Common Core State Standards

Grades 9–10 ELA Standards

All 41 Common Core English language arts standards for grades 9–10, grouped into strands and written in plain English. The official wording is one click away.

41 standards

Reading: Literature RL

9 standards

Key Ideas and Details

RL.9-10.1

Support a reading of a novel, play or poem with strong, thorough quotations, covering both what it states outright and what you infer from it.

Official wording

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

Find a theme in a novel or play, trace in detail how it first emerges and how particular scenes shape and sharpen it, and summarize the work objectively.

Official wording

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

Follow a complex character with conflicting motives, like Macbeth, through the text and explain how their changes and clashes with others drive the plot or theme.

Official wording

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

Read a poem or novel's words for their figurative and emotional shades, and explain how the word choices add up to a tone or a sense of time and place.

Official wording

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

Explain how a writer's structure, like parallel plots, flashbacks or a slowed-down scene, builds mystery, tension or surprise in a story.

Official wording

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 the viewpoint or cultural experience in a work from outside the United States, like a novel by Chinua Achebe, drawing on your wider reading of world literature.

Official wording

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

Compare how a poem and a painting, or a novel and its film, treat the same scene or subject, noting what each one stresses and what each leaves out.

Official wording

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

(RL.9-10.8 not applicable to literature)Not applicable

RL.9-10.9

Trace how a specific work borrows and reworks an older source, like Shakespeare drawing on Ovid or West Side Story reshaping Romeo and Juliet.

Official wording

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

RL.9-10.10

Read stories, plays and poems in the grades 9 to 10 band with support at the top end by the end of 9th grade, and at the top end on your own by the end of 10th.

Official wording

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.

Reading: Informational Text RI

10 standards

Key Ideas and Details

RI.9-10.1

Support a claim about an essay, speech or article with strong, thorough evidence from it, both for what it states and for what it leads you to infer.

Official wording

Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

RI.9-10.2

Find an essay or speech's central idea, trace how it emerges and how specific facts and examples sharpen it, and summarize the text objectively.

Official wording

Determine a central idea of a text and analyze 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.

RI.9-10.3

Explain how a nonfiction writer unfolds an argument or a chain of events, including the order of the points, how each is introduced and how they connect.

Official wording

Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.

Craft and Structure

RI.9-10.4

Work out figurative, connotative and technical meanings in nonfiction, and explain how word choices add up to a tone, like a court opinion beside a news story.

Official wording

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper).

RI.9-10.5

Show in detail how particular sentences, paragraphs or a whole chapter build and sharpen a nonfiction author's ideas or claims.

Official wording

Analyze in detail how an author's ideas or claims are developed and refined by particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text (e.g., a section or chapter).

RI.9-10.6

Pin down an author's purpose or stance and analyze the rhetoric that pushes it, like repetition, appeals to emotion or a pointed question.

Official wording

Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

RI.9-10.7

Compare accounts of the same subject in different media, like a biography and a documentary about the same person, and say which details each one stresses.

Official wording

Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person's life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.

RI.9-10.8

Map out a text's argument and claims, judge whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence relevant and sufficient, and flag false statements and logical fallacies.

Official wording

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.

RI.9-10.9

Analyze seminal U.S. documents, like the Gettysburg Address and King's Letter from Birmingham Jail, and how they take up related themes such as freedom and equality.

Official wording

Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (e.g., Washington's Farewell Address, the Gettysburg Address, Roosevelt's Four Freedoms speech, King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail"), including how they address related themes and concepts.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

RI.9-10.10

Read literary nonfiction like speeches and memoirs in the grades 9 to 10 band with support at the top end in 9th grade, and at the top end alone by the end of 10th.

Official wording

By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literary nonfiction 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 literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Writing W

10 standards

Text Types and Purposes

W.9-10.1

Argue a substantive topic or text in writing with a precise claim, a counterclaim weighed for its strengths and limits, linked sections, a formal tone and a close.

Official wording

Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.aIntroduce 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.bDevelop 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.cUse 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.dEstablish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.eProvide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

W.9-10.2

Explain a complex topic in writing, sorting ideas to show connections, adding headings or figures where they help, using precise terms, and closing on why it matters.

Official wording

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.aIntroduce 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.bDevelop 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.cUse appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.dUse precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic.eEstablish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.fProvide 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.9-10.3

Write a story that opens on a problem, sets up a narrator and point of view, weaves dialogue, pacing and more than one plot line, and closes with a reflection.

