CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.4

ELAGrades 11–12Craft and Structure

The Standard

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.)

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Reading Standards for Literature

Teacher's field guide

What This Standard Means

What Students Need to Do

Students determine what words and phrases mean within a literary passage, including figurative, connotative, and multiple meanings. They explain how an author’s exact wording shapes meaning and tone.

What Mastery Looks Like

Students use context and textual details to explain a word or phrase precisely. They connect diction, figurative language, and multiple meanings to a specific change in tone or meaning.

Common Misconceptions

Students may choose the first dictionary definition without checking context. They may identify a metaphor or connotation but not explain its effect. They often describe tone with vague words such as “good” or “sad.”

How to Assess It

Give students four lines from a Shakespearean speech with one word underlined. Ask them to define it in context, name its connotation, and explain how it shapes tone.

Lesson moves

Ways to Teach It

  1. Give pairs printed poem lines to annotate, using colored sticky notes for literal meaning, connotation, figurative meaning, and tone.

  2. Ask students to compare two translations of a Shakespearean line and write which wording creates the stronger tone and why.

  3. Play a diction swap game where teams replace one word in a sentence, then explain how the new word changes tone.

  4. Compare word choices in a product review and advertisement, then identify how each writer shapes attitudes toward the same item.

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Printable RL.11-12.4 Worksheet

Preview of the CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.4 printable worksheet

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.4, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

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Learning progression

Where This Standard Sits

See the whole path on the Reading: Literature progression map.

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