South Dakota ELA 11-12.RL.4
The Standard
Interpret the impact of specific word choices and figurative language on meaning, mood, and tone, including words with multiple meanings (e.g., connotation, jargon, allusions, colloquialisms).
South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students point to exact words in a poem or story and explain what those words suggest beyond their dictionary meanings. They explain how an image or a word with two meanings shapes the mood and the speaker's attitude.
What Mastery Looks Like
- In Langston Hughes's poem "Harlem," a student explains how "fester" makes a delayed dream seem like a wound that gets worse. They explain why the final question sounds threatening rather than merely curious.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may label a metaphor without explaining its effect. They may read "explode" only as a literal blast or treat the poem's mood and the speaker's attitude as the same thing.
How to Assess It
- Give students "Harlem" and ask: "What are two possible meanings of 'explode'? How does the final question affect the speaker's tone? Cite another word as evidence."
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs printed copies of "Harlem" and have them highlight three vivid words, then tape each beside a mood word on the board.
Ask, "Why does Hughes end with 'explode' instead of 'break'?" Have students write two sentences using evidence from the poem.
Play a word-swap round: replace "fester" with "ache," then have teams defend which word makes the delayed dream feel more troubling.
Show two mock headlines, "Rent climbs" and "Rent soars," and ask which makes housing costs feel more urgent and why.
Free download
Printable 11-12.RL.4 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 11-12.RL.4, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
Download the worksheetKeep exploring
Related Standards
- 9-10.RI.4
Distinguish among figurative, connotative, and technical meanings. Analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the lan...
- 9-10.RL.4
Analyze the impact of specific word choices and figurative language on meaning, mood, and tone (e.g., connotation, dialect, how the language evokes a sense of t...
- 7.RL.4.a
Determine the meaning of words and phrases including how figurative and connotative meanings affect tone and mood.
Turn this exact standard into a lesson
Grade, subject, topic, and the complete standard are prefilled. Create one free, no account needed.
Also for this standard:Make a WorksheetMake a QuizMake a Sub Lesson