CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.4c
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 dictionaries, glossaries, and thesauruses in print or online. They find a word’s pronunciation, precise meaning, and part of speech, then choose information that fits its context.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students choose an appropriate print or digital source and locate the needed entry information. They select the meaning and part of speech that fit the sentence.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may assume the first definition always fits. They may treat thesaurus words as exact substitutes or confuse pronunciation labels with part-of-speech labels.
How to Assess It
- Give students the word “conduct” in two sentences. Ask them to use a reference source to record each pronunciation, meaning, and part of speech.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs a dictionary, glossary, and thesaurus, then have them identify which source best answers four prepared word questions.
Ask students to explain in writing why the first dictionary definition may not fit every sentence containing the word.
Play a reference relay where teams find a word’s pronunciation, meaning, and part of speech, then cite the entry used.
Have students check a word from a medicine label or job posting and rewrite its meaning for a general audience.
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Printable L.8.4c Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.4c, 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.6.4c
Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify i...
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