Virginia SOL 9.RV.1.D
The Standard
Discriminate between the connotative and denotative meanings and interpret the connotation(s).
Virginia Standards of Learning for English · Vocabulary Development and Word Analysis
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students identify a word’s literal definition and the feelings or associations it carries. They use context to explain how word choice shapes tone and meaning.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain why “determined” and “stubborn” share a basic meaning but create different impressions. The student supports an interpretation with specific context clues.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may assume words with similar definitions always have the same effect. They may label every association as simply positive or negative. They may also ignore how context changes a word’s impact.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Explain the literal meaning and implied feeling of “skinny,” then describe how replacing it with “slender” changes the sentence.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs word cards, such as “confident” and “arrogant,” and have students sort them by shared meaning and different associations.
Ask students to explain which word better describes a strict principal, “firm” or “harsh,” and cite details that support their choice.
Play a word swap game where teams replace one word in a sentence to make the tone warmer, colder, or more formal.
Compare word choices in two advertisements for the same product, then identify how each ad shapes the audience’s impression.
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Related Standards
- 8.RV.1.F
Discriminate between the meanings of connotative words and their denotative meanings.
- 7.RV.1.F
Distinguish among the nuances in the meaning of connotations of words with similar denotations.
- 10.RV.1.D
The 10th Grade version of this standard.
- 12.RV.1.D
Analyze the nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations (e.g., assertive, aggressive, domineering).
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