CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2e

ELAGrades 9–10Text Types and Purposes

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

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students write in a formal, objective way that fits the academic subject and task. They choose precise language and follow the usual structure, vocabulary, and conventions of that discipline.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students use precise words, complete sentences, and a steady, objective tone. They follow the expected format and vocabulary for the subject without sounding casual or biased.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think formal writing requires long words, passive voice, or stiff sentences. They may also include slang, contractions, personal reactions, or unsupported judgments in objective writing.
How to Assess It: Give students an informal, opinion-heavy paragraph. Ask them to rewrite three sentences using formal language, an objective tone, and conventions suited to the subject.

Lesson moves

Give pairs a casual paragraph to revise with precise words, complete sentences, and an objective tone, then compare revisions.
Ask students to explain how a lab report should sound different from a literary analysis and support their answer with sample sentences.
Play Formal or Informal Sort using sentence cards, then have teams revise every informal example for a named academic subject.
Compare a news report, lab report, and product review, then identify how each uses tone, evidence, and subject-specific conventions.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2e, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

Learning progression

If students are struggling here, check these first.

Mastery here sets students up for these next.

Keep exploring

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