Give your students a clear, repeatable framework for thinking like analytical readers and communicating their ideas with confidence.
Constructing strong ELA responses requires more than simply having an opinion. Students must make a clear claim, support that claim with relevant text evidence, and provide textual reasoning that bridges the two. The CER ELA Framework Whiteboard Display provides a high-visibility, interactive reference system that brings this essential reading comprehension and writing process directly to your dry-erase board.
By breaking written responses into three clear, manageable steps, students gain a reliable framework for analyzing literature, interpreting informational texts, discussing reading passages, and constructing evidence-based essays. Use the display during whole-class instruction, book studies, ELA discussions, written responses, or daily review to help students build stronger textual arguments independently.
This modular static cling system is designed to flexibly adapt to your classroom routines. Use the core C-E-R book-and-shelf icons as a simple visual anchor, add the definition clings for explicit student guidance, or include speech bubble sentence starters to help students confidently begin constructing their responses.
This comprehensive ELA thinking system guides students through the three essential parts of a written textual argument:
C – Claim
What do you think?
Answer the question in a clear, one-sentence statement. A claim is the student's primary point or thesis based on the reading, text passage, or prompt being analyzed.
E – Evidence
What did you find?
Use information from the reading, text evidence, supporting work, etc. Evidence provides the specific facts, direct quotes, or observations from the passage that show why the claim is supported.
R – Reasoning
Why does it matter?
Summarize your claim and evidence. Explain HOW the evidence supports your claim. Reasoning connects the textual evidence back to the claim by explaining the deeper meaning that makes the evidence valuable.
1. CER Bookshelf Set (7 Clings): The floating wooden shelf with books clings display the strategy letter along with its core component word: Claim, Evidence, or Reasoning. This option is perfect for teachers who want a clean, aesthetic visual anchor for their reading classroom or who already have their own ELA prompts and instructional language.
2. CER Bookshelf and Definitions Clings Set: Includes the 7 CER bookshelf clings plus 3 matching definition clings to place directly alongside them. The definition clings provide explicit student-friendly prompts for each step:
Claim: What do you think? Answer the question in a clear, one-sentence statement.
Evidence: What did you find? Use information from the reading, text evidence, supporting work, etc.
Reasoning: Why does it matter? Summarize your claim and evidence. Explain HOW the evidence supports your claim.
This option is ideal for ELA classrooms where students benefit from having the CER process and expectations clearly visible throughout the school year.
3. CER Bookshelf, Definitions and Speech Bubbles Set: Help students move from knowing what CER means to actually beginning their written response. The optional speech bubble clings provide actionable writing rules and starter phrases for each section:
Claim Speech Bubble:
Evidence Speech Bubble:
Reasoning Speech Bubble:
Use these clings during written responses, reading notebooks, novel studies, constructed-response questions, and classroom discussions to help students confidently put their textual analysis into words.
"Binder Ready" Details: If you pick "yes" for "Binder Ready" clings, the clings will arrive on "Binder Ready" sheets. Each sheet is 8.5x14" and fits into a legal-size three ring binder. "Binder Ready" sheets come hole punched and ready for storage. Read more about "Binder Ready" sheets here.