South Dakota ELA 8.RI.10.a
The Standard
- 8.RI.10
- By the end of the year, independently read and comprehend literary nonfiction and informational texts representing a variety of genres, cultures, and perspectives that exhibit complexity appropriate for at least grade 8.
Demonstrate proficiency in reading and comprehending grade-appropriate texts.
South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Read grade-level nonfiction on their own and explain its main idea and key details. Use information in the text to make and support reasonable inferences.
What Mastery Looks Like
- After reading an article, a student can summarize it accurately without adding personal opinions. They can answer a question the article does not state directly and point to details that support their answer.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may mistake an interesting detail for the main idea. They may copy a sentence as evidence without explaining how it supports their answer. Some skip a whole paragraph when they meet an unfamiliar word.
How to Assess It
- Give students a one-page article about urban heat. Ask: “What is the main idea, and which two details from the article help explain it?”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs a printed article on urban heat; have them highlight its main idea and underline two details that explain it.
Ask: “Why do shaded streets stay cooler than bare parking lots?” Have students answer using two details from the article.
Put three possible main ideas and four article details on cards; pairs match the details to the best main idea and explain their choices.
Read a local parks department tree-planting flyer; have students identify its main message and a detail that supports it.
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Printable 8.RI.10.a Worksheet
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