South Dakota ELA 9-10.WHST.1.b
The Standard
- 9-10.WHST.1
- Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying valid and sufficient data and evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both claim(s) and counterclaims in a disciplined- appropriate form and in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.
South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025) · Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students make a claim and present a fair counterclaim. They support both with enough relevant, trustworthy evidence and explain each side’s strengths and limits. They choose a form and wording that fit the subject and readers.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can write a city council memo arguing for a bike lane while accurately stating shop owners’ parking concerns. They use evidence for both sides, name a strength and a limit of each, and address the council’s concerns.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may turn the counterclaim into an easy objection that nobody actually holds. They may cite a survey number without checking who was asked or whether it supports the point. They often question the other side’s evidence but not their own.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: A survey finds 30 of 40 cyclists favor a bike lane, while 25 of 40 shop owners fear lost parking. Write a city council paragraph using both figures, naming a strength and limit of each position, and addressing parking concerns.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Hand pairs two cards: '30 of 40 cyclists favor a lane' and '25 of 40 shop owners fear lost parking'; annotate both.
Ask: 'Which survey would the city council find more useful, what does each leave out, and whose concerns need an answer?'
Play a claim-counterclaim relay: teams match the two survey cards to opposing arguments, then name a strength and limit of each.
Have students draft an email to the city council about a proposed bike lane, using both survey figures to address parking concerns.
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