South Dakota ELA 8.RI.2

8.RI.2 is a cluster heading. These are the individual standards under it.

• 8.RI.2.a

  Analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas.

• 8.RI.2.b

  Provide an objective summary of the text.

01

What Students Need to Do

Students find the main point an author builds across an article. They explain how smaller points and details add to it, then write a brief recap without giving their opinion.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

A student can state the main point in their own words and show how details from the beginning, middle, and end build it. Their recap includes the author’s key points but leaves out minor examples and personal reactions.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students may name a topic, such as plastic waste, instead of the author’s point about it. They may mistake a striking example for the main point or add their own views to a recap.

04

How to Assess It

Hand out a short article about school start times. Ask students to state the author’s main point, explain how one detail from each half builds it, and write a three-sentence neutral recap.

1. 01

   Give pairs a printed article and sticky notes to label what each paragraph adds to the author’s main point.

2. 02

   Ask partners, “Which paragraph sharpens the author’s point, and which line shows that?” Have them point to the line before answering.

3. 03

   Give teams cards with a main point, smaller points, and examples from one article; have them sort the cards and explain two placements.

4. 04

   Read a local news report about a bus route change; students track its main point and summarize the reasons without adding opinions.

• 6.RI.2

  Determine the central idea(s) of a text.

• 7.RL.2

  Determine a theme or central idea(s) of a text.

• 6.RL.2

  Determine a theme or central idea(s) of a text.

• 8.RL.2

  Determine a theme or central idea(s) of a text.