CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2e
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 informational pieces that sound formal, clear, and fair. They should avoid slang, casual phrasing, and personal bias unless the task calls for it. They also need to match the writing style of the subject, such as using precise terms in science, evidence-based claims in history, or literary terms in English.
Mastery looks like a student choosing words, sentence patterns, citations, and evidence that fit the field and audience. Students often get stuck by sounding too conversational, using “I think,” overstating claims, or mixing styles from different subjects. They may also confuse formal tone with wordy writing.
Ways to Teach It
- Give students a casual paragraph about a topic and have them revise it into a formal, objective version for a specific subject area.
- Ask students to explain how a science lab report should sound different from a literary analysis paragraph.
- Use a three-minute exit ticket where students replace five informal or biased phrases with formal, objective alternatives.
- Show excerpts from a news report, journal article, and policy brief, then have students label tone and discipline-specific conventions.
Before This Standard
If students are struggling here, check these first.
Plan a Lesson for CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2e
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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.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.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.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.