CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.2e
The Standard
Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students write explanations with precise vocabulary, complete sentences, and neutral wording. They avoid slang, chatty comments, emotional claims, and unsupported personal opinions.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student uses accurate subject vocabulary, complete sentences, and evidence-based claims. The wording stays neutral and consistent without slang, exaggeration, or personal reactions.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think academic writing requires long sentences and difficult words. They may also mistake strong claims, first-person reactions, or emotional language for evidence-based explanation.
How to Assess It
- Give students three informal sentences about a science experiment or historical event. Ask them to rewrite each sentence using precise, neutral academic language.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs sentence strips with slang, opinions, and precise facts, then have them sort and revise the unsuitable sentences.
Ask students to explain how word choice changes credibility in two versions of the same historical or scientific claim.
Play Formal Language Relay, with teams replacing contractions, vague words, and emotional phrases in short passages.
Compare a social media post with a museum label, then rewrite the post for a museum display.
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Printable WHST.6-8.2e Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.2e, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
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