NY Next Generation ELA 1L4.a

ELA1st GradeDetermine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies.

The Standard

Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

New York State Next Generation English Language Arts Learning Standards

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students use the other words in a sentence to work out an unfamiliar or multiple-meaning word. They look for clues that show what meaning makes sense in that specific sentence.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can identify a helpful context clue and propose a meaning that fits the whole sentence. The student rereads with that meaning and explains why it works.
Common Misconceptions: Students may choose a familiar meaning without checking the sentence. They may point to any nearby word as a clue even when it gives no useful information.
How to Assess It: Show the sentence, ‘The bark was rough under my hand.’ Ask what bark means and which words in the sentence help prove it.

Lesson moves

Cover a target word in a sentence; students use the remaining sentence words to predict its meaning, then reveal and check.
Ask, ‘What could bright mean here, and which words help us choose that meaning?’
Play Clue Circle by circling only the sentence words that genuinely help explain each target word.
Read a classroom direction containing an unfamiliar word and use the surrounding words to complete the task correctly.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 1L4.a, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

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