Kentucky Reading and Writing RL.11-12.4

ELAGrades 11–12Reading Literature

The Standard

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone and on the text as a whole.

Kentucky Academic Standards for Reading and Writing (2025) · Craft and Structure

Teacher's field guide

What This Standard Means

What Students Need to Do: Use nearby lines to work out what figurative phrases mean and what feelings words carry. Explain how several word choices shape the speaker's tone and the meaning of the passage.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can explain why Macbeth calls life a 'brief candle.' They can connect that image to 'walking shadow' and 'poor player' to show how the speech makes life seem fleeting and pointless.
Common Misconceptions: Students may read 'walking shadow' as a ghost or 'poor player' as an athlete. They may name the metaphors without explaining how the images work together to create a bleak tone.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: In Macbeth's 'Tomorrow' speech, what does 'brief candle' suggest about life? Connect it to one other image to explain the tone.

Lesson moves

Ways to Teach It

Give pairs strips with three images from Macbeth's 'Tomorrow' speech; place them in speech order and annotate how each darkens his view of life.
Ask, 'Why does Macbeth call life a brief candle rather than a flame?' Have students support their answer with two lines from the speech.
Play a two-minute match: students pair 'brief candle,' 'walking shadow,' and 'poor player' with meanings, then explain their shared tone.
Display a mock life insurance ad reading 'Protect their bright future'; students compare its light imagery with Macbeth's 'brief candle' in two sentences.

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