Virginia SOL 7.RI.3.A
The Standard
Analyze ideas within and between selections including how specific sentences, paragraphs, or sections contribute to the development and meaning of ideas.
Virginia Standards of Learning for English · Integration of Concepts
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students trace how an author develops an idea through selected sentences, paragraphs, and sections. They also compare how related ideas are presented and developed across two texts.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students identify a key idea, track how it develops, and explain what a chosen sentence, paragraph, or section adds. They compare how two texts develop similar ideas using relevant evidence.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may summarize each section without explaining its purpose. They may also compare topics or details instead of tracing how two authors build related ideas.
How to Assess It
- Give students two short passages on the same topic. Ask: “Choose one section from each passage and explain how each develops the author’s main idea.”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Cut a short article into sections, then have groups sequence the sections and label what each one adds to the main idea.
Ask students to write: “Which paragraph most changes or deepens the reader’s understanding, and why?”
Play Paragraph Purpose Match by pairing excerpt cards with function cards such as introduces, explains, supports, contrasts, or concludes.
Compare two news reports about the same event and mark where each report adds context, evidence, explanation, or a competing viewpoint.
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