8.10.D.vii
The Standard
correct spelling, including commonly confused terms such as its/it's, affect/effect, there/their/they're, and to/two/too
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for English Language Arts and Reading · The student uses the writing process recursively to compose multiple texts that are legible and uses appropriate conventions.
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students choose the correct spelling for commonly confused words by checking each word’s meaning and job in the sentence. They reread and edit their own drafts without changing the intended meaning.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student selects the correct term by using meaning and sentence structure, not guesswork. The student catches these errors in a draft and explains checks such as expanding it’s to it is.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may add an apostrophe to its because they think all possession uses one. They may swap affect and effect because the words sound alike. They also choose there, their, they’re, to, two, and too by sound alone.
How to Assess It
- Use this exit ticket: “Their bringing there two posters two the fair, but its to early to know whether rain will effect attendance.” Students correct every error and explain two choices.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs sentence strips with blanks and word cards for each confused-word set, then have them fill each blank and justify every choice.
Ask students to write how replacing it’s with it is helps them decide whether the apostrophe belongs.
Play four corners by reading a sentence, posting four word choices, and having students move to the correct choice and explain.
Have students edit a mock school announcement containing eight confused-word errors, then produce a clean version for the hallway bulletin board.
Keep exploring
Related Standards
- 4.11.D.xi
correct spelling of words with grade-appropriate orthographic patterns and rules and high-frequency words; and
- 3.11.D.xi
correct spelling of words with grade-appropriate orthographic patterns and rules and high-frequency words; and
- 7.10.D.ix
correct spelling, including commonly confused terms such as its/it's, affect/effect, there/their/they're, and to/two/too
- 6.10.D.ix
The 6th Grade version of this standard.
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