South Dakota ELA 3.L.4
Standard Cluster
Determine or clarify the meaning and origin of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 3 reading and content, using flexible strategies. Use sentence-level context to determine the meaning of a word or phrase. Determine the meaning of words when affixes are added. Use a root word to determine the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., company, companion). Use print and digital reference materials to determine or clarify meaning of words and phrases.
South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)
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Standards in This Cluster
3.L.4 is a cluster heading. These are the individual standards under it.
Teacher's field guide
What This Cluster Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students use sentence clues, word parts, and related words to figure out unfamiliar meanings. They check a print or online dictionary when a word has more than one meaning or they want to know where it came from.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain why bank means the edge of a river in one sentence and a place for money in another. They can use a root or affix to make a reasonable guess, then check a dictionary entry for the meaning and word history.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may choose the first dictionary meaning even when it does not fit the sentence. They may assume words that look alike share a root, or mistake a word's history for its current meaning.
How to Assess It
- Give students: “The portable lamp fit in Mia’s backpack” and “portable: easy to carry; from Latin portare, to carry.” Ask them to explain portable using a sentence clue and its root, then name what the entry says about its origin.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs cards labeled replay, player, playful, and play; have them group the cards and mark the parts that change each meaning.
Ask: “How does bat change meaning in ‘A bat flew past’ and ‘She swung the bat’?” Have students point to a clue in each sentence.
Play dictionary detective: pairs match three unfamiliar words to sentence meanings, then check their matches in print or online entries.
Read a school lunch menu; have students guess what wrap means from the meal description, then check a dictionary.
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Printable 3.L.4 Worksheet
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