GRADE 3Language and Vocabulary Use

ABOVE STANDARD
Students are working to solidify the following skills: / Educator-recommended next steps and Digital Library resources
  • Using context clues to determinewhether words (domain-specific and Tier 2 vocabulary, including adjectives, adverbs, and verbs) and/or phrases convey ideas precisely;
  • Identifying themost appropriate grade-level vocabulary to support meaning;
  • Revising texts by choosing words for effect;
  • Demonstrating understanding of figurative language,
    word relationships, and connotationsin word meanings.
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  • Independently practice appropriate vocabulary strategies in context. Digital Library example:Using Context Clues to Figure Out Unknown Academic Vocabulary
  • Use background knowledge or reference materials to develop a list of words that demonstrate shades of meaning with a teacher-provided vocabulary word;
  • Create a graphic organizer to identify figurative language in more complex texts and define the explicit meaning.

AT/NEAR STANDARD
Students are working to solidify the following skills: / Educator-recommended next steps and Digital Library resources
  • Using context clues to determine whether words (domain-specific and Tier 2 vocabulary, including adjectives, adverbs, and verbs) and/or phrases convey ideas clearly;
  • Identifying appropriate grade-level vocabulary to support meaning;
  • Demonstrating understanding of figurative language,
    word relationships, and connotations in word meanings.
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  • Practice vocabulary strategies independently and collaboratively (classmates and teacher). Digital Library example: Vocab Collab—Vocabulary Collaboration Activity
  • Use the thesaurus to replace words in the students’ own writings;
  • Use mentor texts to build knowledge about figurative language.

BELOW STANDARD
Students are working to solidify the following skills: / Educator-recommended next steps and Digital Library resources
  • Determining how context clues affect language choices, including domain-specific and Tier 2 vocabulary;
  • Identifyingsome appropriate grade-level vocabulary to support meaning;
  • Demonstratingpartial understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and connotationsin word meanings.
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  • Practice replacing Tier 1 vocabulary with Tier 2 vocabulary words in a classroom-center setting;
  • Complete a Think-Pair-Share practice with defining idioms after being presented a PowerPoint slideshow on the use of idioms. Digital Library example: Figurative Language (Idioms)
  • Work in teams to place words in order from simplest to most specific, providing opportunities for discussion about shades of meaning (e.g., “big-huge-gigantic”).

DigitalLibraryresourcesaremeanttobeusedinconjunctionwithaneducator’scurriculumandto serveasajumping-offpoint for instruction. Educators are encouraged to consider their particular classroom context and culture when selecting resources and to adapt the resources to best fit their students’ needs.