Official wording

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.aEngage 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.bUse narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.cUse a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole.dUse precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.eProvide 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

Shape the development, organization and style of a lab report, literary essay or speech to fit its task, purpose and audience.

Official wording

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

Plan, revise, edit, rewrite or restart a draft on your own, fixing first what matters most for its purpose and readers, with grammar up to the grades 9 to 10 rules.

Official wording

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. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grades 9-10 here.)

W.9-10.6

Write, publish and keep updating a piece online, alone or with a group, using links and flexible displays like an embedded chart or an expandable section.

Official wording

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

Run short and longer research projects on a question you pose or are given, narrowing or widening it as needed and weaving several sources into one account.

Official wording

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

Use advanced searches to find authoritative print and online sources, judge how useful each is to your question, and weave them in selectively with MLA or APA citations.

Official wording

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

Pull evidence from novels, plays and literary nonfiction into essays and research papers, applying the grades 9 to 10 reading skills to the texts you cite.

Official wording

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.aApply 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 treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare]").bApply 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 regularly for many tasks, purposes and audiences, from a research paper drafted and revised over weeks to a response finished in a single sitting or a day or two.

Official wording

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.

Speaking and Listening SL

6 standards

Comprehension and Collaboration

SL.9-10.1

Lead discussions on grades 9 to 10 texts, arriving with evidence, setting rules with peers, tying questions to larger ideas and revising your view when warranted.

Official wording

Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.aCome to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.bWork with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making (e.g., informal consensus, taking votes on key issues, presentation of alternate views), clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed.cPropel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.dRespond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented.

SL.9-10.2

Pull together information from a chart, a podcast and an article on one topic, and judge how credible and accurate each source is.

Official wording

Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.

SL.9-10.3

Weigh a speaker's stance, reasoning, evidence and rhetoric, and catch a logical fallacy, an exaggerated statistic or a quotation twisted out of context.

Official wording

Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

SL.9-10.4

Present findings and evidence clearly and concisely in an order listeners can follow, with organization, depth and style suited to the purpose, audience and task.

Official wording

Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.

SL.9-10.5

Choose digital media for a presentation strategically, like a chart for data or a short audio clip, where each one makes the reasoning clearer or adds interest.

Official wording

Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

SL.9-10.6

Adjust how you speak to the setting, from a class debate to a mock interview, and use formal English when the occasion calls for it.

Official wording

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grades 9-10 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.)

Language L

6 standards

Conventions of Standard English

L.9-10.1

Use parallel structure, like reading, writing and speaking, and vary sentences with participial, absolute and prepositional phrases and relative or adverbial clauses.

Official wording

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.aUse parallel structure.*bUse various types of phrases (noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional, absolute) and clauses (independent, dependent; noun, relative, adverbial) to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to writing or presentations.

L.9-10.2

Use a semicolon, with or without a word like however, to join two closely related sentences, a colon to introduce a list or quotation, and spell correctly.

Official wording

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.aUse a semicolon (and perhaps a conjunctive adverb) to link two or more closely related independent clauses.bUse a colon to introduce a list or quotation.cSpell correctly.

Knowledge of Language

L.9-10.3

Notice how language works differently in a lab report, a poem and a speech, and write and edit to a style manual such as the MLA Handbook when the task calls for one.

Official wording

Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.aWrite and edit work so that it conforms to the guidelines in a style manual (e.g., MLA Handbook, Turabian's Manual for Writers) appropriate for the discipline and writing type.

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

L.9-10.4

Work out an unfamiliar word in grades 9 to 10 reading from context, from word families like analyze and analytical, or from a specialized dictionary, then verify it.

Official wording

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 9-10 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.aUse context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word's position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.bIdentify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different meanings or parts of speech (e.g., analyze, analysis, analytical; advocate, advocacy).cConsult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, or its etymology.dVerify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).

L.9-10.5

Interpret a euphemism or an oxymoron in context and explain its role in the text, and weigh the nuance between near-synonyms like frugal and cheap.

Official wording

Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.aInterpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze their role in the text.bAnalyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.

L.9-10.6

Build and use the academic and subject-specific vocabulary needed for college and career reading and writing, looking up on your own any word that matters to an idea.

Official wording

Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.