• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Choosing the best topic sentence; Citing textual evidence). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. ___ Many apps use bright notifications, endless scrolling and rewards to keep users coming back. Which topic sentence best opens this paragraph? (Scrolling is a word for moving down a page. / Notifications can be turned off in settings. / Phones have screens. / Many apps are deliberately designed to hold our attention.) → Many apps are deliberately designed to hold our attention.Prompt: Read the supporting sentences first. What do they ALL have in common?
2. Topic sentence: "Video calls helped many families stay close while living far apart." Which sentence does NOT belong in this paragraph? (Grandparents could see grandchildren every week. / The first telephone call was made in 1876. / Cousins in different countries played games together online. / Families shared birthdays on screen.) → The first telephone call was made in 1876.Prompt: Reread the topic sentence. What is the paragraph promising to discuss?
3. ___ They give us oxygen, provide homes for wildlife and cool cities on hot days. Some even help prevent floods by soaking up rainwater. Which topic sentence best opens this paragraph? (Trees do far more for us than most people realise. / Floods can be dangerous. / My favourite tree is in the park. / Some trees are very tall.) → Trees do far more for us than most people realise.Prompt: Read the supporting sentences first. What do they ALL have in common?

• Show two openings to the same piece of writing and ask which makes them want to read on.
• Share the objective: Choosing the detail that best supports a point. Read the success criteria together.

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: Point: "Our school canteen should offer more plant-based meals." Which detail best supports this point?
• Step 1: The best support is relevant (about the point) and specific (facts, figures, examples).
• Step 2: Survey evidence directly shows demand for the change.
• Step 3: So the answer is: In a canteen survey, 64% of students said they would choose a vegetarian option at least once a week.
• Answer: In a canteen survey, 64% of students said they would choose a vegetarian option at least once a week.
• Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

• Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
• Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

1. Point: "Dogs can be trained to help people with medical conditions." Which detail best supports this point? (My neighbour's dog barks at the postman. / Dogs were domesticated thousands of years ago. / Some trained dogs can alert their owners to a dangerous drop in blood sugar before symptoms start. / Dogs come in hundreds of breeds.) → Some trained dogs can alert their owners to a dangerous drop in blood sugar before symptoms start.Prompt: Which detail is directly about the point, not just the same topic?
2. Read the question and choose. Point: "The park needs more bins." Which detail is MOST relevant? • Many people walk their dogs there. • Volunteers collected 30 bags of litter there last month. • The park has a duck pond. • The park opened in 1901. (Many people walk their dogs there. / Volunteers collected 30 bags of litter there last month. / The park has a duck pond. / The park opened in 1901.) → Volunteers collected 30 bags of litter there last month.Prompt: Does the detail prove or illustrate the point, or is it just on the same topic?

• Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
• Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

• Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

1. Read the question and choose. Point: "Learning a second language has benefits." Which detail is MOST relevant? • Speaking two languages can open up more job opportunities. • Spanish has many speakers. • My aunt went to Portugal. • Some languages use different alphabets. (Speaking two languages can open up more job opportunities. / Spanish has many speakers. / My aunt went to Portugal. / Some languages use different alphabets.) → Speaking two languages can open up more job opportunities.Prompt: Does the detail prove or illustrate the point, or is it just on the same topic?
2. Point: "Short breaks during study sessions improve concentration." Which detail best supports this point? (Students who took a five-minute break every half hour made fewer errors in an experiment than those who studied without stopping. / Timers can be bought cheaply. / Some students study in their bedrooms. / Breaks are popular with everyone.) → Students who took a five-minute break every half hour made fewer errors in an experiment than those who studied without stopping.Prompt: Which detail is directly about the point, not just the same topic?

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-7.