South Dakota ELA 7.W.8.b

ELA7th GradeWriting

The Standard

Assess the credibility and accuracy of each source.

South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students identify who wrote a source, when it was posted, and what evidence it offers. They check a claim against an independent record before citing it.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can explain why an article belongs in a report, pointing to its author, date, and evidence. They can flag a number that conflicts with an independent record.
Common Misconceptions: Students may trust a polished website or a top search result without checking it. They may also treat two sites as independent confirmation when one copied the other's claim.
How to Assess It: Give students two mock flood reports: a dated article with a named author reporting 4 inches of rain, and an unsigned, undated post reporting 9. Provide a weather service record showing 4 inches; ask which report they would use and for two reasons.

Lesson moves

Hand pairs two printouts about the same storm, then have them highlight author names, dates, evidence, and claims they can check.
Ask students to write three sentences explaining whether an unsigned storm post is usable after comparing its rainfall claim with a weather service report.
Play Source Sort: teams place four sample pages into use, verify, or avoid piles and defend each placement with one visible clue.
Show a school closing post beside the district website; have students check the date and closure notice before drafting a message home.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 7.W.8.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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