structure originally used in general science to help students explain their thinking using the scientific process. <\/strong>It’s a way to build a complete and logical argument:<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Teachers<\/a>
Need to teach CER fast? Get everything you need in this Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning Writing Bundle!<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n