CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.2g

ELA3rd GradeConventions of Standard English

The Standard

Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings.

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts

What This Standard Means

Students need to use tools to check spelling instead of guessing. They should know when a word looks wrong, choose a helpful reference, find the word in a beginning dictionary or word list, and copy the correct spelling carefully.

Mastery looks like a student pausing during writing, checking a tricky word, and correcting it without waiting for the teacher. Common sticking points are alphabetizing past the first letter, picking the wrong word from a dictionary page, and fixing only one letter instead of checking the whole word.

Ways to Teach It

  • Give pairs a short paragraph with five misspelled words and a beginning dictionary, then have them find and correct each word.
  • Ask students to write about a word they often misspell and explain what helped them find the correct spelling.
  • During writing time, have each student circle one unsure word, check it in a reference, and show the corrected spelling.
  • Bring in a grocery list or birthday card draft, then model checking spelling so the final copy is clear for a real reader.

Plan a Lesson for CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.2g

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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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