Kentucky Reading and Writing RI.8.2
The Standard
Determine central ideas of a text, and analyze how they are developed through relationships of key details, citing textual evidence, paraphrasing or summarizing.
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 identify the main points an informational text makes, not just its topic. They explain how key details connect to and build those points. They use evidence from the text and paraphrase or summarize in their own words.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can name the central ideas in an article and choose details that develop each one. They can explain how the details work together, cite relevant lines, and paraphrase without copying.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may name a topic, such as school start times, instead of a point the author makes about it. They may list facts without explaining how the facts connect. Some copy whole sentences and call that paraphrasing.
How to Assess It
- After reading a short article, ask: What is one central idea, and how do two details work together to develop it? Cite both details, then paraphrase the central idea in one sentence.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Hand pairs an article on later school start times with sleep data and student interviews; have them highlight details and draw arrows to its main idea.
Ask: How do the sleep data and student interviews work together to build the article's main idea? Point to both details.
Give groups one accurate central-idea card, one distractor, and six detail cards; have them sort the details and explain two links aloud.
Read a mock school lunch change notice with cost and student feedback details; explain how both details build the notice's main idea.
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Printable RI.8.2 Worksheet
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Related Standards
- RL.8.2
Determine themes of a text, and analyze how they are developed through relationships of characters, setting and plot, citing textual evidence, paraphrasing or s...
- RI.6.2
Analyze how the central ideas are reflected in a text by citing particular details and/or providing an objective summary.
- RL.7.2
Determine themes of a text and analyze their development through citing textual evidence, paraphrasing or summarizing.
- RI.7.2
Determine central ideas of a text and analyze their development through citing textual evidence, paraphrasing or summarizing.
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