Common Core LiteracyGrades 6–8History & Social Studies

RH.6-8.10: Reading History Texts Independently

Also written as CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.10 · Cluster: Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity.

The 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.

Common Core State Standards, Grades 6-8, Reading: History & Social Studies · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What RH.6-8.10 Means in Plain English

By the end of eighth grade, students handle the history textbooks, primary documents and articles of middle school without a teacher unpacking every sentence. A dense world history paragraph about Mansa Musa’s 1324 pilgrimage is one they work through alone.

Fifth grade (RI.5.10) read informational texts at the high end of the grades 4 to 5 band on their own. Grades 6 to 8 raise the difficulty over three years, with support early on. Ninth and tenth grade (RH.9-10.10) move up to the grades 9 to 10 band.

RH.6-8.10 I Can Statements

I can read a dense history textbook paragraph on my own.
I can untangle a long sentence by finding who did what.
I can use a fix-up strategy when a sentence loses me.

RH.6-8.10 Worked Example

The paragraph packs its ideas into long sentences and one figurative word, and the weak answer trips on both.

Read the Story

From a world history textbook written for this page: Mali’s wealth rested on two things its rulers did not have to make: the gold dug from fields near the upper Niger River and the trade routes that carried it north across the Sahara in exchange for salt.When Mansa Musa, who ruled Mali from about 1312, set out in 1324 on the pilgrimage to Mecca that every Muslim who is able must make once, he traveled with a caravan of thousands and enough gold to astonish every city it passed through.In Cairo he spent and gave away so much of it that, according to an Arab writer there about twelve years later, gold was still worth less in the city than before his visit.The journey was, in effect, an advertisement: a European atlas made in 1375 shows Mali’s king on a throne holding a piece of gold, and the scholars and builders he brought home helped turn Timbuktu into a center of learning.

A short passage written for this page.

Question: According to the paragraph, why was gold worth less in Cairo after 1324, and what does the author mean by calling the journey “an advertisement”?

Not Yet“Gold was worth less because Mansa Musa took Cairo’s gold back to Mali. The journey was an advertisement because he put up signs about Mali in the cities he visited.”The reader lost track of a long sentence and reversed who gave gold to whom, then read “advertisement” literally. The colon after it signals that the rest of the sentence explains the comparison.

Meets the Standard“Mansa Musa spent and gave away so much gold in Cairo that it became common there, so it lost value, and twelve years later it still had not recovered. Calling the trip ‘an advertisement’ is a comparison: like an ad, it spread Mali’s name. The rest of that sentence gives the proof, a 1375 European atlas showing Mali’s king holding gold, and the scholars and builders who helped make Timbuktu famous for learning.”The reader untangled the long sentences, kept the cause and effect straight, and used the colon to unpack the figurative word with the text’s own examples.

Question Stems to Use

Which sentence lost you? Find its subject and its main verb.Cover the part between the commas. What is the sentence saying without it?What does the colon tell you is coming next?Is this word literal or a comparison? What does the rest of the sentence say it means?Explain this paragraph to a classmate in three plain sentences.

Common Mistakes with RH.6-8.10

Losing the subject in a long sentence

“Cairo took Mali’s gold.”

Try this: Have students cover the clauses set off by commas and reread the core sentence aloud before deciding who did what.

Reading figurative words literally

“He put up signs about Mali.”

Try this: Ask whether the word could be literally true here, and if not, find where the text explains the comparison.

Waiting for the teacher to explain hard texts

A student who stops at the first long sentence and raises a hand

Try this: Teach a three-step fix-up routine (reread, cover the extra clauses, paraphrase) and expect students to try it before asking for help.

Where RH.6-8.10 Fits

Comes BeforeRI.5.10Read grades 4 to 5 informational texts, including history, independently by the end of the year.

AlongsideRI.8.10Read literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 6 to 8 band on one’s own.RST.6-8.10Read grades 6 to 8 science and technical texts independently by the end of grade 8.

Comes NextRH.9-10.10Read grades 9 to 10 history and social studies texts on one’s own.

Practice RH.6-8.10

Quick Check

What were the two sources of Mali’s wealth, according to the paragraph?
Gold from fields near the upper Niger River and the trade routes that carried it across the Sahara in exchange for salt.
Why was gold worth less in Cairo after Mansa Musa’s visit?
He spent and gave away so much of it there that it became more common, and about twelve years later it was still worth less.
What two examples does the author give to show the journey was “an advertisement”?
A 1375 European atlas showing Mali’s king holding gold, and the scholars and builders he brought home who helped make Timbuktu a center of learning.

RH.6-8.10: Other Names

RH.6-8.10CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.10