CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.K.4a
The Standard
Identify new meanings for familiar words and apply them accurately (e.g., knowing duck is a bird and learning the verb to duck).
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students notice that one word can name different things or actions. They use pictures and sentence clues to choose the intended meaning, then use the word correctly.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given two pictures and a spoken sentence, students select the meaning that fits. They can also say or draw a sentence showing another meaning of the same word.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think a familiar word can have only one meaning. They may choose a meaning that matches the picture they know, even when it does not fit the sentence.
How to Assess It
- Show pictures of an animal bat and a baseball bat. Say, “The bat flew from the cave,” then ask students to point to the match and use bat with its other meaning.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give picture card pairs for bat, fly, and watch; students sort each pair and explain both meanings.
Ask, “What can bat mean?” Record both ideas, then have students draw one meaning and dictate a matching sentence.
Play Meaning Match: say a sentence using duck, wave, or ring; students hold up the picture that matches the meaning.
During recess, notice words such as slide, swing, and play; students explain how each word can name something or an action.
Free download
Printable L.K.4a Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.K.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
What This Unlocks
Mastery here sets students up for these next.
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Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.5
Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.4b
Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different meanings or parts of speech (e.g., conceive, conception, conceivable).
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.1.5
With guidance and support from adults, demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.6
Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal precise actions, emotions, or s...
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