CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1d
The Standard
Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts
What This Standard Means
Students need to write arguments that sound formal, fair, and suited to the subject. They should avoid slang, overstatement, personal attacks, and casual phrasing. They also need to match the style expected in the field, such as literary analysis, history, science, or social science.
Mastery looks like controlled word choice, clear claims, evidence-based reasoning, and a steady tone from start to finish. Students often get stuck by writing too conversationally, using “I think,” sounding biased, or mixing formats from different subjects. Many need models that show how tone changes by discipline.
Ways to Teach It
- Give students a casual opinion paragraph and have them revise it into a formal argument using a discipline-specific word bank.
- Ask students to compare tone in a literary analysis paragraph and a science explanation, then write what each field expects.
- Use a five-minute exit ticket where students rewrite three informal sentences in a formal, objective style.
- Bring in a college syllabus, lab report, and editorial, then have students label tone choices that fit each setting.
Before This Standard
If students are struggling here, check these first.
Plan a Lesson for CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1d
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Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.1d
Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2e
Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.1d
Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.2e
Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.