CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.4a
The Standard
Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word's position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students infer the meaning of an unfamiliar word or phrase from nearby details and the larger passage. They also use the word’s position and grammatical job as evidence.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students give a reasonable meaning that fits both the sentence and the larger passage. They point to specific clues, name the word’s grammatical role, and revise an inference when new context appears.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may grab the nearest familiar word and treat it as a definition. They may ignore the word’s part of speech or rely on one sentence when the full paragraph changes the meaning.
How to Assess It
- Give students this exit ticket: “After hours of lively debate, the committee reached a unanimous decision, with every member voting yes.” Ask them to define “unanimous” and underline two clues.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs sentence strips and meaning cards, then have them match each unfamiliar word to a meaning and highlight the supporting clues.
Display a paragraph containing “ambivalent” and ask students to write a definition, cite two clues, and explain how the clues support it.
Play Context Detective, where teams earn points for inferring a word, identifying its part of speech, and citing the strongest clue.
Have students collect unfamiliar terms from news headlines or product reviews, infer each meaning from context, then check their guesses in a dictionary.
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Printable L.9-10.4a Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.4a, 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.7.4a
Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word's position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.6.4a
Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word's position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
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