South Dakota ELA 9-10.RI.9
The Standard
Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance, including how they address related themes and concepts. Compare the approaches of two or more authors.
South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students read landmark U.S. documents and identify a shared idea, such as liberty. They explain how each author uses that idea for a different audience and purpose, using lines from both texts.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain how the Declaration uses grievances to argue for independence and how Frederick Douglass challenges a nation celebrating freedom while allowing slavery. They cite a passage from each text to support the comparison.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may say both texts simply support freedom, missing Douglass's criticism. They may quote a line from each without explaining what either writer does with it.
How to Assess It
- Put the Declaration's phrase 'all men are created equal' beside Douglass's question, 'What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July?' Ask students to explain how each writer uses the idea of freedom.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs printed line cards from both texts; have them place each under 'argues for independence' or 'challenges exclusion.'
Ask pairs, 'How does Douglass use the Declaration's promise of equality to challenge his audience?' Require one line from each text.
Play evidence match: teams pair four quoted lines with 'grievance,' 'founding promise,' 'irony,' or 'audience challenge.'
Have students write two labels for a July Fourth display, one explaining the Declaration's liberty claim and one explaining Douglass's critique.
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Printable 9-10.RI.9 Worksheet
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