South Dakota ELA 11-12.RI.9
The Standard
Analyze foundational U.S. and British/global documents of historical and literary significance. Evaluate the approaches of two or more authors for their central ideas, purposes, and rhetorical features.
South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students read excerpts from two major historical texts and identify each writer's main claim, purpose, and audience. They compare persuasive choices and explain how specific words help each writer make a case.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student distinguishes the call for independence from the case for women's education, even though both texts appeal to equality. They quote a phrase from each, explain how the wording serves its audience, and compare the strengths and limits of each approach.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may treat both writers as making the same argument about equality. They may label a passage 'emotional' without identifying the words that create that effect. They may assume the Declaration's claim about equality meant everyone had equal rights in 1776.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Compare how the Declaration of Independence and A Vindication of the Rights of Woman argue for equality. Quote one phrase from each and explain how its wording serves the writer's purpose.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Pairs color-code claims and persuasive moves in printed excerpts from the Declaration of Independence and A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.
Ask: How does each writer use equality to persuade a different audience? Require one quoted phrase from each excerpt.
Run a match-up: teams pair six quote cards with the correct writer and label each quote's persuasive move on a sticky note.
Students write a 30-word school board petition about equal access to advanced courses, borrowing and labeling one persuasive move from each excerpt.
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