South Dakota ELA 5.RL.4
The Standard
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language (e.g., personification, hyperbole) and connotative meanings.
South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students use details in a story or poem to work out what words and phrases mean. They explain what an exaggeration or human-like description suggests, and how a word makes a scene feel.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain that 'the wind whispered' means the wind sounded soft, not that it spoke. They can tell why 'cozy' feels warmer than 'cramped' when both describe a small room.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may take figurative phrases literally or treat an exaggeration as a fact. They may give a dictionary definition without noticing the feeling a word adds to the scene.
How to Assess It
- Give students this exit ticket: 'The old house groaned when the wind pushed its loose boards. Mia called its small rooms cozy, but Ben called them cramped.' Ask what 'groaned' means here and how 'cozy' and 'cramped' differ.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs strips reading 'The bell rang,' 'The bell screamed,' and 'I waited forever'; have them sort literal and figurative phrases, then paraphrase each.
Read 'The hallway swallowed us as the lights went out.' Ask what 'swallowed' suggests and which words helped them decide.
Play a clue-match game: teams match excerpt cards to paraphrases, then point to the word that rules out a literal meaning.
Show two mock room listings, one calling a room 'cozy' and one calling it 'cramped'; ask which feels inviting and why.
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Printable 5.RL.4 Worksheet
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