Language Anchor Standard 4 Level C/D

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.

Leveled Standard C
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

1. Use context (e.g., definitions, examples, restatements, cause/effect relationships and comparisons in text) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
2. Use common, grade appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., telegraph, autograph, photograph, photosynthesis).
3. Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation and determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases. (L.4.4 and 5.4 merge)

Leveled Standard D
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

1. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
2. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., audience, auditory, audible).
3. Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech.
4. Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary). (L.6.4)

Teacher Notes

Context clues are hints that an author gives to help define a difficult or unusual word. A clue may appear within the same sentence as the word to which it refers, or it may follow in a succeeding sentence.

In addition to reviewing the meaning of context clue, teachers should develop students’ thinking by including theopens in a new window five types of context clues and providing practice opportunities with texts of level-appropriate complexity.

Some students may also need to review alphabetizing rules and how to use a dictionary

Students at this level should be able to appropriately use a thesaurus.

GED® Assessment Targets (RLA)
R.4.1/L.4.1 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining connotative and figurative meanings from context.

Resources
opens in a new window five types of context clues
opens in a new window Center for Development & Learning: Common Prefixes, Suffixes and Roots