CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.5

ELA8th GradeVocabulary Acquisition and Use

The Standard

Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Language Standards

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students interpret figurative expressions, including verbal irony and puns, by using context. They use relationships between words to work out meaning. They distinguish similar words by tone and connotation.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students explain what a figurative phrase means and point to context clues that support their reading. They use word relationships to infer meaning. They choose among similar words based on tone and connotation.
Common Misconceptions: Students may read irony, puns, metaphors, and other figures literally. They often treat sarcasm and verbal irony as identical. They may also assume synonyms are interchangeable, ignoring tone and connotation.
How to Assess It: Give a three-item exit ticket: explain an ironic sentence, identify a word relationship, and choose between two synonyms for a specific tone. Require one clue or reason for each answer.

Lesson moves

Give pairs cards with figurative phrases, literal meanings, and context clues, then have students match each set and defend their choices.
Ask students to compare slim, skinny, and scrawny, then write which word best fits a respectful character description and why.
Run a word relationship relay where teams classify pairs as synonyms, antonyms, cause and effect, or part and whole.
Have students collect puns and loaded words from ads or headlines, then explain how each one shapes the audience’s response.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.5, 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

See the whole path on the Language progression map.

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