WHST.6-8.2Common CoreELAWriting in History, Science and Technical SubjectsGrades 6-8
WHST.6-8.2: Narrating a Historical Event in an Informative Text
In plain English: WHST.6-8.2 is the Common Core literacy standard for grades 6-8 that asks students to write informative texts in history, science and technical subjects, including narrations of historical events and accounts of experiments. Students preview and organize the topic with headings and graphics, develop it with facts, definitions and quotations, link ideas with varied transitions, and keep a formal, objective tone.
Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/experiments, or technical processes.
a.Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories as appropriate to achieving purpose; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
b.Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
c.Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
d.Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
e.Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone.
f.Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy · Domain: Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects 6-12 · Cluster: Text Types and Purposes · Official standard
Students learn to write an informative text that narrates a historical event: a clear account, in order, that a reader who knows nothing about the topic can follow. The lesson is built on the Rosetta Stone, from its discovery in a fort wall in 1799 to the day in 1822 when Jean-François Champollion announced that he could read its hieroglyphs. Students study an original model text with headings, diagnose a weak draft, and then turn a set of research notes about the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb into their own narration, with headings and a timeline table. The facts in the model text and the notes come from published histories; the texts themselves were written for this page.
The lesson follows the six parts of WHST.6-8.2: introducing the topic and previewing what follows, organizing information into broader categories and using headings, graphics such as tables and timelines, and multimedia where they help (a); developing the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details and quotations (b); using appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and show how ideas relate (c); using precise language and the vocabulary of history (d); keeping a formal style and an objective tone (e); and ending with a conclusion that follows from the information presented (f).
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Introduce a historical event clearly and preview how the account is organized
Group facts about an event into broader categories under headings, and choose a table or timeline when it helps readers
Develop the account with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details and a quotation with its source
Link events and ideas with varied transitions that show time, cause and contrast
Narrate the event in precise, formal language with an objective tone and a conclusion that follows
Prior Knowledge Required
Students should already be comfortable with:
Writing informative texts that group related information and use headings W.5.2
Describing how a history text presents information, for example in order or by cause and effect RH.6-8.5
Knowing where ancient Egypt was and that its people wrote with hieroglyphs
"Imagine you find a note written in a code you have never seen, and next to it the same note in English. How would you use the English version to start cracking the code? Write down your first two steps."
Give students three minutes, then collect steps on the board, such as matching names or numbers that should appear in both versions. Tell students that this is roughly what happened with a real stone found in Egypt in 1799, and that today's writing task is to narrate a historical event: to tell what happened, in order, so clearly that a reader who was not there can follow it. Unlike a story, a narration in history class sticks to facts that can be checked and keeps the writer's opinions out.
Direct Instruction20 minutes
Introduce the key words. An informative text gives readers facts and explanations; a narration tells events in the order they happened. A heading names a section, and a broader category is a group of related facts, such as "the people" or "the object." A transition is a word or phrase that links ideas and shows how they relate (time, cause, contrast). An objective tone reports facts without the writer's feelings or opinions. Show Diagram 1 and Diagram 2, and ask what each graphic lets a reader see faster than a paragraph could. Then work through the four examples below and read the model text aloud.
Introducing and previewing a topic
Vague draft opening for a different event: This report is about Lewis and Clark. It names the subject but gives the reader no reason to care and no idea what comes next.
Result: Revision: In May 1804, a small group of explorers set out from near St. Louis to look for a water route across North America to the Pacific Ocean. This report first introduces the expedition's two leaders, then follows its route west and back.
A definition built into a sentence
Draft: The stone has Demotic on it. Readers new to the topic do not know what Demotic is.
Result: Revision: The middle section is written in Demotic, a faster Egyptian script used for everyday documents such as contracts and letters. (The definition follows the term at once, set off by a comma.)
Transitions that show time and cause
Three unlinked sentences about the same expedition: The explorers reached the Pacific coast in November 1805. They built a fort. They started home in March 1806.
Result: Revision: The explorers reached the Pacific coast in November 1805. Because winter was coming, they built a fort near the coast, and four months later, in March 1806, they started home. ("Because" shows cause; "four months later" shows time.)
Precise language and an objective tone
Draft: Some guy named Young did a bunch of cool stuff with the writing.
Result: Revision: The English scientist Thomas Young identified the hieroglyphs that spell the name Ptolemy. (The person is named with his field, the vague "cool stuff" becomes one exact result, and the writer's opinion is gone.)
On a second reading, students number the paragraphs, circle each heading, underline every date, and box each word the writer defines. Ask: which sentence in paragraph 1 tells the reader what the rest of the text will do? Which paragraph describes the object rather than an event, and why would a writer put it there?
1For about 1,400 years, no one could read Egyptian hieroglyphs, the picture-like signs carved on ancient temples and tombs. That knowledge began to return in the early 1800s because of one broken slab of stone that soldiers found in 1799. This account follows the Rosetta Stone from its discovery to the day in 1822 when a French scholar announced that he could read its hieroglyphs. It explains where the stone came from, what is written on it, and how two scholars, one after the other, worked out its signs.
2A Stone in a Fort Wall In July 1799, French soldiers were repairing Fort Julien, an old fort near the town of Rosetta (today called Rashid) in the Nile Delta. When the soldiers pulled down a wall, an officer named Pierre-François Bouchard noticed that one of its stones was covered with writing. Two years later, the British defeated the French in Egypt, and under the terms of the French surrender at Alexandria in 1801, the stone passed to Britain. Since 1802, it has been on display at the British Museum in London.
3One Message in Three Scripts The Rosetta Stone is a broken piece of a stele, a stone slab set up to display an official message. It is made of granodiorite, a hard, dark rock, and it stands about 112 centimeters tall and weighs about 760 kilograms. Its message is a decree, or official order, issued in 196 BC by a council of Egyptian priests at Memphis to honor King Ptolemy V. The decree is carved three times, in three scripts, or systems of writing. The top section uses hieroglyphs, the script of temples and holy texts. The middle section uses Demotic, a faster script for everyday Egyptian documents. The bottom section uses ancient Greek, the language of Egypt's rulers at the time. Scholars in 1799 could still read ancient Greek, so the bottom section gave them a translation of the other two.
4The First Clues Having a translation was not the same as being able to read the signs. Many European scholars believed that hieroglyphs stood only for ideas, not for sounds. Beginning in 1814, the English scientist Thomas Young studied copies of the stone. Some of its hieroglyphs sit inside ovals, which scholars call cartouches, and Young showed that the signs in one cartouche spelled the Greek name Ptolemy. However, he could not explain how the rest of the hieroglyphic writing worked, and after he published his findings in 1819, his progress stopped.
5The Breakthrough Jean-François Champollion, a French scholar raised in Grenoble, took the next step. He knew Coptic, a late form of the Egyptian language written mostly with Greek letters, and he used it to test what the signs might sound like. In 1822, he compared the names Ptolemy and Cleopatra, which appear in cartouches on an obelisk, a tall stone pillar, from the island of Philae. The signs for sounds that both names share, such as P, L and O, matched. From these and other names, he built a list of hieroglyphs that stand for sounds. On 27 September, he presented his results to scholars in Paris.
6The reading of the Rosetta Stone took twenty-three years and the work of many people: soldiers who noticed a stone, a scientist who found the first royal name, and a scholar who showed that hieroglyphs could stand for sounds. Champollion's discovery opened thousands of ancient Egyptian texts to study, from temple walls to papyrus scrolls. For that reason, the words "Rosetta Stone" are still used today for any key that unlocks a new field of knowledge.
Written for this page (a model narration of a historical event), How the Rosetta Stone Was Read (model informative text for history class, written for this page). Original passage written for this page.
Guided Practice15 minutes
Pairs complete the organization map below for the model text in their own words. Then they read the weak draft that follows, which a student wrote from memory before reading the model, and list its problems under five labels: introduction, order, facts and definitions, vocabulary and tone, and conclusion. They do not rewrite it yet; that happens in Activity 3.
Organization map of the model text (T1)
Paragraph
Heading or role
Broader category (event, object or people)
What the section tells the reader (students fill in)
1
Introduction
2
A Stone in a Fort Wall
3
One Message in Three Scripts
4
The First Clues
5
The Breakthrough
6
Conclusion
The Rosetta Stone is this really famous rock. Champollion figured it out in 1822 and he was the smartest guy ever, way smarter than that Young guy. It has three kinds of writing on it. The soldiers found it in a wall. It is in a museum now. Hieroglyphs are basically just pictures, each picture is a word. Thomas Young did some stuff with it too. Anyway it was super hard and took forever. In conclusion, the Rosetta Stone is really cool and everyone should go see it.
Written for this page (an invented student draft), The Rosetta Stone (weak draft for revision, written for this page; the student writer is invented). Original passage written for this page.
Independent Practice20 minutes
Students now plan their own narration of a different event: the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb. They read the research notes below, number the paragraphs, and mark each note with the broader category it belongs to: the setting (the valley and the king), the search, the discovery and opening, what happened afterward, or not needed for this narration. Then each student writes a working title and three or four headings, and circles every date that could go in a timeline table. Collect the plans; students draft the narration for homework.
1Tutankhamun was a king of Egypt who died about 3,200 years before his tomb was found. His tomb is in the Valley of the Kings, across the Nile River from the modern city of Luxor.
2Most royal tombs in the valley were robbed in ancient times. Tutankhamun's tomb was hidden under rubble, so most of its contents survived. It is the only royal tomb in the Valley of the Kings found nearly intact.
3In 1912, the American Theodore Davis, who had dug in the valley for years, wrote: "I fear that the Valley of the Tombs is now exhausted." (as quoted by G. Elliot Smith in 1923)
4Howard Carter, a British archaeologist, had worked since 1907 with Lord Carnarvon, his patron, who paid for the digging. According to Smith, their teams "are said to have moved as much as 200,000 tons" of rubble in the valley.
5Carter was born in London in 1874 and first went to Egypt in 1891, at the age of 17, to work as an artist recording ancient tombs.
6On 4 November 1922, a step cut into the rock was uncovered. Accounts differ about who found it: Carter's book credits the workmen, while other accounts credit a boy who carried water for them.
7Carter had the steps covered again and sent a telegram to Carnarvon, who was in England. Carnarvon arrived in Luxor on 23 November with his daughter, Lady Evelyn Herbert.
8On 26 November 1922, Carter made a small hole in a sealed doorway and looked in by candlelight. When Carnarvon asked if he could see anything, Carter answered, in the words of the 1923 book he wrote with Arthur Mace, "Yes, wonderful things." Notes and letters written at the time give other wordings.
9On 16 February 1923, Carter and Carnarvon formally opened the burial chamber, with government officials present.
10Carnarvon died on 5 April 1923. An infected mosquito bite had led to blood poisoning and pneumonia. Some newspapers blamed an ancient curse.
11In 1925, the team removed the king's mummy from its coffin. The objects from the tomb were numbered at 5,398. The last of them were shipped to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo in 1932.
Written for this page (research notes), The Discovery of Tutankhamun's Tomb, 1922-1932 (research notes for the homework, written for this page; the facts are from published histories, and the quotations are from G. Elliot Smith's 1923 book and Howard Carter's 1923 book, as named). Original passage written for this page.
Closure5-10 minutes
Exit ticket: (1) Write one transition that shows time and one that shows cause. (2) Name one fact from the model text that you would put in a timeline and one you would keep in a paragraph, and say why. (3) Rewrite this sentence in an objective tone: Carter was the luckiest archaeologist in history.
Teacher notes: The model text, the weak draft and the research notes were written for this page, and the student who wrote the draft is invented. The facts are from published histories and museum records; two of them are reported differently in different sources, and the notes say so (who found the first step, and Carter's exact words on 26 November). The notes use the spelling "Tutankhamun," while Smith's 1923 book spells it "Tutankhamen"; both are transliterations of the same Egyptian name. If students ask about the "curse," treat it as a newspaper story from 1923, not as history: the notes give the medical cause of Lord Carnarvon's death.
Differentiation Strategies
For Struggling Students
Give sentence frames for the introduction and transitions: "This account tells how ... . It begins with ... and ends with ... ." and "... . As a result, ... ."
