RL.6.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.
How this standard develops across Grades 6–8
The ELA strands share anchor standards, so the same skill appears at each grade with rising demand. Here is the full arc.
- RL.6.4Grade 6: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.
- RL.7.4Grade 7: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama.
- RL.8.4Grade 8: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.
Where this sits in the school year
Our Grade 6 English Language Arts scope and sequence teaches RL.6.4 in Unit 2: Craft: Word, Structure, and Voice, weeks 5–8.
Analyze word choices, figurative and connotative meanings, and figures of speech; how a sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits a text's structure and builds theme; how an author develops a narrator's point of view. See the full pacing guide →
Teaching Kits for this standard
© Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.