Kentucky Reading and Writing RI.2.2
The Standard
Identify implicit and explicit information from an informational text to determine the central idea of a text.
Kentucky Academic Standards for Reading and Writing (2025) · Key Ideas and Details
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students read a short nonfiction text and find facts the author states. They also work out ideas the author hints at, using clues in the text. They use both to name the central idea.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can name a central idea that covers the whole text, not just one detail. They point to a stated fact and explain an idea they figured out from the text. They show how both support the central idea.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may choose an interesting detail, like a fox's large ears, as the central idea. They may make a guess that the text does not support, or think an inference must be stated word for word.
How to Assess It
- Read aloud: 'A desert fox sleeps in its den during the hottest hours. It hunts after sunset. Its large ears help it cool down.' Ask students to write the central idea, copy one stated fact, and explain why they think the fox sleeps during the hottest hours.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs the fox passage and two sticky-note colors; mark stated facts blue, inferred ideas yellow, then write one central idea.
Ask partners, 'How do the fox's daytime sleep and nighttime hunting point to one central idea?'
Play clue match: teams pair 'sleeps during heat' and 'avoids overheating' with 'foxes stay cool,' then explain each match.
Make a zoo sign: 'Desert foxes rest during hot days and hunt at night.' Students tell a visitor its main point and why foxes rest.
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Printable RI.2.2 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to RI.2.2, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
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Related Standards
- RI.4.2
Analyze how the central ideas are reflected in a text, and cite relevant implicit and explicit evidence from the text.
- RI.1.2
With prompting and support, recognize key details from an informational text to demonstrate understanding of the central idea of a text.
- RI.K.2
With prompting and support, orally recognize key details from an informational text to demonstrate understanding of the central idea of a text.
- RI.3.2
Identify implicit and cite explicit information from an informational text to determine the central idea of a text.
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