South Dakota ELA 8.RI.2.b

ELA8th GradeReading Informational Text

The Standard

Provide an objective summary of the text.

South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students find the central idea of an informational text and the key facts that support it. They write a short summary in their own words without adding personal opinions or minor details.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can explain what the whole text is about, not just its most interesting example. Their summary includes the key facts and stays neutral.
Common Misconceptions: Students may copy sentences or retell every paragraph instead of choosing what matters most. They may also add their opinion or mistake a striking example for the central idea.
How to Assess It: Display this text: “The school garden grows tomatoes and peppers. Students harvest them for the cafeteria. Classes also use the garden to study plants.” Ask students to write a one-sentence summary with no personal opinions.

Lesson moves

Give pairs a printed school lunch article and sticky notes; label three key facts, then write the central idea on a separate note.
After reading the article, ask: Why does “The new menu is terrible” not belong in a neutral summary?
Put six sentences from the article on cards; teams choose three worth keeping and write a 30-word summary.
Have students read a school newsletter notice and write a two-sentence summary for a classmate who missed it.

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A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 8.RI.2.b, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

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