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
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students use print or digital references to check how a word is pronounced, what it means in context, and its part of speech. They choose between dictionaries, glossaries, and thesauruses based on the information needed.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students independently select a useful reference source and locate the correct entry. They identify the pronunciation, part of speech, and meaning that fits the sentence. They can explain why that meaning fits.
Common Misconceptions
- Students often choose the first definition without checking the sentence context. They may treat all thesaurus synonyms as interchangeable. They may also confuse syllable breaks with pronunciation or ignore how part of speech affects meaning.
How to Assess It
- Give students this sentence: “The scientist recorded a minute change in temperature.” Ask for the word’s pronunciation, part of speech, precise meaning, and reference source used.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Set up stations with a print dictionary, science glossary, thesaurus, and tablet, then have students complete a reference source chart.
Ask students: “Which source best clarifies volume in a science paragraph, and why?” Have them cite details from two entries.
Teams draw context sentence cards, then race to verify each target word’s pronunciation, part of speech, and exact meaning.
Students choose a term from a weather report and compare its entry in a general dictionary with its entry in a weather glossary.
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Printable L.7.4c Worksheet

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.4c, 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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Where This Standard Sits
Before This Standard
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What This Unlocks
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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...
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