4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean).
5 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.
Informational Text
3 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.
4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.
5 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.
Source: © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.
Grades 3–5 Common Core Reading Standard 4
What the Student Does
Literature
3 Gist: Students determine what words and phrases mean in text. They discern if the language is literal or nonliteral.
They consider:
• Which words or phrases on this page (in this chapter) seem most important?
• What does the author’s word choice here make me think of?
• Which words or phrases help me understand what’s happening?
• Which words or phrases get me to “read between the lines” and infer meaning?
• How can I use words I do know to figure out the meaning of words I don’t know?
4 Gist: Students determine what words and phrases mean in text. They recognize that specific words refer to significant characters in mythology (e.g., Herculean, Trojan Horse, Achilles’ Heel); these words often provide insight into characters or descriptions.
They consider:
• Which words or phrases on this page(s) seem most important?
• What does the author’s word choice here make me think of? How can I connect that to the event here?
• Which words or phrases help me understand the literal action?
• Which words or phrases get me to “read between the lines” and infer meaning?
• How does the language in this section set a tone? How does the tone help me understand what the characters are thinking right now?
• Are there any words from Greek mythology that are used to describe characters?
• What do these mythological words mean in the context of this text?
5 Gist: Students figure out what words mean and how context affects the meaning of words and phrases, by examining if meaning is literal or figurative, especially metaphors and similes.
They consider:
• What words or phrases tell me the most about characters, actions, events, or the setting?
• Which words or phrases help me understand the meaning of this portion or the text as a whole?
• Which words or phrase are figurative language and why is the author using them?
• What types of figurative language are used?
• How can I use the surrounding sentences to help me determine the meaning of the figurative language (especially similes and metaphors)?
• How does the language in this section set a tone? How does the tone help me understand what the characters are thinking right now?
Informational Text
3 Gist: Students determine what words and phrases mean in texts relevant to third-grade topics or subject areas.
They consider:
• What is the topic of this text? How does knowing the main topic help me figure out the meaning of this sentence or section?
• How can I use the text and surrounding photos and caption to figure out what this word or phrase means?
• How can I look at text features (titles, bolded words, headings, captions) or illustrations to help me figure out what is being explained on this page?
• Is there a glossary or other feature to help me figure out the meaning of a word?
• Are there words the author uses repeatedly or did the author use a synonym to define this topic-specific word?
4 Gist: Students determine what words and phrases mean in texts relevant to fourth-grade topics or subject areas.
They consider:
• What is the topic of this text?
• What do I know about the topic that can help me figure out the meaning of this sentence/section?
• How can I use the text and surrounding photos and caption to figure out what this word or phrase means?
• How can I look at text features (titles, glossary, bolded words, headings, captions) or illustrations to help me figure out what is being explained on this page?
• Are there words the author uses repeatedly or did the author use a synonym to define this topic-specific word?
5 Gist: Students determine what words and phrases mean in texts relevant to fifth-grade topics or subject areas.
They consider:
• What is the topic of this text?
• What do I know about the topic that can help me figure out the meaning of this sentence/section?
• How can I use the text and surrounding photos and caption to figure out what this word or phrase means?
• How can I look at text features (titles, glossary, bolded words, headings, captions) or illustrations to help me figure out what is being explained on this page?
• Are there words the author uses repeatedly or did the author use a synonym to define this topic-specific word?
• When I read aloud the word or sentence, does that help me figure out the challenging word?
Common Core Reading Standard 4
What the Teacher Does
To determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text:
