South Dakota ELA 7.RL.2.b
The Standard
- 7.RL.2
- Determine a theme or central idea(s) of a text.
Identify key textual details to support the analysis.
South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students make a claim about a character, conflict, or theme in a story. They choose the details that best back it up and explain what each detail shows.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can use a character's words or actions to defend an interpretation. They can explain why those details fit the claim better than other facts in the story.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may pick a dramatic sentence that has little to do with their claim. They may retell the plot or copy a quote without explaining what it proves.
How to Assess It
- After reading a short story, ask: “What does the main character want most? Give two details from the story and explain how each supports your answer.”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs six sentence strips and a character claim; have them sort strong proof from weak proof and explain their top pick.
Ask: Which detail best shows why the character lied, and what does it reveal beyond the lie itself?
Play Evidence Match: post three claims about a story, then have teams match each to the strongest sentence from a set of cards.
Give students a one-paragraph movie review; have them underline the scene that supports its claim, then do the same with a story.
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Printable 7.RL.2.b Worksheet
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