Clues in the Text | Open Textbooks

What is Text Evidence?

Text Evidence = Clues in the Story!

Text evidence is information from the story that helps you answer questions and prove your ideas. Good readers look for clues just like detectives!

Why Find Clues? When someone asks you "How do you know?" about something in a story, you can point to the exact words that gave you your answer. This is called "supporting your answer with evidence."

Authors don't always tell us everything directly. Sometimes they give us clues and expect us to figure things out. Let's learn the three main types of clues!

Three Types of Text Clues

📝 Clue Type 1: Word Choice

Authors pick their words carefully. The specific words they use give us clues about how characters feel and what's happening.

Maria stomped into her room and slammed the door behind her.

The words "stomped" and "slammed" tell us Maria is angry or upset. If she was happy, the author might have said she "skipped" or "danced" into her room!

🏃 Clue Type 2: Character Actions

What characters DO tells us a lot about them. Actions can show feelings, personality, and what might happen next.

Every morning, Jake woke up early to feed the stray cat before school. He saved part of his lunch to bring home for her too.

Jake's actions show he is kind and caring. He goes out of his way to help an animal, even when it's not easy.

💬 Clue Type 3: Dialogue

Dialogue is what characters say. Their words reveal their thoughts, feelings, and personality. Pay attention to HOW they say things too!

"I guess I could try it," Emma whispered, looking down at her feet. "But what if I'm not good enough?"

Emma's dialogue shows she is nervous and unsure of herself. The word "whispered" and her question about being "good enough" tell us she lacks confidence.

Inference Strategies

Use these strategies to find clues and figure out what the author means!

🔍

Look Closely

Read carefully and notice specific words the author chose.

❓

Ask Questions

Wonder "Why did the author say it this way?"

🧩

Connect Clues

Put different clues together to understand more.

💭

Use What You Know

Combine text clues with your own experience.

The Inference Formula:
Text Clues + What You Already Know = Inference (Your Smart Guess!)

Clue Hunt #1: Find the Feeling Words

Click on the words that show how Tommy feels!

Your Mission: Find the 3 words that tell us Tommy is excited.

How does Tommy feel about his birthday?

Tommy bounced out of bed on Saturday morning. Today was his birthday! He raced downstairs to see if the decorations were up. His eyes grew wide when he saw the balloons, and he let out a joyful shout. This was going to be the best day ever!

Clues found: 0 / 3

Clue Hunt #2: Find the Action Clues

Click on the actions that show the dog is scared!

Your Mission: Find the 4 clues that tell us the dog is frightened by the thunderstorm.

What clues show the dog is scared of the storm?

When the thunder boomed, Buddy the dog hid under the bed. His whole body was trembling. Every time lightning flashed, he whimpered softly. Buddy wouldn't come out, even when Mom called him. He just pressed himself flat against the floor and waited for the scary sounds to stop.

Clues found: 0 / 4

Clue Hunt #3: Find the Dialogue Clues

Click on the dialogue clues that show Grandma is wise and encouraging!

Your Mission: Find the 3 things Grandma says that show she is wise and supportive.

What does Grandma say that helps Lily feel better?

Lily sat on the porch with tears in her eyes. "I'll never learn to ride a bike," she sniffled.

Grandma smiled and sat down next to her. "Everyone falls before they fly," she said gently. "I believe in you, Lily."

"But what if I fall again?" Lily asked.

"Then you'll get back up again," Grandma said, giving her a hug. "That's what brave people do."

Clues found: 0 / 3

Writing with Evidence

When you answer questions about a story, use these sentence starters to include your evidence!

Evidence Sentence Starters

Click a starter phrase, then practice writing your own evidence sentence!

The text says... According to the story... I know this because... The author wrote... In the passage, it says... For example...

Practice Problems

Read each passage and answer the question. Look for text evidence!

Problem 1

Maya walked slowly to the front of the classroom. Her hands were shaking as she held her paper. She took a deep breath and began to read her poem in a voice so quiet that Mrs. Chen asked her to speak up.

How does Maya feel? What is the BEST text evidence?

Problem 2

"I can't wait to show you my painting!" said Carlos, grinning from ear to ear. He grabbed his mom's hand and pulled her toward the art room. "I worked on it for three whole weeks!"

What can you infer about Carlos? What clues tell you this?

Problem 3

The rabbit's ears shot straight up. Its nose twitched rapidly as it sniffed the air. In a flash, it darted into the bushes and disappeared.

What do the rabbit's actions tell us?

Problem 4

"You always get to pick the movie," Ava muttered, crossing her arms. "It's not fair." She turned her back to her brother and stared out the window.

Which type of clues BEST show how Ava feels?

Check Your Understanding

What is text evidence?

What are the THREE types of text clues we learned about?

If a character "stomped" and "slammed the door," what kind of clue is this?

What We Learned

🔍

Text Evidence

Clues from the story that prove your ideas

📝

Word Choice

Specific words authors pick to show meaning

🏃

Actions

What characters do reveals how they feel

💬

Dialogue

What characters say and how they say it

Remember! Good readers are like detectives. They find clues in the text, think about what they mean, and use evidence to support their answers. Always ask yourself: "What words in the story prove my thinking?"

Next Steps

Practice finding clues when you read any story
Use evidence sentence starters when answering questions
Look for all three types of clues: word choice, actions, and dialogue
When ready, move on to Drawing Conclusions!