South Dakota ELA 9-10.WHST.2.d

ELAGrades 9–10Writing: History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

The Standard

9-10.WHST.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic. Establish a clear voice.

South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025) · Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students write about a history, science, or technical topic using words that name the exact events, materials, or processes involved. They use subject terms correctly and keep their explanation clear and consistent.
What Mastery Looks Like: In a paragraph about a pond, a student names fertilizer runoff, algae growth, and falling oxygen levels instead of calling them “stuff” and “problems.” The reader can follow what happened without having to guess what a term means.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think a longer word is always more precise, even when it changes the meaning. They may call any dirty water “toxic” or switch from a factual explanation to a dramatic claim.
How to Assess It: Give students these facts: rain washes fertilizer into a pond, algae grow, oxygen falls, and fish struggle to breathe. Ask them to revise “Rain made the pond bad and hurt fish” into two factual sentences using “runoff” and “dissolved oxygen.”

Lesson moves

Have pairs filter muddy water through a coffee filter, then write a lab note describing the sediment and the water before and after.
Ask students which fits a history report better: “The law was bad” or “The tax increased farmers’ costs.” Have them explain why.
Give teams four lab sentences with vague words and a term bank; have them replace each vague word and defend their choices.
Use a city tap-water report and ask students to write a two-sentence public update that explains one measured contaminant without sounding alarmist.

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