English Language Arts Standards » Writing » Grade 9-10

The CCR anchor standards and high school grade-specific standards work in tandem to define college and career readiness expectations—the former providing broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity.

Text Types and Purposes

• 1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

  Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-1

  • 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.

    Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-1a

  • 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.

    Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-1b

  • 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.

    Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-1c

  • Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

    Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-1d

  • Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

    Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-1e

• 2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

  Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-2

  • 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.

    Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-2a

  • 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.

    Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-2b

  • Use appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.

    Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-2c

  • Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic.

    Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-2d

  • Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

    Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-2e

  • 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).

    Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-2f

Text Types and Purposes (continued)

• 3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

  Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-3

  • 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 and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events.

    Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-3a

  • Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.

    Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-3b

  • Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole.

    Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-3c

  • Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.

    Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-3d

  • Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.

    Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-3e

Production and Distribution of Writing

• 4. 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.)

  Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-4

• 5. 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.

  Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-5

• 6. 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.

  Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-6

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

• 7. 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.

  Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-7

• 8. 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.

  Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-8

• 9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

  Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-9

  • Apply grades 9–10 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]”).

    Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-9a

  • Apply grades 9–10 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”).

    Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-9b

Range of Writing

• 10. Write 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.

  Suggested tag: cc-9-10e-w-10

The CCR anchor standards and high school grade-specific standards work in tandem to define college and career readiness expectations—the former providing broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity.