CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.L.4

ELAGrades K–12Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

The Standard

Determine 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.

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language

What This Standard Means

Students need to figure out word meanings when they read or hear unfamiliar words. They should use nearby clues, word parts like prefixes and roots, and tools such as dictionaries, glossaries, and thesauruses. They also need to notice when a word has more than one meaning and choose the meaning that fits the sentence.

Mastery looks like a student explaining how they figured out a word, not just guessing correctly. Students often get stuck by using only the first dictionary definition, ignoring sentence context, or treating prefixes and roots as exact answers instead of clues.

Ways to Teach It

  • Give pairs a short passage with five covered words, then have them uncover each word after predicting meanings from context clues.
  • Ask students to write: Which clue helped you most with today’s hardest word, context, word parts, or a reference tool?
  • Use an exit ticket with three sentences using the same word differently, and ask students to choose the correct meaning for each.
  • Bring in a medicine label, recipe, sports article, or job posting, and have students mark unfamiliar terms and show how they solved them.

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Related Standards

Standard text verified against corestandards.org on July 10, 2026.

Page updated July 10, 2026.

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