CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.10
The Standard
By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 11—CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects 6—12
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students read challenging science and technical passages without step-by-step teacher support. They identify main ideas, follow explanations, interpret technical language, and connect written information with diagrams or data.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can summarize a demanding passage accurately without teacher guidance. The student interprets technical terms and visuals, tracks the author’s reasoning, and supports answers with precise evidence.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think recognizing the topic means they understand the passage. They often skip diagrams, footnotes, or data tables. Some overlook qualifiers such as “may,” “often,” and “under certain conditions.”
How to Assess It
- Give students a one-page technical passage with a diagram. Ask them to state the main idea, explain the diagram’s role, and cite two supporting details.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Students annotate a printed laboratory procedure, label its diagram, then arrange cut-up steps in the correct order using textual evidence.
Ask students to write: Which sentence carries the main claim, and how do two details or visuals qualify it?
Run an evidence hunt where teams locate definitions, claims, limitations, and cause-effect links, earning points only with accurate line citations.
Have students compare a medication label with its official fact sheet, then explain one warning that the shorter label presents less precisely.
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Printable RST.11-12.10 Worksheet

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.10, 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: Science & Technical Subjects progression map.
Before This Standard
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Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.10
By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 6—8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.10
By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 11—CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaff...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.10
By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 11—CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.
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