South Dakota ELA 11-12.WHST.2.c
The Standard
- 11-12.WHST.2
- Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
Use appropriate and varied transitional words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025) · Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students connect the main sections of an informational report so the reader can follow the reasoning. They choose words, phrases, or clauses that show contrast, sequence, or how evidence supports a conclusion.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can move from test results to a recommendation with a transition that makes the link clear. They use different transitions for contrast and cause, and can explain why each one fits.
Common Misconceptions
- Students often use 'also' at every section break, even when the next section presents a contrast. They may write 'as a result' when the evidence shows two things happening together, not cause and effect. Some connect nearby sentences but leave whole sections disconnected.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Give students two sections, 'Bed A dried by noon, and mulch slows evaporation' and 'Recommend mulch for Bed A.' Ask them to write a sentence linking the sections and circle the transition.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs three cut-up sections of a garden soil report and cards marked 'however,' 'because,' and 'as a result'; order the sections and justify each link.
Ask: Bed A dried by noon, but Bed B stayed damp. What transition best links this comparison to a mulch recommendation, and why?
Put 'also' between two garden report sections that disagree; teams race to replace it with a transition and explain their choice.
Use a school maintenance note about a clogged water filter and low pressure; write a transition into the recommendation to replace the filter.
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Related Standards
- 11-12.WHST.1.c
Use appropriate and varied transitional words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships betwe...
- 9-10.W.1.c
Use appropriate and varied transitional words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships betwe...
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