CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.4

ELA4th GradeCraft and Structure

The Standard

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean).

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 use nearby words, events, and character actions to work out the meaning of unfamiliar language in a story. They also connect references such as Midas or Achilles to the related myth and explain the intended meaning.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can infer an unfamiliar word or phrase from nearby details and explain the clues used. When a phrase refers to a myth, the student explains the reference and what it adds to the passage.
Common Misconceptions: Students may choose the first dictionary meaning without checking the surrounding sentence. They may read figurative phrases literally. They may recognize a mythological name but not explain what it suggests about a character, object, or event.
How to Assess It: Give this exit ticket: “Cleaning the whole park felt like a Herculean task, but Mia kept working.” Ask students to define “Herculean” and cite two clues supporting their answer.

Lesson moves

Ways to Teach It

Students match sentence cards featuring Midas, Achilles, and Hercules to myth summary cards, then underline words that support each match.
Ask, “Why might an author call a difficult job Herculean instead of hard?” Students write two sentences using context and myth knowledge.
Play Context Clue Detective with short passages, clue cards, and team explanations of each highlighted word or phrase.
Examine headlines, sports commentary, and product names using terms like Achilles heel or Nike, then explain what each myth reference suggests.

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