South Dakota ELA 11-12.RST.5

ELAGrades 11–12Reading: Science/Technical Subjects

The Standard

Analyze how a text is structured (e.g. section, paragraphs, graphs, diagrams) to emphasize key points or advance an explanation or analysis.

South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025) · Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students identify how headings, paragraph order, graphs, and diagrams guide readers through a science or technical text. They explain why a feature appears where it does and how it highlights a finding or clarifies an explanation.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can explain how a graph placed after a claim gives readers evidence before the author interprets it. They can explain what readers would miss if the graph moved or were removed.
Common Misconceptions: Students may list headings and graphs without explaining what they do. They may treat a graph as decoration or miss how a diagram and nearby paragraphs work together.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: Give students this outline: 'Claim: Lake oxygen fell. Graph: Oxygen readings dropped from 8 to 3 mg/L. Analysis: Fish deaths rose.' Ask how moving the graph after the analysis would change the explanation.

Lesson moves

Cut apart a one-page water quality report into headings, paragraphs, and a graph; have groups rebuild it and explain where the graph belongs.
After reading a tornado safety guide, ask students to write why its shelter diagram appears beside the directions rather than at the end.
Run a sequencing race with cards labeled claim, graph, explanation, and conclusion; teams score a point for each placement they can justify.
Show a medicine label with a dosage table and warning box; ask which feature readers notice first and how its placement affects safe use.

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