South Dakota ELA 11-12.RH.6
The Standard
Evaluate differing points of view on the same historical event or issue by assessing the authors’ claims, reasoning, and evidence. Evaluate a text for bias, misinformation, or propaganda.
South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025) · Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students compare accounts of the same historical event or issue. They test each author's claims against the reasons and evidence given. They check facts and flag slanted wording, false claims, or propaganda.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain where two authors disagree and quote evidence each uses. They can say whether that evidence supports the claim and check a disputed fact against a reliable third source.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may assume bias means every detail is false, or call a source propaganda simply because they disagree with it. They may quote a vivid detail that does not support the author's claim.
How to Assess It
- Give students short excerpts from “A Call for Unity” and King's “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Ask them to name one disagreement, quote support from each text, and identify one claim that needs checking.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Hand pairs excerpts from “A Call for Unity” and King's reply; have students highlight claims, reasons, and evidence in different colors.
Ask students to write: “Why did the clergymen and King disagree about the Birmingham protests, and what evidence did each use?”
Put six statements from the two texts on cards; teams sort them into claims, evidence, and persuasive wording.
Compare two news reports on a Confederate monument removal; have students check one disputed claim against the city council's vote record.
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Printable 11-12.RH.6 Worksheet
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