CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.3
The Standard
Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Language Standards
What This Standard Means
Students need to choose words and sentence structures that fit the purpose, audience, and situation. They should notice how language changes in a story, a report, a speech, or a conversation. They also need to revise their own writing so it sounds clear, precise, and appropriate.
Mastery looks like a student explaining why one word choice works better than another, or revising a sentence to match a formal or informal tone. Students often get stuck using the same sentence pattern, adding vague words like nice or good, or speaking too casually in formal tasks.
Ways to Teach It
- Hands-on activity: Give pairs sentence strips and have them revise each one for a formal letter, a funny story, and a science report.
- Discussion or writing prompt: Ask, “How would you explain this rule to a kindergartner, a principal, and your best friend?”
- Quick assessment: Show three versions of one sentence and have students choose the best fit for a school newsletter, then explain why.
- Real-world connection: Bring in a menu, sports article, and school email, then have students mark words that match each audience.
Plan a Lesson for CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.3
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Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.3
Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.3
Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.3
Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.6.3
Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.