CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.5a

ELA3rd GradeVocabulary Acquisition and Use

The Standard

Distinguish the literal and nonliteral meanings of words and phrases in context (e.g., take steps).

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts

What This Standard Means

Students need to tell when words mean exactly what they say and when a phrase means something different. They should use the sentence or scene around the phrase to decide the meaning, not just guess from one word.

Mastery looks like explaining both meanings, such as “spill the beans” meaning drop beans or tell a secret, then choosing the meaning that fits the text. Students often get stuck when they picture the phrase too literally, miss clues from the speaker’s actions, or know the phrase orally but cannot explain it clearly.

Ways to Teach It

Hands-on: Give pairs idiom cards and literal picture cards, then have them match, act out, and explain each pair.
Prompt: Read “He was on thin ice” and ask students to write the literal meaning, figurative meaning, and context clue.
Quick assessment: Show five sentences with underlined phrases, and have students mark L or N and write the intended meaning.
Real-world connection: Collect phrases from sports, cartoons, or family sayings, then sort them into literal and nonliteral meanings.