Meaning connections
Read unfamiliar vocabulary and connect it to a precise explanation.
For parents and teachers
About this game
Grade 4 vocabulary grows through wider reading and attention to word structure and precise meanings. Meaning connections introduces words useful in discussing books, information and investigations. Biography and autobiography are related, but the writer’s relationship to the life being described changes the meaning. Read definitions carefully instead of choosing a partner because two words appear in the same general topic. Compare an account of a person’s life written by somebody else with an account written by that person. Explain why the first can be a biography and the second an autobiography. Then use chronological to describe how either account might be organized. The vocabulary should help explain a real text, rather than remain a set of disconnected definitions.
Common Core connection: RF.4.3. This is focused practice for part of the standard.
Suggested for ages 9–10. Grade 4 is a starting point, not a rule for every class.
How to play
Read the cards and match each one to its partner. Find six pairs, with no timer. Think about the meaning before choosing.
Step by step
- Read. Read the card, sentence or story clue all the way through.
- Choose. Use the meaning, not a guess from the first word.
- Talk. After the round, explain one choice out loud.
Worked examples
Use the first item as a model. Read it aloud, name the clue that decides the answer, then choose. The same steps work for the next item.
Common mistakes
Choosing too quickly. Slow down and use the whole sentence or clue. A familiar word can still be the wrong choice.
At home
Play one round together, then let the learner try the next round. Ask which words decided the answer.
In class
Use one round as a warm-up. Invite a learner to explain a choice before the next card.
Printable
This on-screen game does not include a worksheet. Practice the same idea with paper and a pencil, using an example from the guide.
Questions
Does this cover a whole standard?
No. It practices one part of the connected standard.