Author’s Claim - the main point that the author is trying to get across in their writing. Author’s may have multiple claims in their writing, but they all must tie together in order to create the author’s overall purpose: why they wrote it to begin with. Directions: For each paragraph of the essay, complete the chart below. You need to identify the claim of each paragraph. You will state the claim in your own words. You will then identify the one piece of evidence from the paragraph that supports that claim. The first paragraph in the chart has been completed to help you.

Questions to consider in order to find claims:
What other important points is the author making?
What does author believe about the power of books?
What does author believe about how books affected him?
Why does autor believe books are important for the students in American Indian reservation schools today?
How can you prove your answers to these questions?

Paragraph
Author’s Claim (Your own words)
Evidence to support this claim
#1
The author claims that his upbringing and way of life did not hinder him from accomplishing what he wanted to do: learn to read.
“We lived on a combination of irregular
paychecks, hope, fear and government surplus food.”
#2
The author’s claim in this paragraph is that he wants to explain what house he lived in and tell everyone else so they can imagine it.
“Our house was filled with books. They were stacked in crazy piles in the bathroom, bedrooms and living room.
#3
The author's claim is explaining how a paragraph is relating to his family and his surroundings.
“I didn't have the vocabulary to say "paragraph," but I realized that a paragraph was a fence that held words.”
#4
The author claims that you can use different tactics to learn something new

#5
The author claims that stigma causes society to change their minds of what is considered extraordinary

#6
The author claims that the desire for acceptance can alter our behaviors

#7
The author claims that we must push ourselves in order to succeed

#8
The author claims that a positive influence can be the catalyst to further our drive to succeed