CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.4
The Standard
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 7 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Language Standards
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students work out unfamiliar or multiple-meaning words by using context, word parts, dictionaries, glossaries, or other references. They select a strategy that fits the word, then check that the meaning makes sense in the passage.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students choose a useful strategy, such as context clues, word parts, or a reference source. They explain how the strategy supports the meaning and check that the meaning fits the sentence.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may guess from a familiar-looking word part even when the context does not support that meaning. They may choose the first dictionary definition and ignore multiple meanings. They may also expect every sentence to include a direct synonym as a clue.
How to Assess It
- Give this exit ticket: “Maya was reserved during the debate, speaking only when called on.” Students define “reserved,” underline a context clue, and verify the meaning in a dictionary.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs context clue cards, root and affix cards, and dictionaries to determine five unknown words and record the strategy used.
Ask students to write which strategy worked best for one difficult word and cite the clue or word part that helped.
Run a vocabulary detective relay where teams solve word meanings using context, roots, dictionaries, and glossary entries at four stations.
Have students choose an unfamiliar word from a news article, determine its meaning, and explain how that meaning affects the article.
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Printable L.7.4 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.4, 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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Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.4
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- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.4
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