South Dakota ELA 7.RI.8.a
The Standard
- 7.RI.8
- Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text.
Assess whether the reasoning is sound.
South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students trace how a writer gets from reasons to a conclusion in an article. They decide whether the conclusion follows or whether the writer skips a step.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student points to a specific reason and the conclusion it supports. They explain why the link works or name a missing assumption.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may call an argument sound just because they agree with its conclusion. They may treat two events happening together as proof that one caused the other.
How to Assess It
- Write on the board: “After the school added a water fountain, attendance rose. The fountain raised attendance.” Ask students to explain why that conclusion might not follow.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs strips with an article’s reasons and conclusion about school lunches; have them arrange the strips and flag any leap.
Ask: “If a town added bike lanes and crashes fell, did bike lanes cause the drop?” Have students name another possible cause.
Put four arguments about phone bans on cards; partners label each argument sound or flawed and defend one choice.
Read a city flyer proposing more bus stops; students underline its reasons and decide whether they support the promised shorter commutes.
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