CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.6.4d

ELA6th GradeVocabulary Acquisition and Use

The Standard

Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students make a reasonable first guess about an unfamiliar word or phrase using context. They check that guess with a dictionary or other reference and revise it if needed.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students state an initial meaning and point to the context clue that supports it. They check a reference source, choose the fitting definition, and revise their answer when needed.
Common Misconceptions: Students may choose the first dictionary definition without checking whether it fits the sentence. They may also treat a context-based guess as final or ignore the word's part of speech.
How to Assess It: Give students one sentence with an unfamiliar word. Ask them to infer its meaning, name the context clue, check a dictionary, and explain whether they revised their answer.

Lesson moves

Give pairs sentence cards and dictionaries; students infer each bold word, check it, then sort cards under Confirmed or Revised.
Ask students to write: What did you first think the word meant, and what evidence confirmed or changed your thinking?
Play Definition Match: teams choose which dictionary definition fits a sentence and earn a point by explaining why the others do not.
Have students examine an unfamiliar word from a school notice, infer its meaning, verify it online, and report whether the notice was clear.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.6.4d, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

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

Learning progression

Mastery here sets students up for these next.

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