Tennessee Standards
Tennessee Grades 9–10 ELA Standards
All 43 Tennessee English language arts standards for grades 9–10, each explained in plain English. The official wording is one click away under each one.
43 standards
Language: Conventions of Standard English
2 standardsDemonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
9-10.L.CSE.1
Use correct grammar in writing and speech, and build sentences with parallel structure and varied phrases and clauses to sharpen meaning and keep readers interested.
Official wording
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking; use effective parallel structure and various types of phrases and clauses to convey specific meaning and add variety and interest to writing or presentations.
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
9-10.L.CSE.2
Capitalize, punctuate and spell correctly, use semicolons and colons to join related ideas, and format work to fit a style guide like MLA or APA.
Official wording
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing; when reading and writing, explain the functions of semicolons and colons to separate related ideas and use them correctly to do so; write and edit work so that it conforms to a style guide appropriate for the discipline and writing type.
Language: Knowledge of Language
1 standardApply 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.
9-10.L.KL.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.
Language: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
3 standardsDetermine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.
9-10.L.VAU.4
Work out unfamiliar or multiple-meaning words in high school texts using context, roots and affixes like anthrop or ology, word origins, and dictionaries.
Official wording
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on 9th-10th grade-level text by choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.aUse context as a clue to the meaning of a word or a phrase.bUse common grade-appropriate morphological elements as clues to the meaning of a word or a phrase.cConsult reference materials, both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or phrase.dUse etymological patterns in spelling as clues to the meaning of a word or phrase.
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
9-10.L.VAU.5
Interpret figures of speech and explain their role in a text, and analyze subtle differences between near-synonyms, like frugal versus stingy.
Official wording
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings in grades 9-10 reading and content; interpret figures of speech in context and analyze their role in a text; analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.
Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the post-secondary and workforce level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
9-10.L.VAU.6
Build and use the academic and subject vocabulary needed for college and careers, and keep learning new words on your own when a text calls for it.
Official wording
Acquire and accurately use general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the post-secondary and workforce readiness level; demonstrate independence in building vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Reading: Key Ideas and Details
6 standardsRead closely to determine what a text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
9-10.RL.KID.1
Analyze what a work of literature states and implies, backing each conclusion with the strongest, most convincing quotations you can find.
Official wording
Analyze what a text says explicitly and draw inferences; cite the strongest, most compelling textual evidence to support conclusions.
9-10.RI.KID.1
Analyze what a nonfiction text states and implies, choosing the most convincing evidence from it to support each conclusion.
Official wording
Analyze what a text says explicitly and draw inferences; cite the strongest, most compelling textual evidence to support conclusions.
Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
9-10.RL.KID.2
Identify a theme in a novel, play or poem, analyze how it develops, and write either a neutral summary or a critical one.
Official wording
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development; provide an objective or critical summary.
9-10.RI.KID.2
Find the central idea of an essay or speech, analyze how it unfolds, and write a summary that is either neutral or critical.
Official wording
Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development; provide an objective or critical summary.
Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
9-10.RL.KID.3
Analyze how complex characters, events and ideas grow and affect each other through a work to shape its meaning, like a rivalry that drives a tragedy.
Official wording
Analyze how complex characters, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text to impact meaning.
9-10.RI.KID.3
Analyze how a nonfiction author introduces and builds key ideas and events to shape meaning, like the order of events in a historical account.
Official wording
Analyze how an author presents and develops key ideas and events to impact meaning.
Reading: Craft and Structure
6 standardsInterpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
9-10.RL.CS.4
Interpret figurative and connotative words in literature and analyze how word choices build meaning and tone, like creating a sense of era or a formal voice.
Official wording
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, such as how language evokes a sense of time and place, and how it communicates an informal or formal tone.
9-10.RI.CS.4
Interpret figurative, connotative and technical words in nonfiction and analyze how word choices add up to shape meaning and tone.
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.
Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of a text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.
9-10.RL.CS.5
Analyze how an author's choices about structure, plot order or time, like flashbacks or parallel plots, create mystery, tension or surprise.
Official wording
Analyze how an author’s choices concerning text structure, plot structure, and/or time manipulation create effects such as mystery, tension, or surprise.
