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
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students figure out unfamiliar academic and subject words while reading informational texts. They use context, word parts, text features, glossaries, or dictionaries to confirm meaning.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students explain an unfamiliar word in their own words and point to clues that support the meaning. They check that the meaning fits the topic and sentence.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may guess from one nearby word instead of using the whole sentence. They may choose a familiar everyday meaning that does not fit the subject. Some copy a dictionary definition without checking whether it makes sense in the passage.
How to Assess It
- Give this exit ticket: “Wind and water cause erosion, slowly carrying soil and bits of rock away. What does erosion mean here? Underline supporting clues.”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs short science paragraphs, highlighters, and definition cards to match each bold word with its meaning and highlight supporting clues.
Ask students to write how context changes the meaning of “volume” in a music article and a math article.
Play a context clue relay where teams read sentence cards, choose meanings, and name the clue that supports each choice.
Have students examine a nutrition label and infer the meanings of serving, calories, and nutrients from headings, numbers, and nearby words.
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Printable RI.4.4 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.4, 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: Informational Text progression map.
Before This Standard
If students are struggling here, check these first.
What This Unlocks
Mastery here sets students up for these next.
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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.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...
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