Provide the research notes already sorted by category, so students can focus on writing the sections in order
Let students build their timeline table first and write one or two sentences for each row before joining them into paragraphs
For Advanced Students
Ask students to add a short section to their narration that explains why two sources disagree about who found the first step, without taking a side
Have students rewrite paragraph 4 of the model text for readers in grade 3 and explain every change they made
Ask students to plan a two-minute audio or slide version of their narration and decide which facts need an image and which need only words
Assessment Guidance
What to Look For
Check that the introduction names the event, gives a reason to read on and previews how the account is organized. Facts should be grouped under clear headings, told in order where the text narrates events, and supported by at least one definition, concrete details such as dates and places, and a quotation with its source. Look for a titled table or timeline with labeled columns, varied transitions that show time, cause and contrast (not only "then"), precise names and terms instead of "stuff" or "a guy," an objective tone with no praise or exaggeration, and a conclusion that follows from the account, for example by stating why the event mattered.
02
Classroom Activities
3 Activities
1
Category Sort: Event, Object or People?
15 minPairs
Pairs sort twelve fact cards about the Rosetta Stone into broader categories, give each category a heading, and put the event cards in time order. The activity builds parts a and b of the standard.
Fact Cards
1. French soldiers found the stone in a wall of Fort Julien in July 1799.
2. The stone is made of granodiorite, a hard, dark rock.
3. Thomas Young was an English scientist.
4. Under the French surrender terms of 1801, the stone passed to Britain.
5. The stone stands about 112 centimeters tall and weighs about 760 kilograms.
6. Champollion presented his results in Paris on 27 September 1822.
7. Champollion knew Coptic, a late form of the Egyptian language.
8. The decree on the stone was issued in 196 BC.
9. Young began studying copies of the stone in 1814.
10. The stone has been on display in the British Museum since 1802.
11. Pierre-François Bouchard was the officer who noticed the writing.
12. The same message appears on the stone three times.
Procedure
Pairs sort the cards into three piles: events (something that happened at a certain time), the object (what the stone is and what is on it), and people (who someone was)
Teacher key: cards 1, 4, 6, 9 and 10 are events; cards 2, 5, 8 and 12 describe the object; cards 3, 7 and 11 describe people
Pairs put the event cards in time order and write a heading for each of the three piles
Pairs discuss card 8, which has a date but describes the object's message, and decide where it fits best
Finally, pairs decide which pile would make the best table and write its column headings
Discussion Questions
Why does a narration of an event still need a section about the object and the people?
Card 8 has a date. Why does it not belong in the same time order as the events of 1799-1822?
How did your headings compare with the headings in the model text?
2
Table, Timeline, Picture or Paragraph?
15 minGroups of 3-4
Groups decide how to present different pieces of information about the Rosetta Stone for a museum handout, choosing among a paragraph, a table, a timeline, a labeled picture and a short video clip, and defend each choice. The activity builds part a of the standard: formatting, graphics and multimedia when they aid comprehension.
Information Cards
A. The dates from 1799 to 1822 and what happened on each
B. Why Greek, Demotic and hieroglyphs appear on one stone
C. Which section of the stone holds which script
D. How Champollion matched the signs in two royal names
E. The stone's height, width, thickness and weight
F. What the stone looks like in its museum case today
Procedure
For each card, groups choose one form (paragraph, table, timeline, labeled picture or video clip) and write one sentence explaining how the choice helps a reader
Groups sketch the table or timeline for one card, with a title and labeled parts
Groups write one heading for each section of the handout
Two groups compare choices and find one card on which they disagree
Discussion Questions
Which card was hardest to put in a graphic? Why does some information need sentences?
When would a short video help a reader more than a picture?
How do Diagrams 1 and 2 on this page divide the work with the model text?
Modification for Distance Learning
Groups build the handout in a shared slide file, one slide per section, and add the table or timeline as a slide. Each group leaves one comment on another group's choice of form.
3
Draft Repair
20 minPairs
Pairs revise the weak draft (T3) into a formal, objective narration of about 150 words with one heading, using the model text, a transition bank and a tone checklist. The activity builds parts c, d, e and f of the standard.
