South Dakota ELA 8.L.1
The Standard
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking; retain and further develop language skills learned in previous grades. Explain the function of verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives) in general and their function in particular sentences. Form and use verbs in the active and passive voice. Form and use verbs in the indicative, imperative, interrogative, conditional, and subjunctive mood. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.
South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students explain how gerunds, participles, and infinitives work in a sentence. They choose active or passive voice and verb forms for statements, questions, commands, conditions, and imagined situations. They fix confusing shifts in voice and mood.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain why “Swimming” names an activity in “Swimming helps me” but describes a noun in “the swimming dog.” They can rewrite a sentence in passive voice, choose “were” for an unreal wish, and correct an accidental shift from statement to command.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may call every -ing word a gerund, even when it describes a noun. They may mistake past tense for passive voice or write “If I was” for an unreal wish. They may switch voice or mood halfway through a sentence without noticing.
How to Assess It
- Give students these lines: “Swimming calms Lee”; “The race was won by Lee”; “If Lee was the coach, she would pick the team.” Ask them to explain Swimming’s job, rewrite the passive sentence in active voice, and correct the unreal condition.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs strips reading “Swimming helps me,” “The swimming dog barked,” and “I like to swim”; have them label each verbal’s job.
Ask students to write a wish beginning “If I were” and a real possibility beginning “If I am,” then compare the verbs.
Run a correction relay with “The chef cooked dinner, and dessert was served by her”; teams rewrite it in one consistent voice.
Show a bus safety notice; students rewrite “Students remain seated” as a command and a question, then choose which fits the notice.
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