CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.1.4a

ELA1st GradeVocabulary Acquisition and Use

The Standard

Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students read or hear a sentence with an unfamiliar word. They use the other words in that sentence to figure out a meaning that makes sense.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students use nearby words to make a sensible meaning for an unfamiliar word. They point to the words in the sentence that support their answer.
Common Misconceptions: Students may guess from the picture without checking the sentence. They may also choose a familiar meaning that does not make sense in the sentence.
How to Assess It: Give students this exit ticket: “The puppy was famished, so it ate all its food quickly. What does famished mean? Underline the clues.”

Lesson moves

Place mystery objects in bags, then give clue sentences that help students infer each object’s describing word.
Ask, “Lena shivered and pulled on her coat. What might shivered mean, and which words helped you?”
Play Context Clue Match by pairing unfamiliar word cards with sentence cards and explaining each match.
Read a simple weather report and use nearby words to work out terms such as chilly, stormy, or humid.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.1.4a, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

Learning progression

If students are struggling here, check these first.

Mastery here sets students up for these next.

Keep exploring

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