Materials
The weak draft (T3), the list of problems from Guided Practice, and the model text (T1)
Transition bank, by relationship: time (in July 1799, two years later, beginning in 1814, by 1822, meanwhile), cause (because, as a result, so, for that reason), contrast (however, although, but, unlike), adding (also, in addition, another)
Tone and vocabulary checklist: no opinions or praise ("smartest," "cool"); no slang ("guy," "stuff," "super"); exact names and dates; the right term for each thing (stele, decree, script, cartouche); no "you"; no exaggeration ("forever")
Procedure
Put the draft's events in the order they happened and cross out any sentence that is only an opinion
Write an opening sentence that names the event and previews the account
Replace every vague word with an exact name, date or term from the model text
Add one definition for a reader who does not know the word "script"
Join at least three sentences with transitions from three different rows of the bank
End with a sentence that follows from the account, and trade with another pair to check the tone against the checklist
Science Narration Variation
Pairs use the same moves to narrate a short science procedure instead, such as how the class tested which paper towel absorbs the most water: an opening that previews, the steps in order with transitions, exact quantities, and a conclusion that states what was found.
03
Diagrams & Visual Aids
2 diagrams
Diagram 1: A Timeline of the Rosetta Stone, 1799-1822
The six events in the model text (T1), placed to scale on a line from 1798 to 1824. The gap between event 3 and event 4 shows that twelve years passed between the stone's arrival in London and the start of Thomas Young's work on it.
Diagram 2: One Decree in Three Scripts
A schematic drawing of the Rosetta Stone. The same decree of 196 BC is carved in hieroglyphs at the top, Demotic in the middle and ancient Greek at the bottom. The stone is broken, so only part of each text survives; the line counts are those that remain on the stone.
04
Homework Assignment
~30 min
WHST.6-8.2 Homework: Narrating the Discovery of Tutankhamun's Tomb
Directions: Using the research notes (T2) in Independent Practice and your plan from class, write a narration of the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb for readers in your history class, 350-450 words, with headings and a timeline table. Use the model text (T1) as a guide to organization and style. Cite notes as (T2, paragraph 8). Complete the six problems below; together they build your narration.
Part 1: Introduce and Organize (Problems 1-3)
Write an introduction of two or three sentences that names the event, gives readers a reason to keep reading, and previews how your narration is organized.
Sort the notes into three or four broader categories and give each one a heading. List any note you will leave out, and explain in one sentence why a reader of your narration does not need it.
Build a timeline table with a title and two labeled columns (Date and Event) that lists at least six events from the notes in order.
Part 2: Develop and Link (Problems 4-5)
Write the body sections of your narration under your headings. Include at least one definition of a term a classmate might not know, concrete details such as dates and places, and one quotation from the notes with its source named.
Underline at least five transitions in your narration. Use transitions that show at least three different relationships (for example time, cause and contrast), and label each one.
Part 3: Tone and Conclusion (Problem 6)
Write a conclusion of two or three sentences that follows from your narration and says why the discovery mattered. Then reread your narration and rewrite any sentence that shows your opinion or exaggerates, so that the tone is objective; list two of the changes.
Rubric
Criterion
Full Credit (2 pts)
Partial Credit (1 pt)
No Credit (0 pts)
Introduction and Organization
Introduction previews the narration; notes grouped under clear headings; a titled timeline table in order
Preview or headings missing, or table incomplete
No clear introduction or order
Development
Relevant facts, a definition, concrete details and a quotation with its source
Some facts irrelevant or missing; no definition or no quotation
Facts inaccurate or too few
Transitions and Vocabulary
Varied transitions show time, cause and contrast; precise names, dates and terms
Transitions repeat (then, then) or vocabulary vague in places
No transitions; vague or wrong terms
Tone and Conclusion
Formal, objective throughout; conclusion follows from the narration and states why it mattered
Some opinions or slang, or a conclusion that only repeats
Informal throughout or no conclusion
05
Quiz: 20 Questions
Interactive, with answers
Instructions
The questions use the model text (T1) in Direct Instruction, the weak draft (T3) in Guided Practice and the research notes (T2) in Independent Practice. Your score updates as you answer, and Reset quiz clears everything so you or your students can try again.
