Courses of Study : English Language Arts (Grade 10)

Reading Standards for Literature
Key Ideas and Details
English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
1 ) Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. [RL.9-10.1]


Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
ELA.AAS.10.1- Answer who, what, when, where, and why questions to analyze stories, using textual evidence and inferences as support.


English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
2 ) Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. [RL.9-10.2]


Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
ELA.AAS.10.2- Determine a theme and identify how the theme develops throughout a text, citing specific details; create an objective summary of a story.


English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
3 ) Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. [RL.9-10.3]


Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
ELA.AAS.10.3- Describe how characters interact and develop in a story.


Craft and Structure
English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
4 ) Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone). [RL.9-10.4]

English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
5 ) Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise. [RL.9-10.5]

English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
6 ) Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of early American literature to 1900, drawing on a wide reading of American literature. [RL.9-10.6] (Alabama)


Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
ELA.AAS.10.6- Describe the point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of early American literature to 1900.


Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
7 ) Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment (e.g., Auden's "Musée des Beaux Arts" and Breughel's Landscape with the Fall of Icarus). [RL.9-10.7]

English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
8 ) Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work (e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how early American authors draw upon the Bible for religious themes and issues). [RL.9-10.9] (Alabama)

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
9 ) By the end of Grade 10, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of the Grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and proficiently. [RL.9-10.10]

Reading Standards for Informational Text
Key Ideas and Details
English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
10 ) Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. [RI.9-10.1]


Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
ELA.AAS.10.10- Answer who, what, when, where, and why questions to analyze informational text, using textual evidence and inferences as support.


English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
11 ) Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. [RI.9-10.2]


Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
ELA.AAS.10.11- Identify how the main idea develops throughout a text; create an objective summary of an informational text.


English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
12 ) Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them. [RI.9-10.3]


Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
ELA.AAS.10.12- Identify how the author develops a series of ideas or events and/or the connections between the ideas or events in an informational text.


Craft and Structure
English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
13 ) 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 (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper). [RI.9-10.4]

English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
14 ) Analyze in detail how an author's ideas or claims are developed and refined by particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text (e.g., a section or chapter). [RI.9-10.5]


Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
ELA.AAS.10.14- Analyze how the author's ideas or claims are developed in an informational text.


English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
15 ) Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose. [RI.9-10.6]


Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
ELA.AAS.10.15- Identify the author's point of view and purpose in an informational text.


Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
16 ) Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person's life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account. [RI.9-10.7]

English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
17 ) Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning. [RI.9-10.8]


Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
ELA.AAS.10.17- Identify the argument and/or claims in an informational text; evaluate whether information is true and necessary.


English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
18 ) Analyze seminal United States documents of historical and literary significance (e.g., Washington's Farewell Address, the Gettysburg Address), including how they address related themes and concepts. [RI.9-10.9]


Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
ELA.AAS.10.18- Identify themes and concepts in a modified or partial United States document of historical significance.


English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
19 ) Analyze seventeenth-, eighteenth-, and nineteenth-century foundational United States documents of historical and literary significance (including The Declaration of Independence, the Preamble to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address) for their themes, purposes, and rhetorical features. [RI.11-12.9]

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
20 ) By the end of Grade 10, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the Grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and proficiently. [RI.9-10.10]

Writing Standards
Text Types and Purposes
English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
21 ) Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. [W.9-10.1]

a. Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence. [W.9-10.1a]

b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience's knowledge level and concerns. [W.9-10.1b]

c. Use 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. [W.9-10.1c]

d. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing. [W.9-10.1d]

e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented. [W.9-10.1e]


Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
ELA.AAS.10.21- Compose an argument to support a claim by stating a claim, providing facts or reasons supporting the claim, and providing an appropriate conclusion related to the stated argument.


English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
22 ) Write informative or explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. [W.9-10.2]

a. Introduce a topic; organize complex 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. [W.9-10.2a]

b. Develop 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. [W.9-10.2b]

c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts. [W.9-10.2c]

d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic. [W.9-10.2d]

e. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing. [W.9-10.2e]

f. Provide 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). [W.9-10.2f]


Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
ELA.AAS.10.22- Compose informative or explanatory texts by stating a topic, providing facts or details, and providing an appropriate conclusion related to the topic.


English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
23 ) Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. [W.9-10.3]

a. Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator, characters, or both; create a smooth progression of experiences or events. [W.9-10.3a]

b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters. [W.9-10.3b]

c. Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole. [W.9-10.3c]

d. Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters. [W.9-10.3d]

e. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative. [W.9-10.3e]


Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
ELA.AAS.10.23- Compose narrative texts by introducing characters or a narrator, organizing events in sequence, and providing an ending related to the event sequence.