9-10.RI.CS.5
Analyze how particular sentences, paragraphs or sections develop and sharpen an author's ideas or claims.
Official wording
Analyze how an author’s ideas or claims are developed and refined by particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text.
Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
9-10.RL.CS.6
Analyze how point of view or an author's purpose shapes what a work says and how it says it, across many kinds of texts.
Official wording
Analyze how point of view and/or author purpose shapes the content and style of diverse texts.
9-10.RI.CS.6
Identify an author's viewpoint or purpose and analyze the rhetorical moves used to push it forward, like appeals to emotion or authority.
Official wording
Determine an author’s point of view or purpose and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.
Reading: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
5 standardsIntegrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
9-10.RL.IKI.7
Evaluate how a topic, subject or theme is handled in two different formats, like a poem and a painting or a play and its film.
Official wording
Evaluate the topic, subject, and/or theme in two diverse formats or media.
9-10.RI.IKI.7
Evaluate how a subject is presented in two different formats, like a written report and a documentary.
Official wording
Evaluate the topic or subject in two diverse formats or media.
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
9-10.RI.IKI.8
Evaluate how an author's reasoning and evidence strengthen or weaken the argument and claims in a text.
Official wording
Evaluate how reasoning and evidence affects the argument and specific claims in a text.
Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches an author takes.
9-10.RL.IKI.9
Analyze related literary works and judge how an author borrows from, alludes to or reshapes a source, like a myth, to deepen meaning.
Official wording
Analyze a variety of related literary texts and evaluate how an author draws on, alludes to, or transforms source material to provide a deeper and more thorough interpretation of the text.
9-10.RI.IKI.9
Analyze historically and literarily important texts on a shared theme, like founding documents, for how each treats related topics, facts and ideas.
Official wording
Analyze a variety of thematically-related texts of historical and literary significance for the way they address related topics, facts, and concepts.
Reading: Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
4 standardsRead and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
9.RL.RRTC.10
Read and understand a range of ninth grade literature across the grades 9 to 10 difficulty band, with support fading as texts get harder.
Official wording
Read and comprehend a variety of literature throughout the grades 9-10 text complexity band proficiently, with a gradual release of scaffolding at the higher end as needed.
9.RI.RRTC.10
Read and understand literary nonfiction, like speeches and memoirs, across the grades 9 to 10 difficulty band, needing less support over time.
Official wording
Read and comprehend a variety of literary nonfiction throughout the grades 9-10 text complexity band proficiently, with a gradual release of scaffolding at the higher end as needed.
10.RL.RRTC.10
Read and understand tenth grade literature at the top of the grades 9 to 10 difficulty band on your own and with skill.
Official wording
Read and comprehend a variety of literature at the high end of the grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
10.RI.RRTC.10
Read and understand demanding literary nonfiction, like essays and historical speeches, at the top of the grades 9 to 10 band without help.
Official wording
Read and comprehend a variety of literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Speaking and Listening: Comprehension and Collaboration
3 standardsPrepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with varied partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing one’s own ideas clearly and persuasively.
9-10.SL.CC.1
Start and join discussions with varied partners on high school topics, texts and issues, building on others' points and making your own case clearly.
Official wording
Initiate and participate effectively with varied partners in a range of collaborative discussions on appropriate 9th – 10th grade topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing one’s own ideas clearly and persuasively.
Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media formats, such as visual, quantitative, and oral formats.
9-10.SL.CC.2
Combine and evaluate information from several media sources, like news clips and data charts, judging how credible and accurate each one is.
Official wording
Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media formats; evaluate the credibility and accuracy of each source.
Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.
9-10.SL.CC.3
Evaluate a speaker's viewpoint, reasoning, evidence and rhetoric, and spot faulty logic or exaggerated or twisted evidence.
Official wording
Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric; identify any fallacious reasoning and/or exaggerated or distorted evidence.
Speaking and Listening: Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
3 standardsPresent information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning; the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
9-10.SL.PKI.4
Present findings and evidence in a clear, tight, logical order listeners can follow, with structure and style that fit the purpose and audience.
Official wording
Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically, so that listeners can follow the line of reasoning; ensure the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.
9-10.SL.PKI.5
Use digital media and visuals strategically in presentations to make findings, reasoning and evidence easier to grasp and more engaging.