Multiple choice: pick an option to check it. Short answer: write your answer, then reveal the model answer.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which writing task asks for an informative text that narrates a historical event?
Answer: C
C asks the writer to tell what happened, in order, using facts, which is the narration of a historical event. A asks for an argument, B for an imagined story, and D for an opinion about beauty that no facts could settle.
Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which sentence in paragraph 1 of the model text (T1) previews how the rest of the text is organized?
Answer: C
C tells the reader where the account starts and ends. The sentence after it names the three things the text explains, in the order of the sections. A and B introduce the topic and give a reason to read on, but they do not preview the sections. D comes from the conclusion in paragraph 6, not from paragraph 1.
Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice
A writer wants to add this fact to the model text (T1): The Greek section has 54 lines, more than either Egyptian section. Under which heading does it belong?
Answer: B
The fact describes what is written on the stone, the category covered by "One Message in Three Scripts." "A Stone in a Fort Wall" tells how the stone was found and moved, and "The First Clues" and "The Breakthrough" tell how scholars worked out the signs; the fact is about neither event.
Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice
A student turning the model text (T1) into a slide presentation wants one graphic to help viewers picture where the stone was found. Which graphic fits best?
Answer: D
Paragraph 2 names places, Fort Julien near Rosetta in the Nile Delta and Alexandria, and a map shows readers where they are faster than words can. A describes the object, not the place, B shows where the stone is now, not where it was found, and C covers a person's life, which the text does not narrate.
Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice
The model text (T1) uses the heading "The First Clues" for paragraph 4 instead of "Thomas Young." Why is "The First Clues" the better heading?
Answer: A
The heading names the stage of the story the section covers, the first progress toward reading the signs, so it fits the text's plan of sections from discovery to breakthrough. B turns a length difference into a false rule, C is false because the paragraph names Young in its third sentence, and D is an opinion the text never states.
Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice
How does the model text (T1) help readers understand the word decree in paragraph 3?
Answer: D
Paragraph 3 says, "Its message is a decree, or official order," so the definition comes right after the term. A describes a graphic that is not there, B does not happen (the word is defined, not guessed), and C is not in the text.
Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice
The research notes (T2) quote Theodore Davis, who wrote in 1912: "I fear that the Valley of the Tombs is now exhausted." Why would this quotation help a narration of the 1922 discovery?
Answer: B
Davis had "dug in the valley for years" and believed it was "exhausted," meaning emptied of tombs, so the quotation shows how surprising the later find was. A is an opinion the notes do not support, C and D describe other notes (paragraphs 6 and 9).
Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Paragraph 4 of the model text (T1) begins, "Having a translation was not the same as being able to read the signs." How does this sentence link paragraph 4 to paragraph 3?
Answer: A
"A translation" refers to the Greek section described at the end of paragraph 3, and "not the same as being able to read the signs" sets up the problem that paragraphs 4 and 5 solve. B, C and D describe things the sentence does not do; the conclusion is paragraph 6.
Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Choose the transition that best shows the relationship between these sentences: Many scholars believed that hieroglyphs stood only for ideas. ____, Champollion showed that many of them stood for sounds.
Answer: B
The second sentence contradicts the belief in the first, which "However" signals. "For example" would introduce an instance of the belief, "As a result" an effect of it, and "In addition" another idea of the same kind.
Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Choose the transition that best links these sentences from a narration based on the research notes (T2): A step cut into the rock was uncovered on 4 November 1922. ____, Lord Carnarvon arrived in Luxor.
Answer: D
The notes give 4 November for the step and 23 November for Carnarvon's arrival, 19 days apart, so "Nineteen days later" shows the exact time relationship. "For example" and "In contrast" signal an instance and a difference, and "Therefore" claims the step caused the arrival without showing when.
Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which revision of the weak draft's (T3) sentence It has three kinds of writing on it. uses the most precise language?
Answer: B
B names what the writing is (one decree), uses the term "scripts," and lists all three. A keeps the vague "types of writing" and adds an opinion, C is vaguer than the original, and D uses "back in the day" instead of a date and miscounts: hieroglyphs and Demotic are two scripts for one language, Egyptian.
Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice
According to the model text (T1), what is a cartouche?
