Kentucky Reading and Writing RL.3.4

ELA3rd GradeReading Literature

The Standard

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language, including but not limited to idioms and hyperboles, and describe how those words and phrases shape meaning.

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

Teacher's field guide

What This Standard Means

What Students Need to Do

Students use nearby sentences to work out what words and phrases mean in a story. They tell when a phrase means something different from its exact words, then explain what it adds to the scene.

What Mastery Looks Like

A student reads “I waited forever” and explains that the wait felt long, not endless. They point to a story detail that supports that meaning and explain how the exaggeration shows impatience.

Common Misconceptions

Students may read “hold your horses” as an instruction about animals, even when no horses appear. They may call every unusual phrase an exaggeration or guess its meaning without checking the story.

How to Assess It

Write this exit ticket: “When the bell finally rang, Maya said, ‘I waited forever!’” Ask students what “forever” means here, whether it is literal, and what it shows about Maya.

Lesson moves

Ways to Teach It

  1. Give pairs sentence cards with “hold your horses,” “I waited forever,” and “The door was blue”; have them sort the phrases and underline context clues.

  2. Read “My backpack weighs a ton” aloud; ask students to write what it means and what it tells them about the backpack.

  3. Play phrase match: students pair idiom cards, such as “spill the beans,” with short story cards that show their meanings.

  4. Write “Best snack ever!” as an ad slogan; ask students what the exaggeration suggests and whether it proves the snack is best.

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Printable RL.3.4 Worksheet

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A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to RL.3.4, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

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