CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.4c
The Standard
Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts
What This Standard Means
Students need to use dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses, and digital reference tools with purpose. They should be able to check how a word sounds, choose the right definition for the sentence, identify its part of speech, and avoid picking the first result without thinking.
Mastery looks like a student explaining why one meaning fits better than another, using context and the reference entry together. Students often get stuck on words with several meanings, thesaurus suggestions that do not match tone, and dictionary abbreviations like noun, verb, adjective, or pronunciation marks.
Ways to Teach It
- Give pairs a printed dictionary page and have them highlight pronunciation, part of speech, definitions, and sample sentences for three assigned words.
- Ask students to explain which dictionary definition best fits a sentence from your current text and why the other meanings do not fit.
- Use an exit ticket with one unfamiliar word, asking for pronunciation help, part of speech, and the definition that matches the sentence.
- Have students compare a recipe glossary, a science textbook glossary, and an online dictionary to see how reference tools change by purpose.
Before This Standard
If students are struggling here, check these first.
Plan a Lesson for CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.4c
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What This Unlocks
Mastery here sets students up for these next.
Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.4c
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- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.4c
Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word o...