Answer: C
Paragraph 4 says that some hieroglyphs "sit inside ovals, which scholars call cartouches." A defines a stele (paragraph 3), B defines Coptic (paragraph 5), and D describes Demotic (paragraph 3).
Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which revision of the weak draft's (T3) sentence Champollion figured it out in 1822 and he was the smartest guy ever, way smarter than that Young guy. keeps an objective tone?
Answer: D
D reports what happened and when, and it credits both scholars accurately, without praise or insults. A and B keep the writer's judgments ("brilliant," "less gifted," "genius," "easily"), and C keeps both an opinion and the informal "honestly."
Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which concluding statement best follows from and supports the model text (T1)?
Answer: B
B sums up the account (the work of several scholars) and states why it mattered (Egyptian writing could be read again). A is an opinion, C changes the topic to a judgment about the invasion, and D makes a claim the text never supports.
Question 15 of 20 · Short Answer
The weak draft (T3) begins: "The Rosetta Stone is this really famous rock." Rewrite it as a formal introduction of two sentences that names the topic, gives a reason to read on, and previews what the account will cover.
Model answer: "The Rosetta Stone, a broken slab found by French soldiers in Egypt in 1799, gave scholars their first chance in centuries to read Egyptian hieroglyphs. This account describes what is carved on the stone and then tells how Thomas Young and Jean-François Champollion worked out its signs." Rubric line: 2 points for a formal introduction that names the topic with a precise detail, gives a reason to read on and previews the sections; 1 point if the preview is missing or the language stays vague.
Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer
The weak draft (T3) says, "Hieroglyphs are basically just pictures, each picture is a word." Explain in one or two sentences why this is inaccurate, using the model text, and rewrite the sentence so that it is accurate. Cite the paragraph you used.
Model answer: "The sentence repeats the old belief that hieroglyphs 'stood only for ideas, not for sounds' (T1, paragraph 4), but Champollion showed that many hieroglyphs stand for sounds (T1, paragraph 5). Revision: Some hieroglyphs stand for ideas, but many others stand for sounds, as Champollion showed in 1822." Rubric line: 2 points for naming the error, a correct revision and a paragraph citation; 1 point if the revision is correct but not explained or not cited.
Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer
The weak draft (T3) mixes events, facts about the object and facts about people in no order. Write two headings for a revised version, and list which sentences of the draft (numbered 1-9 in order) belong under each one. Name any sentence you would cut.
Model answer: Heading 1, "What the Stone Is": sentences 1 and 3 (the stone and its three scripts), plus sentence 6 after it is corrected. Heading 2, "How the Stone Was Found and Read": sentences 4, 5, 7 and 2, in that order (found in a wall, in a museum, Young's work, Champollion in 1822), with the opinions removed from sentence 2. Cut sentences 8 and 9 or replace them: 8 is an exaggeration and 9 is an opinion. Rubric line: 2 points for two headings that name broader categories, sentences sorted sensibly with the events in time order, and opinion sentences cut; 1 point if the sort is sensible but the events are out of order or no sentence is cut.
Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer
Combine the weak draft's (T3) sentences "The soldiers found it in a wall. It is in a museum now." into one or two sentences that use exact details from the model text and at least two transitions that show time.
Model answer: "In July 1799, French soldiers found the stone in a wall of Fort Julien, near the town of Rosetta. Two years later, it passed to Britain, and since 1802 it has been on display at the British Museum in London." Rubric line: 2 points for accurate details (who, where, when) and at least two time transitions (in July 1799, two years later, since 1802); 1 point if the details are accurate but only one transition shows time.
Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer
The weak draft (T3) says, "Anyway it was super hard and took forever." Rewrite the sentence in a formal style and an objective tone, replacing "forever" with an exact length of time from the model text.
Model answer: "Reading the stone took twenty-three years, from its discovery in 1799 to Champollion's announcement in 1822, and it required the work of several people." Rubric line: 2 points for an exact span (twenty-three years, or 1799 to 1822), no slang or exaggeration, and a formal sentence; 1 point if the tone is formal but the time is still vague.
Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer
The weak draft (T3) ends, "In conclusion, the Rosetta Stone is really cool and everyone should go see it." Write a new concluding statement of one or two sentences that follows from the information in the model text (T1) and explains why the event mattered, without repeating the model's last sentence.
Model answer: "Once Champollion showed that hieroglyphs could stand for sounds, scholars could begin to read the writing on Egypt's temples and papyrus scrolls, which had been silent for about 1,400 years. A single decree carved in three scripts had given them the key." Rubric line: 2 points for a conclusion that draws on the account (the three scripts, the sounds, the long silence) and states why it mattered, in an objective tone; 1 point for a conclusion that only summarizes; 0 for an opinion or a new topic.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
06
Frequently Asked Questions
10 Questions
What does WHST.6-8.2 mean?
WHST.6-8.2 means that students in grades 6-8 can write informative and explanatory texts in history, science and technical subjects, including narrations of historical events, science procedures and experiments, and technical processes.
Its six parts ask students to introduce and preview the topic, organize it into categories and use headings, graphics and multimedia where they help (a); develop it with facts, definitions, details and quotations (b); link ideas with varied transitions (c); use precise, subject-specific vocabulary (d); keep a formal style and objective tone (e); and end with a conclusion that follows (f).
What is the difference between WHST.6-8.2 and W.8.2?
W.8.2 is the English-class standard for informative writing in grade 8, while WHST.6-8.2 applies the same skills to history, science and technical classes.
The WHST version names the texts those classes write: accounts of historical events, of experiments and procedures, and of technical processes. The content has to be accurate for the subject, so a history narration is judged on its dates and facts as well as its writing.
Is WHST.6-8.2 taught in history class or in English class?
It belongs to history, science and technical classes, as part of the Common Core literacy standards for those subjects.
English teachers often teach the writing moves, such as previews and transitions, and history and science teachers apply them to their own content. Many schools use the same planning sheets in both classes.
How is narrating a historical event different from writing a story?
A narration in history tells real events in order using facts that can be checked; a story may invent characters, dialogue and feelings.
A narration names its sources, keeps the writer's opinions out, and explains why events happened, not only what happened. It may quote a real person, but it does not make up what anyone said or thought.
What does "organize ideas into broader categories" mean?
It means grouping related facts together, usually under a heading, instead of listing them in the order you found them.
For a historical event, useful categories are often the setting, the people, the object or place, the events in order, and what happened afterward. Headings that name each category help readers find their way.
Do students have to include graphics and multimedia?
No: the standard asks for them "when useful to aiding comprehension," so the writer decides.
A timeline or table helps readers follow many dates, a labeled picture helps them see an object, and a short video or audio clip can show something hard to describe in words. A paragraph is still best for explaining causes and connections.
What does an objective tone mean in a history paper?
An objective tone reports what happened without the writer's feelings, praise or blame.
"The explorers were heroes" is an opinion; "The explorers reached the Pacific coast in November 1805" is a fact a reader can check. Writers can still show why an event mattered, by stating its effects.
How is WHST.6-8.2 different from WHST.9-10.2?
The grade 9-10 version asks students to make connections and distinctions and to write for the expertise of likely readers.
WHST.9-10.2 asks for extended definitions, sufficient facts for the audience, varied sentence structures and attention to the norms of the discipline. At grades 6-8, students preview the topic, group it into broader categories, use appropriate and varied transitions and keep a formal, objective tone.
What should students do when two sources disagree about a fact?
They should report the disagreement accurately instead of picking one version and hiding the other.
For example, accounts of the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb differ about who found the first step, and the research notes on this page say so. A sentence such as "Accounts differ about ..." keeps the narration accurate and objective.
How can parents help with informative writing in history?
Ask your student to tell you what happened in order, then ask "How do you know?" and "Why did that matter?"
Other useful questions are "What would a reader need defined?" and "Which part would be clearer as a timeline or a table?" These are the choices the standard asks students to make.
07
Related Standards
5 standards
These standards connect to WHST.6-8.2: prerequisites to review first, parallel standards at the same level, and next steps that build on it.
Before this lesson
W.5.2Prerequisite
Write informative texts that group related information and develop the topic
Lesson coming soon
Alongside
W.8.2Parallel
Write informative texts that organize ideas into broader categories
