South Dakota ELA 9-10.WHST.7
The Standard
Conduct short as well as more sustained research; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; demonstrate understanding of the subject under investigation using multiple sources.
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 turn a broad topic into a question they can investigate. They adjust the question as they find information, then use several sources to explain what they learned in a short response or longer report.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain why they narrowed or broadened their question. Their writing connects evidence from several sources instead of summarizing each source separately.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may collect facts without deciding what question they are trying to answer. They may stop at the first source they find or narrow a question so much that they cannot find enough evidence.
How to Assess It
- On an exit ticket, give students two source cards: one says prairie fires return nutrients to soil, and one says native plants regrow after burns. Ask them to revise “Are prairie fires good?” into a research question and write an answer using both cards.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs three printed sources on prairie fire effects; have them sort evidence by topic and rewrite a broad question as a focused one.
Ask, “What finding might make you widen your prairie fire question?” Have students defend their answer using two source cards.
Play question repair with cards reading “Are fires good?” and “Do burns help grass?”; teams rewrite each using soil and regrowth source cards.
Over three days, compare a city water report, local news story, and state test results; revise your question and write a one-page answer.
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Related Standards
- 11-12.W.7
Conduct short as well as more sustained, focused research. Use appropriate methodology to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the subject under investigatio...
- 11-12.WHST.7
The Grades 11–12 version of this standard.
- 5.W.7
Conduct short research projects that use multiple sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
- 9-10.W.7
Conduct short as well as more sustained research; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; demonstrate understanding of the subject under investigation u...
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