CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.4

ELAGrades 9–10Craft 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 9—10 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 what technical words, symbols, and field-specific phrases mean in the exact science or technical text they are reading. They should use context, diagrams, equations, labels, captions, roots, prefixes, and nearby definitions, not just guess from memory.

Mastery looks like a student explaining what a term or symbol means in that passage and pointing to the evidence that helped. Students often get stuck when a familiar word has a new technical meaning, when a symbol changes by context, or when they skip visuals that define the term.

Ways to Teach It

  • Hands-on activity: Give students a lab procedure, safety sheet, or diagram and have them annotate ten technical terms using context clues and visuals.
  • Discussion prompt: Ask, “Which word in this paragraph has a science meaning that differs from everyday use, and how can you tell?”
  • Quick assessment: Show three sentences with the same symbol or term used differently, and ask students to define each use with evidence.
  • Real-world connection: Use a medicine label, appliance manual, or weather map and have students explain five symbols or technical terms from context.

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What This Unlocks

Mastery here sets students up for these next.

Related Standards

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

Page updated July 10, 2026.

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