Common Core State Standards

Grades 9–10 Literacy Standards

All 29 Common Core literacy standards for grades 9–10, 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.9-10.1

Quote the exact words of a primary source, like a letter or treaty, or of a historian’s account, and check when and where it was written before you lean on it.

Official wording

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.

RH.9-10.2

Find the main idea of a speech, diary or history chapter and summarize how its key events or ideas unfold from the opening to the end.

Official wording

Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.

RH.9-10.3

Trace a chain of events in a history text and decide whether each earlier event caused the next one or simply happened to come before it.

Official wording

Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text; determine whether earlier events caused later ones or simply preceded them.

Craft and Structure

RH.9-10.4

Work out what a history text means by terms like tariff, suffrage or feudalism, the vocabulary of politics, society and the economy.

Official wording

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social studies.

RH.9-10.5

Explain how a history text’s structure, like a strict timeline or a cause-and-effect chapter, drives home its key points or builds its explanation.

Official wording

Analyze how a text uses structure to emphasize key points or advance an explanation or analysis.

RH.9-10.6

Compare how two or more authors treat the same historical topic, noting which details each one includes, plays up or leaves out of the account.

Official wording

Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

RH.9-10.7

Read a census table or election chart alongside the written account of the same period, and fold the numbers into your analysis of the text.

Official wording

Integrate quantitative or technical analysis (e.g., charts, research data) with qualitative analysis in print or digital text.

RH.9-10.8

Judge how far a historian’s or pamphleteer’s evidence and reasoning actually support the claims they make, and say where they fall short.

Official wording

Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author's claims.

RH.9-10.9

Set several sources on one historical topic side by side, like a soldier’s letter, a newspaper report and a textbook, and spot where they agree and differ.

Official wording

Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

RH.9-10.10

Read history and social studies texts at the grades 9 to 10 level on your own and understand them by the end of 10th grade.

Official wording

By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Reading: Science & Technical Subjects RST

10 standards

Key Ideas and Details

RST.9-10.1

Back a claim about a science article or lab manual with its exact words, down to the precise figures, units and conditions it gives.

Official wording

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions.

RST.9-10.2

Find a science text’s main conclusion, follow its step-by-step account of a complex process like cell division, and summarize the text accurately.

Official wording

Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; trace the text's explanation or depiction of a complex process, phenomenon, or concept; provide an accurate summary of the text.

RST.9-10.3

Carry out a complex multistep lab or technical procedure exactly as written, including the special cases and exceptions the instructions spell out.

Official wording

Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks, attending to special cases or exceptions defined in the text.

Craft and Structure

RST.9-10.4

Work out what symbols and key terms mean in a grades 9 to 10 science or technical text, like the delta in a formula or the word catalyst in a chemistry reading.

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 9-10 texts and topics.

RST.9-10.5

Map how the key ideas in a science text relate to each other, like the way force, friction, reaction force and energy connect in a physics chapter.

Official wording

Analyze the structure of the relationships among concepts in a text, including relationships among key terms (e.g., force, friction, reaction force, energy).

RST.9-10.6

Pin down the question a science writer is trying to answer, and explain why they explain a concept, lay out a procedure or discuss an experiment to get there.

Official wording

Analyze the author's purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text, defining the question the author seeks to address.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

RST.9-10.7

Turn the numbers a science text gives in sentences into a table or chart, and put a graph or an equation like F = ma back into plain words.

Official wording

Translate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text into visual form (e.g., a table or chart) and translate information expressed visually or mathematically (e.g., in an equation) into words.

RST.9-10.8

Judge how well a science text’s data and reasoning back its claim or its proposed fix for a technical problem, and say where the evidence runs thin.

Official wording

Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author's claim or a recommendation for solving a scientific or technical problem.

RST.9-10.9

Compare a text’s findings with other sources and with your own lab results, and note where they confirm or contradict the earlier explanation.

Official wording

Compare and contrast findings presented in a text to those from other sources (including their own experiments), noting when the findings support or contradict previous explanations or accounts.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

RST.9-10.10

Read science and technical texts, like a lab manual or a student journal article, at the grades 9 to 10 level on your own by the end of 10th grade.

Official wording

By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Writing: History, Science & Technical Subjects WHST

9 standards

Text Types and Purposes

WHST.9-10.1

Write an argument on a history or science question with a precise claim, a fairly weighed counterclaim backed by data, a formal objective tone and a conclusion.

Official wording

Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.aIntroduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among the claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.bDevelop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying data and evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both claim(s) and counterclaims in a discipline-appropriate form and 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 or supports the argument presented.

WHST.9-10.2

Write up a historical event, an experiment or a technical process with headings, figures or tables, precise subject terms and a conclusion on why it matters.

Official wording

Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.aIntroduce a topic and organize 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 varied transitions and sentence structures to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.dUse precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic and convey a style appropriate to the discipline and context as well as to the expertise of likely readers.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).

WHST.9-10.3

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

Production and Distribution of Writing

WHST.9-10.4

Shape a history or science piece so its depth, order and style fit the job, like a lab report for a teacher or an op-ed for the school paper.

Official wording

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

WHST.9-10.5

Plan, revise, edit and rewrite a history essay or lab report, or start over with a new approach, fixing first what matters most for its purpose and readers.

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.

WHST.9-10.6

Write, publish and update a history or science piece online, alone or with a group, adding links to sources and interactive charts or maps where they help.

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

WHST.9-10.7

Research a history or science question, including one you posed, over days or weeks, widening or narrowing it as you go and pulling several sources into one answer.

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.

WHST.9-10.8

Use advanced searches to find authoritative sources like archives and journals, judge how useful each one is, and weave in only what fits, with standard 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.

WHST.9-10.9

Pull evidence from primary sources, data sets and technical readings into your own history or science writing to support what you analyze and research.

Official wording

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

Range of Writing

WHST.9-10.10

Write often in history and science class, from a research paper revised over weeks to a lab write-up or document analysis finished in a day or two.

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.