South Dakota ELA 1.W.2.b
The Standard
- 1.W.2
- Write informative/explanatory texts that:
Include facts about the topic.
South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students write about one topic and add facts that are true and can be checked. They use details from a book or their own observations instead of guesses or likes.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given a topic like frogs, a student writes two accurate facts that stay on topic. They can show where they found each fact in a book or what they observed.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may write 'Dogs are the best pets' as if it were a fact. They may also add a true sentence about another animal that does not help explain their topic.
How to Assess It
- Show a photo of a turtle. Ask students to write two facts about the turtle that they can check by looking at the photo.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give each pair a pinecone to observe, then have them write two facts they can check with their eyes or hands.
Ask, 'Is Frogs have legs a fact? Is Frogs are the best animals a fact? How do you know?'
Hand out cards reading 'Butterflies have wings' and 'Butterflies are pretty'; students sort them into fact and opinion piles.
Read today's school lunch menu; students write two facts about the meal, naming the main dish and a listed side.
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