Common Core Standards English/Language Arts Grades 9-10

Reading

Key Ideas and Details

 RL.9-10.1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what
the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
 RL.9-10.2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its
development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and
refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
 RL.9-10.3. Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or
conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters,
and advance the plot or develop the theme.

Craft and Structure

 RL.9-10.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the
text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of
specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of
time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
 RL.9-10.5. Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text,
order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks)
create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.
 RL.9-10.6. Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a
work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world
literature.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

 RL.9-10.7. Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different

artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment (e.g., Auden’s
“Musée des Beaux Arts” and Breughel’s Landscape with the Fall of Icarus).
 RL.9-10.8. (Not applicable to literature)
 RL.9-10.9. Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a
specific work (e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or
how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare).

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

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 RL.9-10.10. By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literature, including
stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 9–10 text complexity band proficiently, with
scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and
poems, at the high end of the grades 9–10 text complexity band independently and
proficiently.

Writing

Text Types and Purposes

 W.9-10.1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics

or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
o Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or
opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among
claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
o Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each
while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the
audience’s knowledge level and concerns.
o Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text,
create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between
reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
o Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to
the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
o Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports
the argument presented.
 W.9-10.2. 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.
o Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information to
make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings),
graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
o Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts,
extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples
appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
o Use appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections of the
text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
o Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the
complexity of the topic.
o Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to
the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
o Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports
the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the
significance of the topic).

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 Text Types and Purposes (continued)

 W.9-10.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events

using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
o Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or
observation, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator
and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events.
o Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection,
and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
o Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one
another to create a coherent whole.
o Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to
convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
o Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is
experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.

Production and Distribution of Writing

 W.9-10.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,

organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific
expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)
 W.9-10.5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising,
editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most
significant for a specific purpose and audience.
 W.9-10.6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update
individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link
to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

 W.9-10.7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a

question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the
inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating
understanding of the subject under investigation.
 W.9-10.8. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and
digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source
in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to
maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for
citation.
 W.9-10.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis,
reflection, and research.
o Apply grades 9–10 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Analyze how an
author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work [e.g., how Shakespeare

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 treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by
Shakespeare]”).
o Apply grades 9–10 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g.,
“Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the
reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements
and fallacious reasoning”).

Range of Writing

 W.9-10.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research,
reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a
range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Common Core Standards English/Language Arts Grades 11-12

Reading

Key Ideas and Details

 RL.11-12.1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what
the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining
where the text leaves matters uncertain.
 RL.11-12.2. Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze
their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on
one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.

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 RL.11-12.3. Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop
and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is
ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).

Craft and Structure

 RL.11-12.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the
text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word
choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is
particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.)
 RL.11-12.5. Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure
specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to
provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as
well as its aesthetic impact.
 RL.11-12.6. Analyze a case in which grasping a point of view requires
distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g., satire,
sarcasm, irony, or understatement).

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

 RL.11-12.7. Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g.,

recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each
version interprets the source text. (Include at least one play by Shakespeare and one play
by an American dramatist.)
 RL.11-12.8. (Not applicable to literature)
 RL.11-12.9. Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-
twentieth-century foundational works of American literature, including how two or more
texts from the same period treat similar themes or topics.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

 RL.11-12.10. By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literature, including
stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 11–CCR text complexity band proficiently,
with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and
poems, at the high end of the grades 11–CCR text complexity band independently and
proficiently.

Writing

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 Text Types and Purposes

 W.11-12.1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics

or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
o Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of
the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an
organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
o Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the
most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in
a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible
biases.
o Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major
sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and
reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
o Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to
the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
o Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports
the argument presented.
 W.11-12.2. 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.
o Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so
that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole; include
formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to
aiding comprehension.
o Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and
relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and
examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
o Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major
sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas
and concepts.
o Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as
metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.
o Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to
the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
o Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports
the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the
significance of the topic).
 W.11-12.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events
using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
o Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or
observation and its significance, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and
introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or
events.

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o Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection,
and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
o Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one
another to create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and outcome (e.g., a
sense of mystery, suspense, growth, or resolution).
o Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to
convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
o Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is
experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.

Production and Distribution of Writing

 W.11-12.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,

organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific
expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)
 W.11-12.5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising,
editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most
significant for a specific purpose and audience.
 W.11-12.6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and
update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including
new arguments or information.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

 W.11-12.7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a

question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the
inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating
understanding of the subject under investigation.
 W.11-12.8. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and
digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations
of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the
text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on
any one source and following a standard format for citation.
 W.11-12.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support
analysis, reflection, and research.
o Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Demonstrate
knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century foundational works of
American literature, including how two or more texts from the same period treat similar
themes or topics”).
o Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g.,
“Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of
constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning [e.g., in U.S. Supreme Court Case

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 majority opinions and dissents] and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of
public advocacy [e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses]”).

Range of Writing

 W.11-12.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research,
reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a
range of tasks, purposes