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

ELAGrades 9–10Reading: Science/Technical Subjects

The Standard

Provide an accurate summary of the text.

South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students read a science or technical text and identify its main point. They explain the key details in their own words without changing the meaning or adding opinions.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can briefly explain what a lab report tested and found. The summary keeps important numbers and limits accurate while leaving out minor details.
Common Misconceptions: Students may copy long sections or list every measurement instead of selecting key points. They may change 'was linked to' into 'caused' or treat a prediction as a result.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: 'Two bean plants got equal water for two weeks; one got eight hours of light daily and grew 12 cm, while the other got two hours and grew 4 cm.' Summarize the test and result in one sentence without claiming light was the only possible cause.

Lesson moves

Give pairs a printed lab report and three highlighters; mark the question, method, and results, then write a two-sentence summary.
Ask: 'Which result must appear in a summary of this lab report, and which measurement can you leave out? Why?'
Put six detail cards from a lab report on desks; teams sort them into 'include' or 'leave out,' then defend one choice.
Print a weather service heat advisory; students write a two-sentence message for families with the timing, risk, and recommended action.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 9-10.RST.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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