Georgia 11.T.SS.2.c
The Standard
Build credibility through a consistent formal, authoritative tone indicative of a confident and knowledgeable expert. (C)
Georgia's K-12 English Language Arts Standards · Texts (T) · Structure & Style
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students write with a steady, formal voice that sounds informed and confident. They choose precise words, control sentence structure, and support claims without slang or empty certainty.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student writes a full passage with precise language, controlled sentences, and claims supported by relevant evidence. The student can find and revise shifts into casual, vague, or uncertain language.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think authority comes from long words, passive voice, or unsupported certainty. They may also shift into slang, casual asides, exaggeration, or repeated hedging.
How to Assess It
- Use this exit ticket: Rewrite three casual sentences as a formal paragraph for a school board report, keeping the meaning and adding one supported claim.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Sort sentence strips into authoritative, uncertain, and overly casual groups, then revise two weak examples using precise words and evidence.
Discuss this prompt: When does confident writing become overconfident, and how can evidence keep an authoritative tone trustworthy?
Run a tone repair relay where teams revise slang, vague claims, hedging, and exaggeration in a sample editorial.
Turn a casual social media complaint about a community issue into a formal memo addressed to a city official.
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Printable 11.T.SS.2.c Worksheet
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Related Standards
- 10.T.SS.2.c
Use formal style when speaking or writing to establish credibility and tone. (C)
- 6.T.C.2.d
Use credible sources to research the answers to questions on academic and individual topics of interest. (C)
- 12.T.SS.2.c
The 12th Grade version of this standard.
- 9.T.SS.2.c
Use formal or informal style, as appropriate to audience, purpose, and context. (C)
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