English Language Arts and Reading.4.3.D

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The student is expected to

identify, use, and explain the meaning of homophones such as reign/rain.

vocabulary strand teks talk image

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking--vocabulary. The student uses newly acquired vocabulary expressively.

Provide a text that includes homophones. Task students with identifying the homophones and describing the meaning of each. Then, have students write a sentence or two using the homophones in their correct context.

Homophones you may wish to use:

  • Reign/rain
  • Right/write
  • Whole/hole
  • Peace/piece
  • Grate/great
  • To/two/too
  • Wait/weight
  • There/their/they’re
  • Threw/through
  • Its/it’s
  • Your/you’re
  • Who’s/whose
  • Weather/whether


Further Explanation

This assessment requires students to use context clues to determine the meaning of homophones. As homophones sound the same, students cannot rely on pronunciation to determine meaning of the words. Students must use the context of the sentence along with background knowledge and exposure to the words to determine meaning. Frequent exposure to homophones will lead to automaticity.

Students may benefit from keeping a list of homophones in their reading or writing notebook. Creating an illustration to accompany homophone use will support visual learners.

words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have completely different meanings (e.g., right and write)
Homophones are words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have completely different meanings (e.g., reign/rain). In listening, students might use context clues to determine which homophone the speaker is using. For example, in a class discussion about soil properties, students can assume that soil retains water from rain not reign. In reading, students can rely on spelling to determine which homophone the author is using. For example, when students see the phrase “reign over the kingdom” in print, the spelling of reign should cue students that the author is not referring to precipitation but to the rule of a king or queen.
Students are expected to consider the spelling and/or context in which a homophone occurs. The spelling and context will help students determine which homophone the author or speaker intends to use and describe the definition of the homophone and why it is the appropriate word to use. For example, fourth-grade students should be able to correctly use and explain homophones such as reign/rain and to/two/too.