CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.4d

ELA3rd GradeVocabulary Acquisition and Use

The Standard

Use glossaries or beginning dictionaries, both print and digital, to determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students use print or digital glossaries and beginner dictionaries to find unfamiliar words and phrases. They select the definition that best matches how the word is used in context.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students locate a word efficiently in a print or digital glossary or dictionary. They compare definitions and choose the meaning that fits the word's use in the text.
Common Misconceptions: Students may choose the first definition without checking whether it fits the sentence. They may also confuse guide words with entry words or overlook pronunciation, part of speech, and example sentences.
How to Assess It: Give students a short paragraph with one bold word and a dictionary entry with two meanings. Ask them to select the matching meaning and underline the context clue that supports it.

Lesson moves

Give pairs a print dictionary, word cards, and a timer to locate each word and record its page, part of speech, and meaning.
Ask students to explain in writing why one dictionary meaning of “bright” fits a given sentence better than another.
Play Dictionary Detective, where teams use guide words to find target entries and earn points for selecting the correct meaning.
Use a weather report and its glossary to clarify terms such as forecast, temperature, and precipitation.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.4d, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

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

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