South Dakota ELA 11-12.L.4.c

ELAGrades 11–12Language

The Standard

11-12.L.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 11–12 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

Consult general and specialized reference materials to find the pronunciation of a word, explore its meaning, its part of speech, its etymology, or its standard usage.

South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)

Teacher's field guide

What This Standard Means

What Students Need to Do: Students look up an unfamiliar word in a dictionary and, when needed, a subject glossary. They use the sentence to choose the right meaning. They also check the pronunciation guide, grammar label, word history, and usage notes.
What Mastery Looks Like: Given “vector” in a biology article, a student chooses the disease-carrier meaning, not the math meaning. They use the entry to pronounce it, identify it as a noun, and connect its Latin origin, meaning “carrier,” to the article.
Common Misconceptions: Students may take the first definition even when it does not fit the sentence. They may read a pronunciation guide as ordinary spelling or overlook the part-of-speech label. Some mistake a word’s origin for its current meaning.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: Use a dictionary and a biology glossary to check “vector” in “Mosquitoes are vectors for malaria.” Give its pronunciation, part of speech, meaning here, and one detail about its origin.

Lesson moves

Ways to Teach It

Give pairs printed dictionary and medical glossary entries for “acute”; have them highlight pronunciation, part-of-speech labels, origins, and usage notes.
Ask students to compare “positive” in a lab report and a job review, then write which dictionary meaning fits each sentence.
Run a reference relay: teams use a dictionary key to pronounce “epitome,” then find its part of speech and origin.
Show a medication label headed “Contraindications”; students use a medical glossary and dictionary to explain that heading in plain language.

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