Virginia SOL 9.W.2.A.iv
The Standard
Using background knowledge to expand ideas and add depth, utilizing reference materials when necessary.
Virginia Standards of Learning for English
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students use what they already know to generate and develop ideas for a specific reader and goal. They identify missing information, consult reliable references, and place useful details into a clear plan before revising.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can build an outline that combines relevant prior knowledge with accurate information from reliable references. Their draft explains how each detail supports the purpose and makes sense for the intended reader.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may treat remembered information as verified fact. They may add source details that do not support their main point or audience. Some copy reference material instead of explaining it in their own words.
How to Assess It
- Give students a claim and two short source excerpts. Ask them to list one useful fact from memory, one sourced detail, and where each belongs in a paragraph plan.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give groups source cards and sticky notes to sort prior knowledge from verified facts, then use both to outline a paragraph.
Ask students to explain when personal knowledge is enough and when a writer should check a reference.
Play Evidence Match by having teams pair claims with useful source details and reject facts that are unrelated or unreliable.
Plan a school website article for new students, using campus knowledge and the student handbook to add accurate details.
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Printable 9.W.2.A.iv Worksheet
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- 6.W.2.A.iii
Elaborating and supporting ideas, using relevant facts, definitions, details, quotations, and/or examples.
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