South Dakota ELA 7.L.4.e
The Standard
- 7.L.4
- Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 7 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
Learn the history of the English language.
South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students trace how English changed from Old English to the English used now. They use word origins and historical events to explain why English has words from other languages.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can put Old, Middle, and Modern English in order and name one reason English changed. They can use a dictionary entry to explain why cow and beef have different origins.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think Old English is Modern English with unusual spelling. They may assume all English words came from one language or that borrowed words entered English at the same time.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Give students cow (Old English), beef (French), and a short note on the Norman Conquest. Ask why English uses both words.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs three dated English text samples; have them place the samples on a timeline and circle words they recognize.
Ask, 'Why do we call the animal cow but its meat beef?' Have students write two sentences using word origin notes.
Play a card match with house, beef, algebra, and shampoo and their language-of-origin cards, then check matches in a dictionary.
Have students find sushi on a takeout menu, check its origin in a dictionary, and explain why English speakers use the word.
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Printable 7.L.4.e Worksheet
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Related Standards
- 1.RF.3.e
Read and understand words with inflectional endings in context and recognize how these endings change the meaning or tense of words.
- 7.L.6.b
Apply knowledge of vocabulary to reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
- 6.L.6.b
Apply knowledge of vocabulary to reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
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