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Utah Standards

Utah Grades 9–10 ELA Standards

All 18 Utah English language arts standards for grades 9–10, each explained in plain English. The official wording is in Utah State Board of Education's document, linked at the end of this page.

18 standards

Speaking and Listening

3 standards
9–10.SL.1
In democratic discussions, weigh diverse views, combine claims and evidence, test or challenge ideas with proof, and flag contradictions or the need for more research.
9–10.SL.2
Interpret and judge the credibility of sources in many formats, like news clips, charts, and articles, to solve problems and make sound decisions.
9–10.SL.3
Suit language, organization, and delivery to the audience and occasion, presenting a clear view concisely with cited evidence that listeners can easily follow.

Reading

11 standards
9–10.R.4
Read ninth- and tenth-grade texts with the accuracy and smooth pacing that strong understanding requires.
9–10.R.5
Cite strong evidence for what a text states and implies, and point out places where its meaning is left unclear or open to more than one reading.
9–10.R.6
Find a theme or several main ideas in texts from diverse cultures, analyze how details shape and refine them, and write an objective summary with evidence.
9–10.R.7
Analyze how plot and dialogue shape characters and drive the action, and how a text connects or separates people, ideas, or events through comparisons or analogies.
9–10.R.8
Analyze how word choices, figurative language, and connotations affect meaning, tone, and mood, and how subject vocabulary and language vary across genres.
9–10.R.9
Clarify unknown words by using patterns of word parts, like -tion for nouns, and references that give pronunciation, meaning, part of speech, or Greek and Latin origins.
9–10.R.10
Analyze and judge how well the structure of a story, explanation, or argument makes its points or events clear, convincing, or engaging.
9–10.R.11
Analyze how an author's location, identity, culture, and era shape a text's perspective, purpose, and stated or hidden messages.
9–10.R.12
Compare a text with its version in another medium, weigh the pros and cons of each medium, and explain how and why the adaptation stays true or departs.
9–10.R.13
Break down and evaluate an argument, judging whether key statements are valid or fallacious based on relevant, sufficient evidence, and spot irrelevant evidence.
9–10.R.14
Analyze fiction with shared themes through event patterns, character types, and style, and how texts on one topic weigh evidence differently and where they disagree.

Writing

4 standards
9–10.W.1
Write arguments on complex topics or texts that develop claims and counterclaims with credible evidence, weigh their strengths and limits, and conclude logically.
9–10.W.2
Explain complex ideas in writing by organizing key connections and distinctions, using extended definitions, quotations, graphics, and transitions, then concluding.
9–10.W.3
Write a real or imagined story with one or more points of view, using dialogue, pacing, reflection, and varied sentences to build mood and a meaningful resolution.
9–10.W.4
Carry out longer research projects to argue, answer a question, or analyze, combining credible sources, reflecting on evidence, and citing properly to avoid plagiarism.

The official Utah documents

The plain-English lines on this page are EMStudio's own explanations of Utah's standards, not the official wording, which Utah State Board of Education publishes in the documents above. Codes and strand names identify each standard.