CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.4
The Standard
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 6—12
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students use nearby details, examples, and contrasts to work out unfamiliar words in history and social studies texts. They explain specialized terms using evidence from the passage.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students can explain a history term in their own words and point to context clues that support the meaning. They can tell when a word has a specialized meaning in a history passage.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may choose a familiar everyday meaning for words such as “state” or “revolution.” They may guess from one nearby word instead of checking the whole passage. They may also rely on a glossary without explaining which context clues support the meaning.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: In “Colonists organized a boycott, refusing to buy British goods,” what does “boycott” mean? Underline the words that prove your answer.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs sentence strips from a history passage, then have them match each highlighted term to a definition and circle supporting clues.
Ask students to explain how the meaning of “revolution” changes in a history text compared with everyday speech.
Play Context Clue Relay, where teams identify a highlighted term’s meaning and earn a point only after citing passage evidence.
Have students examine a local museum label or historical marker and rewrite two specialized terms for a younger visitor.
Free download
Printable RH.6-8.4 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.4, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
Download the worksheetKeep exploring
Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social ...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of specific...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.
Turn this exact standard into a lesson
Grade, subject, topic, and the complete standard are prefilled. Create one free, no account needed.