Production and Distribution of Writing
English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
24 ) 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 21-23 above.) [W.9-10.4]

English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
25 ) 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 the first three standards in the Language strand in Grades K-10.) [W.9-10.5]

English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
26 ) 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. [W.9-10.6]

Research to Build and Present Knowledge
English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
27 ) 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; and synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. [W.9-10.7]


Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
ELA.AAS.10.27- Ask and answer questions about a research topic, including the use of two sources.


English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
28 ) 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; and integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. [W.9-10.8]

English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
29 ) Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. [W.9-10.9]

a. Apply Grade 10 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work [e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare"]. [W.9-10.9a]

b. Apply Grade 10 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., "Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning"). [W.9-10.9b]


Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
ELA.AAS.10.29- Draw evidence from a literary or informational text to support an analysis or research topic.


Range of Writing
English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
30 ) Write routinely over extended time frames, including time for research, reflection, and revision, and shorter time frames such as a single sitting or a day or two for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences. [W.9-10.10]

Speaking and Listening Standards
Comprehension and Collaboration
English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
31 ) Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on Grade 10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. [SL.9-10.1]

a. Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas. [SL.9-10.1a]

b. Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making (e.g., informal consensus, taking votes on key issues, presentation of alternate views), clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed. [SL.9-10.1b]

c. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions. [SL.9-10.1c]

d. Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented. [SL.9-10.1d]

English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
32 ) Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally), evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source. [SL.9-10.2]

English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
33 ) Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence. [SL.9-10.3]


Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
ELA.AAS.10.33 - Identify a speaker's point of view; identify evidence used to support the point of view of the speaker; identify what is not true or exaggerated evidence.


Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
34 ) Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task. [SL.9-10.4]

English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
35 ) Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest. [SL.9-10.5]

English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
36 ) Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See Grade 10 Language standards 37 and 39 for specific expectations.) [SL.9-10.6]

Language Standards
Skills and understandings that are particularly likely to require continued attention in higher grades as they are applied to increasingly sophisticated writing and speaking are marked with an asterisk (*).
Conventions of Standard English
English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
37 ) Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. [L.9-10.1]

a. Use parallel structure.* [L.9-10.1a]

b. Use various types of phrases (noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional, absolute) and clauses (independent, dependent; noun, relative, adverbial) to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to writing or presentations. [L.9-10.1b]

c. Apply rules of subject-verb agreement when the subject is compound in form but singular in meaning and when the subject is plural in form but singular in meaning. (Alabama)


Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
ELA.AAS.10.37- Demonstrate standard English grammar and usage when communicating.
ELA.AAS.10.37c- - Use a complete sentence with appropriate grammar and usage when asking and answering questions.
ELA.AAS.10.37c- Use correct subject-verb agreement.


English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
38 ) Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. [L.9-10.2]

a. Use a semicolon (and perhaps a conjunctive adverb) to link two or more closely related independent clauses. [L.9-10.2a]

b. Use a colon to introduce a list or quotation. [L.9-10.2b]

c. Spell correctly. [L.9-10.2c]


Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
ELA.AAS.10.38- Demonstrate understanding of capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
ELA.AAS. 10.38a- Use commas correctly
ELA.AAS. 10.38c- Use a colon to introduce a list. ELA.AAS.10.38d- Spell correctly.


Knowledge of Language
English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
39 ) 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. [L.9-10.3]

a. Write and edit work so that it conforms to the guidelines in a style manual (e.g., Modern Language Association's MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, American Psychological Association's Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association) appropriate for the discipline and writing type. [L.9-10.3a]

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
40 ) Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on Grade 10 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. [L.9-10.4]

a. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word's position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase. [L.9-10.4a]

b. Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different meanings or parts of speech (e.g., analyze, analysis, analytical; advocate, advocacy). [L.9-10.4b]

c. Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, or its etymology. [L.9-10.4c]

d. Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary). [L.9-10.4d]


Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
ELA.AAS.10.40- Identify the meaning of an unknown word or phrase.
ELA.AAS.10.40a - use context clues to determine the meaning of a word or phrase that may have multiple meanings.
ELA.AAS.10.40c- Identify reference materials and their purposes; demonstrate the ability to use reference materials to find the pronunciation of a word or determine its meaning.
ELA.AAS.10.40d - Verify the meaning of a word using a dictionary.


English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
41 ) Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. [L.9-10.5]

a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze their role in the text. [L.9-10.5a]

b. Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations. [L.9-10.5b]


Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
ELA.AAS.10.41- Determine the meaning of figurative language in context.
ELA.AAS.10.41a- Identify the meaning of a simile or metaphor used in a text.


English Language Arts (2015)
Grade(s): 10
All Resources: 0
42 ) Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression. [L.9-10.6]