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:
Generate a vocabulary chart at the outset of a new nonfiction unit or chapter. Don’t be afraid to explicitly teach key words up front, with the idea that students will take ownership of figuring out plenty of challenging words in the subsequent reading.
Think aloud while reading to the class to show how you puzzle out a word or phrase using syntactic, semantic, typographic, etymological, and other types of information to decipher words. Invite students to try a word.
Teach students to look all around the words phrase as though they’re hunting for something on their closet floor! Is there a word part they know? What about the other words in the sentence—is the challenging word part of a series of like things (e.g., Lions eat deer, zebras, mice, and ______________)? What clues are on the page (captions, diagrams, images)? Does the author define it a sentence or two later?
Point out the way authors use explanations, synonyms, restatement (e.g., in other words . . . ), contrast, or antonyms, which can help you know a challenging word.
Encourage students to mark unknown words in their texts with sticky notes as they are reading independently and then to go back and determine meaning. Check in with students in small group or in conferences on how they are using this strategy.
Use a shared text to have students highlight unknown words and annotate in the margins.
When working with the whole class or small groups or conferring one-on-one with students, encourage them to acknowledge when they don’t know a word or phrase.
To determine the meaning of words and phrases as they allude to significant characters found in mythology:
Brainstorm a list of words that harken back to mythology (e.g., Herculean, Trojan Horse, Phoenix, to Harp, fate, fury, leave no stone unturned, Achilles’ Heel, Midas Touch, Mentor, Nemesis, Phobia). Read or discuss the myths where these are referenced and discuss what they mean, especially in the context of character description or events in a text.
Keep a class list or illustrated chart of famous characters in mythology.
Invite students to find words or phrases in their own reading that allude to significant characters in mythology and share these with the class.
To determine the meaning of figurative language such as metaphors and similes:
Choose texts rich with figurative language and discuss the language as you read aloud to the class.
Teach explicitly the different types of figurative language (simile, metaphor, analogy, personification, etc.) and why they are used in text. Keep class charts of examples of figurative language from shared texts or have students record examples in their writing notebooks or journals.
Use shared texts of poetry under a document camera or projected on an interactive whiteboard to find examples of figurative language, name them, and annotate how they lead to meaning of the text or create visual and sensory images.
