CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.6.4a
The Standard
Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word's position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students infer the meaning of an unfamiliar word by reading the surrounding sentence or paragraph. They use grammar, nearby details, examples, and contrasts to explain which meaning fits.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student proposes a reasonable meaning, points to specific clues, and explains how the word’s role in the sentence supports that meaning. The student revises an initial guess when later details do not fit.
Common Misconceptions
- Students often grab the nearest familiar word as a clue, even when it does not explain the unknown word. They may accept any reasonable-sounding guess or ignore whether the word acts as a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: “After the exhausting hike, Lena was famished, so she ate two sandwiches and an apple.” Ask students to define “famished” and underline two supporting clues.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs sentence strips with one word covered; students reveal surrounding strips one at a time and revise their predicted meaning.
Post a short paragraph with “reluctant” bolded; students write a meaning, cite two clues, then defend their choice with a partner.
Play Context Clue Match: teams pair unfamiliar-word cards with meaning cards and earn points only after naming the clue that proves each match.
Use a school lunch menu or weather alert; students infer one unfamiliar term and explain which nearby words helped.
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Printable L.6.4a Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.6.4a, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
Download the worksheetLearning progression
Where This Standard Sits
Before This Standard
If students are struggling here, check these first.
What This Unlocks
Mastery here sets students up for these next.
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Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.4a
Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word's position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phr...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.4a
The 8th Grade version of this standard.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.4a
Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word's position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phr...
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