Kentucky Reading and Writing RL.9-10.2
The Standard
Determine a theme or central idea of a text, and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details.
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 put a story’s theme into a full sentence, not just a single word. They use details from the beginning, middle, and end to show how that idea takes shape or changes.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain how Della’s $1.87, her hair sale, and the final gift exchange build an idea about love and sacrifice. They can say why the gifts matter even though neither person can use them.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may call “love” a theme, though it is only a topic. They may retell Della’s actions without explaining how the ending changes the meaning of a valuable gift.
How to Assess It
- After reading “The Gift of the Magi,” ask students to write one theme claim. Have them explain how Della’s $1.87, her hair sale, and the final gift exchange build or change it.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs printed cards showing Della’s $1.87, the hair sale, and the gift exchange to order and annotate with changing theme claims.
Ask: Why are Jim and Della’s gifts valuable even though neither can use them? Require a detail from the opening and ending.
Play a revision relay: reveal cards labeled $1.87, hair sale, watch sale, and unusable gifts; teams revise one theme claim after each card.
Hand out two store ads for expensive gifts; have students choose one and explain how Jim and Della might judge its value.
Free download
Printable RL.9-10.2 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to RL.9-10.2, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
Download the worksheetKeep exploring
Related Standards
- RI.9-10.2
Determine central ideas of a text and analyze in detail their development over the course of a text, including how they emerge and are shaped and refined by spe...
- RI.8.2
Determine central ideas of a text, and analyze how they are developed through relationships of key details, citing textual evidence, paraphrasing or summarizing...
- RL.11-12.2
Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one ...
- RI.11-12.2
Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to...
Turn this exact standard into a lesson
Grade, subject, topic, and the complete standard are prefilled. Create one free, no account needed.
Also for this standard:Make a WorksheetMake a QuizMake a Sub Lesson