Common Core State Standards

Grades 6–8 Literacy Standards

All 29 Common Core literacy standards for grades 6–8, grouped into strands and written in plain English. The official wording is one click away.

29 standards

Reading: History & Social Studies RH

10 standards

Key Ideas and Details

RH.6-8.1

Quote exact lines from a primary source, like a diary or speech, or from a textbook or history article to prove a point about it.

Official wording

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.

RH.6-8.2

Find the main idea of a historical document or history article and sum it up accurately, leaving out what you already knew or think about it.

Official wording

Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.

RH.6-8.3

Pick out the key steps when a text explains a civics or economics process, like how a bill becomes a law or how interest rates go up or down.

Official wording

Identify key steps in a text's description of a process related to history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).

Craft and Structure

RH.6-8.4

Work out what words mean in a history reading, including terms like tariff, suffrage or federalism that belong to history, civics, geography or economics.

Official wording

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.

RH.6-8.5

Say whether a history text tells events in time order, compares two sides, or traces causes to their effects.

Official wording

Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).

RH.6-8.6

Spot the clues to a history author's slant or purpose, like emotionally loaded words or the facts the author chose to include or leave out.

Official wording

Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author's point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

RH.6-8.7

Put what a map, chart, graph, photograph or video shows together with what the written history text says to build one understanding.

Official wording

Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.

RH.6-8.8

Tell apart a fact, an opinion and a judgment backed by reasons in a history or social studies text.

Official wording

Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.

RH.6-8.9

Compare a firsthand source, like a soldier's letter, with a historian's account of the same event and explain how the two relate.

Official wording

Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

RH.6-8.10

Read textbooks, primary documents and articles in history and social studies at the grades 6 to 8 level on your own by the end of 8th grade.

Official wording

By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Reading: Science & Technical Subjects RST

10 standards

Key Ideas and Details

RST.6-8.1

Point to the exact sentences, data or figures in a science article or technical manual that support what you say about it.

Official wording

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts.

RST.6-8.2

Find the main ideas or conclusions of a science article or lab report and sum them up faithfully, keeping your own views and background knowledge out.

Official wording

Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.

RST.6-8.3

Carry out a multistep lab procedure, measurement or technical task exactly as the written directions say, in order and without skipping steps.

Official wording

Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks.

Craft and Structure

RST.6-8.4

Work out what symbols and key terms mean in a grades 6 to 8 science or technical reading, like the symbol for an element or the word velocity.

Official wording

Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 6-8 texts and topics.

RST.6-8.5

Explain how a science text is organized, like a lab report's sections or a textbook chapter's headings, and what each section adds to the whole.

Official wording

Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to an understanding of the topic.

RST.6-8.6

Explain why a science writer includes an explanation, a step-by-step procedure or a discussion of an experiment, and what each is meant to do.

Official wording

Analyze the author's purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

RST.6-8.7

Match the numbers and technical facts a science text states in words with the same information in its diagram, flowchart, graph or data table.

Official wording

Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table).

RST.6-8.8

Tell apart a proven fact, a conclusion reasoned from research results, and a guess in a science or technical text.

Official wording

Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.

RST.6-8.9

Compare what you learn from doing a lab, running a simulation or watching a video with what the textbook says about the same topic.

Official wording

Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, video, or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

RST.6-8.10

Read science textbooks, lab procedures and technical articles at the grades 6 to 8 level on your own by the end of 8th grade.

Official wording

By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Writing: History, Science & Technical Subjects WHST

9 standards

Text Types and Purposes

WHST.6-8.1

Argue a history or science question in writing with a clear claim set apart from opposing views, accurate data from credible sources, and a formal close.

Official wording

Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.aIntroduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.bSupport claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence that demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources.cUse words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.dEstablish and maintain a formal style.eProvide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

WHST.6-8.2

Explain a historical event, an experiment or a technical process in writing, with a preview, headings or charts where they help, precise terms and an objective tone.

Official wording

Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.aIntroduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories as appropriate to achieving purpose; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.bDevelop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.cUse appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.dUse precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.eEstablish and maintain a formal style and objective tone.fProvide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.

WHST.6-8.3

(See note; not applicable as a separate requirement)Not applicable

Production and Distribution of Writing

WHST.6-8.4

Shape a lab report, history essay or technical write-up so its organization and style fit the assignment, its purpose and its readers.

Official wording

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

WHST.6-8.5

Plan, revise, edit and rewrite a history or science paper with some help from classmates and teachers, checking that it serves its purpose and readers.

Official wording

With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.

WHST.6-8.6

Use a computer and the internet to write and publish subject-area work, like a report with linked sources or an embedded data chart, so ideas connect clearly.

Official wording

Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

WHST.6-8.7

Research a history or science question, including one of your own, across several sources, and raise focused follow-up questions that open new lines of inquiry.

Official wording

Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.

WHST.6-8.8

Search print and online sources for a subject-area project, judge how credible and accurate each is, and cite the data you quote or paraphrase instead of copying it.

Official wording

Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

WHST.6-8.9

Pull evidence from textbooks, primary sources and science articles into your own writing to support analysis, reflection and research in that subject.

Official wording

Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Range of Writing

WHST.6-8.10

Write often in history, science and technical classes, from a research paper revised over weeks to a lab notebook entry or exit ticket done in one sitting.

Official wording

Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.