South Dakota ELA 9-10.L.4.c

ELAGrades 9–10Language

The Standard

9-10.L.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 9–10 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses) to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, or its etymology.

South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)

Teacher's field guide

What This Standard Means

What Students Need to Do: Students use dictionaries, glossaries, and thesauruses to check how a word is said and what it means in context. They find its part of speech and use an origin note to learn where it came from.
What Mastery Looks Like: Given 'She will conduct the choir,' a student finds the verb entry, says con-DUCT, and chooses 'lead' rather than 'behavior.' They can find an origin note and name a language listed there.
Common Misconceptions: Students may choose the first definition even when it does not fit the sentence. They may use a thesaurus synonym without checking its meaning or part of speech. They may mistake a word's origin for its current meaning.
How to Assess It: Use a dictionary to label the part of speech and meaning of 'conduct' in 'Her conduct surprised us' and 'She will conduct the choir.' Mark the stressed syllable in each pronunciation and name one language in the origin note.

Lesson moves

Ways to Teach It

Give pairs a printed dictionary entry for 'conduct' and sticky notes to mark its pronunciations, meanings, parts of speech, and origin.
Write two sentences using 'conduct' as a noun and verb, then explain which dictionary definition fits each sentence.
Play a matching game: pair sentence cards using 'object' with noun or verb dictionary entries, then say each pronunciation aloud.
Before reading a lab report, compare 'culture' in a biology glossary and a general dictionary, then choose the lab meaning.

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