LA.7.1.6.3Archived Standard

The student will use context clues to determine meanings of unfamiliar words;
General Information
Subject Area: X-Reading/Language Arts (former standards - 2008)
Grade: 7
Strand: Reading Process
Standard: Vocabulary Development - The student uses multiple strategies to develop grade appropriate vocabulary.
Date Adopted or Revised: 01/07
Status: State Board Approved - Archived
Assessed: Yes
Test Item Specifications
  • Item Type(s): This benchmark may be assessed using: MC item(s)

  • Clarification :
    The student, using context clues, will identify the meaning of an unfamiliar word.
  • Content Limits :
    Grade-level appropriate texts should be used to assess words unfamiliar to most students. 

    Excerpted text should contain clear and sufficient context for determining the meaning of the assessed word. 

    If an item stem directs the student back to the text to determine the meaning of an unfamiliar word, the text should contain clear and sufficient context for determining the meaning of the assessed word. 

    The assessed word should be no more than two grade levels above the tested grade.

  • Content Focus :
    Context Clues
  • Text Attributes :
    Texts should be literary or informational. 

    Other stimuli may include, but are not limited to, illustrations with captions, graphics, and charts. 

    Texts must contain a word unfamiliar to most students, and clear and sufficient context must be present for students to determine the meaning of the word.

  • Distractor Attributes :
    Distractors may include, but are not limited to
    • incorrect meanings of the assessed word;
    • meanings of the assessed word that are correct but are not appropriate for the context surrounding the word;
    • contextual meanings drawn from the text but unrelated to the assessed word or test item; and
    • plausible but incorrect distractors based on the text.
Sample Test Items (1)
  • Test Item #: Sample Item 1
  • Question: The sample item below is based on “Poppa and the Spruce Tree” on page H–9.

    Read this excerpt from the passage.

    I was looking for a pencil, rummaging through papers in the back of my desk drawer, where things accumulate for years, when I turned up one of Poppa’s old business cards . . .

    What does accumulate mean as used in the excerpt above?

  • Difficulty: N/A
  • Type: MC: Multiple Choice

Related Access Points

Alternate version of this benchmark for students with significant cognitive disabilities.

Related Resources

Vetted resources educators can use to teach the concepts and skills in this benchmark.

Student Resources

Vetted resources students can use to learn the concepts and skills in this benchmark.

Parent Resources

Vetted resources caregivers can use to help students learn the concepts and skills in this benchmark.