CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.4

ELA7th GradeCraft and Structure

The Standard

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 to grades 6—8 texts and topics.

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects 6—12

What This Standard Means

Students need to figure out science and technical vocabulary from the text they are reading. That includes symbols, units, labels, and terms that may mean something different in a lab, diagram, manual, or data table than they do in everyday speech.

Mastery looks like a student explaining a word or symbol using clues from the sentence, diagram, procedure, or topic. They can choose the right meaning for words like cell, force, scale, or conductor. Students often get stuck by memorizing one definition, ignoring captions and labels, or skipping symbols such as %, °C, and arrows.

Ways to Teach It

  • Give pairs a short lab procedure and have them highlight every symbol, unit, and technical term, then write a plain-English glossary.
  • Ask students to explain how the word “scale” changes meaning in a map, a graph, and a science article.
  • Use an exit ticket with three underlined terms from a science paragraph and ask for meaning plus the clue that helped.
  • Bring in a medicine label or bike repair diagram and have students identify symbols and technical words needed to use it safely.

Plan a Lesson for CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.4

Generate a complete lesson plan aligned to this standard, with objectives, activities, and materials. Free, no account needed.

Chat About This StandardGenerate a Lesson Plan

Related Standards

Standard text verified against corestandards.org on July 10, 2026.

Page updated July 10, 2026.

Send Feedback