Official wording
Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
Adapt speech to a variety of contents and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
9-10.SL.PKI.6
Adapt your speaking to different settings and tasks, using formal English where expected, like a panel discussion or a college interview.
Official wording
Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
Writing: Text Types and Protocol
3 standardsWrite arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
9-10.W.TTP.1
Write arguments about serious topics or texts with precise claims, fair counterclaims, clear organization, strong evidence, a formal tone and a fitting conclusion.
Official wording
Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning supported by relevant and sufficient evidence.aIntroduce precise claim(s).bDevelop claim(s) and counterclaim(s) fairly, supplying evidence for each claim and counterclaim while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.cCreate an organization that establishes cohesion and clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaim(s), reasons, and evidence.dProvide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.eUse precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic.fEstablish and maintain a formal style and objective tone.
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
9-10.W.TTP.2
Write informative essays that explain complex ideas with an engaging introduction, clear transitions, well-chosen facts, helpful visuals, a formal tone and a strong ending.
Official wording
Write informative/explanatory texts to analyze and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection and organization of content.aProvide an introduction that is relevant to the rest of the text and effectively engages the audience.bOrganize ideas to create cohesion and clarify relationships among ideas and concepts, including but not limited to use of appropriate and varied transitions.cDevelop 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.dProvide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.eUse appropriate formatting, graphics, and multimedia to aid comprehension.fUse precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic.gEstablish and maintain a formal style and objective tone.
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective techniques, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
9-10.W.TTP.3
Write fiction or literary nonfiction that sets up a situation, builds events into a whole, uses dialogue, pacing and vivid detail, and ends with reflection.
Official wording
Write narrative fiction or literary nonfiction to convey experiences and/or events using effective techniques, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.aEngage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation, establishing point of view, and introducing a narrator/speaker and/or characters.bSequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole.cCreate a smooth progression of experiences or events.dUse narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines to convey experiences, events, and/or characters.eProvide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.fUse precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.gEstablish and maintain an appropriate style and tone.
Writing: Production and Distribution of Writing
3 standardsProduce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
9-10.W.PDW.4
Match how a piece of writing is developed, organized and styled to its task, its purpose and the people who will read it.
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.)
Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
9-10.W.PDW.5
Plan, revise, edit, rewrite or rethink drafts, focusing on what matters most for the specific purpose and audience, like a scholarship essay.
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 Foundational Literacy standard 6 and Language standards 1-3 up to and including grades 9-10.)
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.
9-10.W.PDW.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.
Writing: Research to Build and Present Knowledge
3 standardsConduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focus questions, demonstrating new understanding of the subject under investigation.
9-10.W.RBPK.7
Carry out short and longer research projects that answer a question or solve a problem, adjusting its scope, combining sources and showing new understanding.
Official wording
Conduct and write short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem by narrowing or broadening the inquiry when appropriate, synthesizing multiple sources on the subject, and demonstrating a new understanding of the subject under investigation.
Integrate relevant and credible information from multiple print and digital sources while avoiding plagiarism.
9-10.W.RBPK.8
Use several search terms to find varied print and online sources, weave in information smoothly, avoid plagiarism, and cite in a standard format.
Official wording
Use multiple search terms to generate a variety of print and digital sources; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
9-10.W.RBPK.9
Support and defend analyses, reflections or research with evidence from literature or nonfiction, applying high school reading skills to the sources.
Official wording
Support and defend interpretations, analyses, reflections, or research with evidence found in literature or informational texts, applying grade band 9-10 standards for reading to source material.
Writing: Range of Writing
1 standardWrite 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.
9-10.W.RW.10
Write regularly, in long projects and single sittings, for many tasks, purposes and audiences, like a research paper or a timed essay.
Official wording
Write routinely over extended time frames and shorter time frames for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
The official Tennessee documents
- Tennessee English Language Arts Standards · adopted 2016, revised February 2019 · since 2017-18, through 2028-29
- Tennessee English Language Arts Standards for 2029-30 · coming next · from 2029-30
Tennessee Academic Standards for English Language Arts, Tennessee Department of Education, tn.gov/education.
Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.
The plain-English lines are EMStudio's own explanations, shown beside the official wording. They are not part of the standards.