CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.4

ELA5th GradeCraft and Structure

The Standard

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.

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

What This Standard Means

Students need to figure out what tricky words and phrases mean inside a story or poem. They should use nearby clues, the character’s situation, and the author’s word choices. They also need to explain comparisons, like when a character is called a storm or a smile is like sunshine.

Mastery looks like a student saying what the phrase means, pointing to text evidence, and explaining why the author used it. Students often get stuck by taking figurative language literally, skipping context, or giving a dictionary meaning that does not fit the scene.

Ways to Teach It

Give pairs sentence strips with similes and metaphors from a read-aloud, then have them draw the literal and intended meanings.
Ask students to write: What does this phrase really mean, and what clues in the paragraph helped you?
Show one short passage with an underlined phrase, and have students write the meaning plus one clue on an exit ticket.
Bring in sports headlines or song lyrics with figurative phrases, then compare how those phrases work like ones in literature.

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The Standard

What This Standard Means

Ways to Teach It

Plan a Lesson for CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.4

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