CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.2
The Standard
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 the text.
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 idea or message in a primary or secondary source. They trace how key events and ideas build across the text, then write an accurate summary.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students state a clear central idea and select the events or details that build it from beginning to end. Their summary is accurate, concise, and free of personal opinions or minor details.
Common Misconceptions
- Students often name a broad topic instead of stating what the source says about that topic. They may list events, copy sentences, add opinions, or include details that do not show how the main idea develops.
How to Assess It
- Give students a short historical source and ask: “State the central idea, list two details that develop it, and write a three-sentence objective summary.”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give groups paragraph strips from a short historical account; students sequence them and label how each section develops the central idea.
After reading a speech excerpt, students state its central idea, then defend their wording to a partner with two quoted details.
Run a detail sort where teams classify evidence cards as supporting the central idea, adding context, or unrelated, then explain one disputed choice.
Students compare an eyewitness social media post with a news report, then summarize how each develops the same event differently.
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Printable RH.9-10.2 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.2, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
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Where This Standard Sits
See the whole path on the Reading: History/Social Studies progression map.
What This Unlocks
Mastery here sets students up for these next.
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Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2
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...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.2
Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; trace the text's explanation or depiction of a complex process, phenomenon, or concept; provide an accurat...
- 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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