CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.4c
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, its part of speech, or its etymology.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students choose print or digital references that match a specific vocabulary question. They use entry details to check pronunciation, precise meaning, part of speech, and word origin.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students independently find and interpret pronunciation guides, entry labels, definitions, and word histories. They select the meaning and part of speech that fit the sentence, then name the source that supports each answer.
Common Misconceptions
- Students often choose the first definition listed, even when it does not fit the sentence. They may confuse a word’s role in context with every part of speech in the entry. They may also treat synonyms as exact matches or assume a word’s origin gives its current meaning.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: For “mitigate” in “Trees mitigate urban heat,” use a dictionary and an etymology source. Record its pronunciation, contextual meaning, part of speech, origin, and each source used.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs a print dictionary, subject glossary, thesaurus, and etymology guide; they build a four-part reference card for one assigned word.
Ask students to explain which source best resolves pronunciation, meaning, part of speech, or word origin, using one example.
Run a reference relay where teams locate accurate word details, then lose points for unsupported or contextually wrong answers.
Have students check a workplace or news term in two sources and write a clear definition for a general audience.
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Printable L.9-10.4c Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.4c, 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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Before This Standard
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Related Standards
- 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...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.4c
Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word o...
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