South Dakota ELA 8.RL.2

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

• 8.RL.2.a

  Analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot.

• 8.RL.2.b

  Identify key textual details to support the analysis.

01

What Students Need to Do

Students state what a story suggests about an idea, not just name the idea. They track how that message develops through characters' choices, the setting, and key events, using details from different parts of the story.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

A student can explain how Roger's attempted theft, his choice to stay in Mrs. Jones's apartment, and her gift build a message about trust. They cite lines from early and late scenes and explain what changes.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students may name a topic like trust without saying what the story suggests about it. They may retell the plot, cite only the ending, or treat Mrs. Jones's apartment as background rather than a place that shapes Roger's choice.

04

How to Assess It

After reading “Thank You, M'am,” ask students to write one sentence stating a theme. Have them use one detail from the street and one from the apartment to explain how it develops.

1. 01

   Clip three scene cards from “Thank You, M'am” to a string; students add a quoted detail and theme note to each card.

2. 02

   Ask pairs: How does Mrs. Jones's apartment affect Roger's choice to stay, and what does that suggest about trust?

3. 03

   Give teams six lines from the story to sort by beginning, middle, and end; have them explain how the lines build a theme.

4. 04

   Give pairs a found-wallet-at-school scenario card; have them compare their choice with Roger's and cite one line from the story.

• 6.RI.2

  Determine the central idea(s) of a text.

• 8.RI.2

  Determine a central idea(s) of a text.

• 7.RL.2

  The 7th Grade version of this standard.

• 6.RL.2

  The 6th Grade version of this standard.