South Dakota ELA 9-10.RL.2.b

ELAGrades 9–10Reading Literature

The Standard

Provide an objective summary of the text to support thematic analysis.

South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students write a brief, factual account of a story’s main events. They choose details that will help them explain a theme, without putting their opinions in the summary.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student recounts the main events in order and leaves out minor details and judgments. They can point to events in the summary that support a theme.
Common Misconceptions: Students may retell every event instead of choosing the ones that matter. They may also write that a character was selfish or wise as if that judgment were a fact from the story.
How to Assess It: After reading “The Gift of the Magi,” ask students to write a three-sentence, opinion-free summary. Have them underline two details in it and write one theme those details support.

Lesson moves

Pairs sequence cards showing Della selling her hair, Jim selling his watch, and their gift exchange, then write a factual summary.
Ask: “Which event in your summary best supports the idea that love involves sacrifice, and what detail could you cut?”
Play summary swap: partners write three sentences about the story, trade papers, and strike out opinions or minor details.
Write a three-sentence recap for a friend who missed book club, then add one sentence explaining the story’s message about giving.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 9-10.RL.2.b, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

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