CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.4b

ELAGrades 9–10Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

The Standard

Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different meanings or parts of speech (e.g., analyze, analysis, analytical; advocate, advocacy).

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts

What This Standard Means

Students need to recognize how a word changes form when it shifts meaning or part of speech. They should notice endings and patterns, such as verb to noun or adjective, and choose the form that fits a sentence.

Mastery looks like using word families accurately in speech and writing, not just matching definitions. Students often know the base word but choose the wrong form, such as “analyze” when the sentence needs “analysis,” or miss spelling changes when suffixes are added.

Ways to Teach It

Hands-on: Give pairs word-family cards like create, creation, creative, and have them sort by part of speech, then write one sentence for each card.
Prompt: Ask students to explain how the meaning changes across decide, decision, and decisive, using each word in a school-related sentence.
Quick assessment: Display five sentences with blanks and word banks, then have students choose the correct form and label its part of speech.
Real-world connection: Have students find three word-family examples in a news article, ad, or college website and explain why each form fits its sentence.