South Dakota ELA 7.RL.4.b

ELA7th GradeReading Literature

The Standard

Analyze the impact of sound devices and allusions on a specific part of a poem, story, or drama.

South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students spot sound patterns and references to other stories in a poem, story, or play. They explain how each one affects a particular moment, using words from the passage as proof.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can explain how 'thud, thud' makes approaching footsteps feel threatening. They can explain how a reference to David and Goliath casts a character as an underdog in that scene.
Common Misconceptions: Students may name a repeated sound without explaining its effect. They may miss a reference because they do not know the story behind it, or explain what it means without connecting it to the scene.
How to Assess It: Give students this line: 'Thud, thud, the footsteps neared; I stood like David before Goliath.' Ask how the repeated sound and the story reference each affect this moment.

Lesson moves

Print 'Thud, thud, footsteps neared; I stood like David before Goliath' and have pairs color-code the repeated sound and story reference.
Have students write how changing 'thud, thud' to 'tap, tap' and David to Hercules would change the scene.
Run a card match: students pair 'thud, thud' with rising danger and 'like David' with underdog courage, then defend each match.
Have students write a two-sentence sports recap using 'thud, thud' and 'David versus Goliath,' then explain how each frames the final play.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 7.RL.4.b, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

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