CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.5b

ELA8th GradeVocabulary Acquisition and Use

The Standard

Use the relationship between particular words to better understand each of the words.

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students identify the connection between two or more words. They use a familiar word and the type of connection to infer another word’s meaning.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students correctly name a relationship, such as synonym, antonym, cause and effect, degree, or part and whole. They use that relationship to explain an unfamiliar word’s likely meaning.
Common Misconceptions: Students may assume words about the same topic are synonyms, such as doctor and hospital. They may also reverse cause and effect or miss differences in degree, such as annoyed and furious.
How to Assess It: Give this exit ticket: “A sapling is a young tree. What is a fledgling, and how does the first pair help you know?”

Lesson moves

Give pairs of word cards for students to sort into synonym, antonym, cause and effect, degree, and part and whole groups.
Ask students to write how reluctant and eager are related, then explain what each word means.
Run an analogy relay where teams complete pairs such as whisper is to speak as stroll is to walk.
Have students find related words in a news headline and explain how one word clarifies the meaning of another.

Free download

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

If students are struggling here, check these first.

Mastery here sets students up for these next.

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