CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.2d
The Standard
Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic; convey a knowledgeable stance in a style that responds to the discipline and context as well as to the expertise of likely readers.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts
What This Standard Means
Students need to write about complex topics with clear, exact word choices. They should use terms from the field correctly, not just to sound smart. They also need to use comparisons, examples, and analogies when those tools make a hard idea easier to follow.
Mastery looks like a writer who sounds informed and fits the subject, audience, and purpose. A lab explanation should not sound like a personal blog. A history argument should use historical terms accurately. Students often get stuck using vague words, overloading sentences with jargon, or adding metaphors that confuse rather than clarify.
Ways to Teach It
- Give students a vague paragraph and have them replace weak words with precise terms from a provided word bank and course text.
- Ask students to explain when a metaphor or analogy helps a reader understand a difficult idea and when it distracts.
- Collect one revised sentence from each student that uses a discipline-specific term accurately and improves clarity.
- Have students compare a medical brochure and a research abstract, then note how vocabulary changes for each audience.
Before This Standard
If students are struggling here, check these first.
Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.2d
Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2d
Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2d
Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.
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