CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2
The Standard
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 6—12
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students identify the main ideas in a history or social studies source and connect them to supporting details. They write a concise summary based only on the source.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students state the central idea of a primary or secondary source in their own words. They select key details and write an accurate summary without opinions or unsupported claims.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may name the broad topic instead of the central idea. They may copy whole sentences, include minor facts, or add opinions and outside knowledge.
How to Assess It
- Give students a 250-word history excerpt. Ask for a one-sentence central idea and a three-sentence summary using only information from the excerpt.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Cut a short historical source into detail cards, then have pairs sort key and minor details and build a two-sentence summary.
After reading a diary entry, ask, “What does the author want readers to understand, and which two details support that idea?”
Teams earn points by removing opinions, repeated facts, and side details from sample summaries while preserving the central idea.
Compare a news report and witness account of the same local event, then write a separate source-based summary for each.
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Printable RH.6-8.2 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
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Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.2
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key detail...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.2
Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.2
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of t...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.2
Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
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