CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.4
The Standard
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 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 words, word parts, and historical context to infer the meaning of unfamiliar terms. They explain which clues support their interpretation and check that meaning against the full passage.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given a short primary or secondary source, students define a key term in their own words and cite a useful context clue. They distinguish everyday meanings from political, social, or economic meanings.
Common Misconceptions
- Students often use the modern everyday meaning of terms such as “party,” “capital,” or “depression.” They may choose the first dictionary definition without checking the time period or surrounding details.
How to Assess It
- Give students a four-sentence historical passage with one bold term. Ask them to define the term and underline two clues that support their answer.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs printed sentence strips and definition cards, then have them match each historical term to its context-based meaning.
Ask students to explain how the meaning of “revolution” changes in political, social, and economic contexts.
Run a context clue relay where teams identify a term’s meaning and point to the strongest clue in each passage.
Compare the use of “sanctions” in a current news headline with its use in a textbook passage about international conflict.
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Printable RH.9-10.4 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.4, 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 worksheetLearning progression
Where This Standard Sits
See the whole path on the Reading: History/Social Studies progression map.
What This Unlocks
Mastery here sets students up for these next.
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Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
- 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.
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