Kentucky Reading and Writing RL.4.4
The Standard
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including but not limited to figurative language such as metaphors and similes, and describe and explain 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 clues to work out what words and phrases mean in a story or poem. They explain how a comparison or a particular word helps readers picture a scene or understand a character.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given 'His words were ice' after a character refuses to help, a student explains that 'ice' means cold or uncaring. They point to the refusal as a clue and explain how the phrase makes his reply seem harsh.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may read 'her smile was sunshine' literally or think a simile means two things are alike in every way. They may explain what a word means but skip what it adds to the scene.
How to Assess It
- Write: 'After the storm, the playground was a lake.' Ask students: 'What does a lake mean here? Which words help you know, and what picture does the phrase give you?'
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs two strips, 'The wind whispered' and 'The wind blew'; have them sketch each and explain what 'whispered' adds.
Read 'The hallway was a beehive' aloud and ask, 'What might you hear there, and why call it a beehive?'
Play phrase swap: replace 'stomped' with 'walked' in 'Maya stomped out,' then have partners explain what changes about Maya's mood.
Show a weather forecast that calls a cold morning 'bitter' and ask students what that word makes them expect at the bus stop.
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Printable RL.4.4 Worksheet
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Related Standards
- RL.3.4
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 ...
- RL.5.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings, and analyze how those words and phrases sh...
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