CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.4
The Standard
Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Reading Standards for Informational Text
What This Standard Means
Students need to figure out the meaning of tricky words and phrases while reading nonfiction. They should use context clues, word parts, nearby headings, captions, diagrams, glossaries, and their own topic knowledge to make a reasonable meaning.
Mastery looks like a student explaining what a word means and pointing to text evidence that helped. They can handle school words like analyze or compare, plus topic words like erosion or legislature. Students often get stuck by guessing from one clue only, skipping phrases, or copying dictionary meanings that do not fit the passage.
Ways to Teach It
- Give pairs a short science article, sticky notes, and three target words to define using context clues and text features.
- Ask students to write: What clue helped you figure out this word, and how do you know your meaning fits?
- Use an exit ticket with one sentence from a social studies text and have students define the bold word with evidence.
- Bring in a weather report or park brochure and have students explain domain words like precipitation, habitat, or trailhead.
Plan a Lesson for CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.4
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Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.4
Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.4
Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.4
Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.