4th grade · Vocabulary

What a 4th grade student learns in Vocabulary

Grade 4 vocabulary centers on using context clues, Greek/Latin roots and affixes, and reference materials to determine precise word meanings, while mastering figurative language (similes, metaphors, idioms), synonym/antonym relationships, and accurate use of grade-level academic and domain-specific words.

The skills for the year

  • 1Using context clues (definitions, examples, restatements) to determine meanings of unknown words
  • 2Identifying and applying common Greek and Latin roots (e.g., graph, tele, auto, bio, chron)
  • 3Identifying and applying common Greek and Latin affixes (e.g., un-, re-, pre-, -able, -tion, -ous)
  • 4Clarifying multiple-meaning words using context and structural analysis
  • 5Consulting print and digital dictionaries, glossaries, and thesauruses for pronunciation, meaning, and part of speech
  • 6Explaining the meaning of simple similes and metaphors in literary and informational text
  • 7Recognizing and explaining common idioms, adages, and proverbs
  • 8Relating words to antonyms and to synonyms that have similar but not identical meanings
  • 9Distinguishing shades of meaning among closely related verbs and adjectives
  • 10Determining the meaning of words and phrases that allude to significant characters in mythology (e.g., Herculean)
  • 11Acquiring and accurately using grade-appropriate general academic words (e.g., analyze, evidence, infer, summarize)
  • 12Acquiring and accurately using domain-specific vocabulary across content areas (e.g., ecosystem, democracy, fraction)
  • 13Using precise words and phrases that signal actions, emotions, or states of being
  • 14Applying word-learning strategies independently while reading grade-level complex text
  • 15Choosing vocabulary that conveys ideas precisely when speaking and writing

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