Discover the evidence
Identify central ideas, make inferences, explore vocabulary in context, and introduce evidence into written responses.
Reading · Vocabulary · Short responses
Explore reading skills ↗GENIUS.NYC · Middle school learning
Grades 6–8 Reading & ELA
Read closely. Find the evidence. Build stronger ideas in writing. Explore grade-level pathways and try an original comprehension activity.
Follow your grade
Three stages of growing as a reader and writer
Each grade builds on the last: read for meaning, support interpretations, and communicate ideas with clarity.
Analyze how ideas develop
Explain how details shape a theme, compare perspectives, examine an author's choices, and write organized arguments.
Analysis · Comparison · Arguments
Explore reading skills ↗Build independent arguments
Evaluate evidence, analyze structure and point of view, synthesize across texts, and revise for precise language.
Synthesis · Writing · Revision
Explore reading skills ↗What you'll practice
Four connected literacy skills
Reading and writing reinforce each other. These pathways will grow into focused lessons and longer practice activities.
Reading comprehension
Determine what a passage says, infer what it suggests, and distinguish a main idea from supporting details.
Try a passage →Text evidence
Locate strong details and explain how those details support an interpretation.
Practice evidence →Vocabulary in context
Use nearby words, word parts, and context clues to interpret unfamiliar language.
Try vocabulary →Writing and revision
Develop a claim, organize reasons, include evidence, and strengthen clarity through revision.
Explore writing →Original reading practice
A small garden with a big effect
Read the short passage, then answer three questions. Explanations show the evidence behind each answer.
Informational passageApprox. 2-minute read
When students at a neighborhood middle school noticed that an unused courtyard collected litter after windy days, they proposed a new use for the space: a garden. Their first plan included bright flowers and benches. But after meeting with a science teacher, the students added native plants that could support local pollinators.
At first, the project moved slowly. The courtyard received limited sunlight, and the students disagreed about which plants belonged in the design. Instead of giving up, they measured sunlight at different times of day and compared plant requirements. The evidence helped them choose species that could thrive in the space.
By spring, the garden had become more than a place to grow plants. Classes used it to observe insects and collect data. Students took turns watering seedlings, and neighbors stopped to ask questions. What began as an effort to improve an overlooked corner of the school became a shared outdoor classroom.
Check your understanding0 of 3 answered
From reading to writing
Make a claim. Support it with evidence.
Writing prompt: How did gathering evidence help the students improve their garden plan?
Use a sentence that answers the question, one specific detail from the passage, and a sentence explaining how the detail supports your claim.
For families and teachers
One question can deepen a whole conversation.
After reading, ask: “Which sentence helped you reach that conclusion?” Encourage students to explain their reasoning before correcting an answer. For writing, invite them to revise one sentence for clarity instead of rewriting everything at once.
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