CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.10
The Standard
By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Reading Standards for Informational Text
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students independently read varied essays, memoirs, biographies, and other literary nonfiction written at the middle school level. They show understanding through accurate summaries, inferences, and evidence-based explanations.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students read an unfamiliar essay, memoir, or biography excerpt and accurately explain its central ideas, details, structure, and key vocabulary. They reread and use context or notes without heavy teacher support.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think fluent reading automatically means strong comprehension. They may stop at every unfamiliar word instead of using context, or give personal reactions without text evidence.
How to Assess It
- Give students 12 minutes to read an unfamiliar 600-word memoir excerpt. Ask them to state the central idea, write an objective summary, and cite two supporting details.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Print a challenging essay excerpt, then have pairs annotate unknown words, turning points, and evidence with three colors before summarizing.
After reading a biography excerpt, discuss: Which detail most changes your understanding of the subject, and why?
Run a gist ladder where students earn points for accurate 20-word, 10-word, and 5-word summaries of increasingly difficult passages.
Students compare a news profile with an organization’s webpage, then explain how audience and purpose shape each account.
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Printable RI.7.10 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.10, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
Download the worksheetLearning progression
Where This Standard Sits
See the whole path on the Reading: Informational Text progression map.
Before This Standard
If students are struggling here, check these first.
What This Unlocks
Mastery here sets students up for these next.
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Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.10
By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6—8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffold...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.10
By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of grades 6—8 text complexity band independently a...
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