The best vocabulary instruction gives students strategies for words they haven’t been taught yet. This unit does exactly that — building a toolkit of five strategies that work on any unfamiliar word in any subject, plus figurative language interpretation and precise word choice skills that directly improve student writing. Six lessons, 55 slides, three worksheets, and a 40-point assessment.

What’s included:

• 1 Complete Slide Deck (PPTX, 55 slides, 6 lessons, editable speaker notes):
  • Lesson 1: Context Clues (4 clue types — definition, synonym, antonym, example; signal words) — L.4.4.a
  • Lesson 2: Greek and Latin Roots (8 Greek + 8 Latin high-frequency roots with word families) — L.4.4.b
  • Lesson 3: Prefixes & Suffixes (8 key prefixes, 8 key suffixes, spelling changes at boundaries) — L.4.4.b
  • Lesson 4: Figurative Language (simile, metaphor, personification, idiom; identify, interpret, write) — L.4.5.a
  • Lesson 5: Synonyms, Antonyms & Homonyms (nuance and connotation, antonym families, homonym test) — L.4.5.c
  • Lesson 6: Vocabulary Review & Application (full strategy toolkit, word choice revision habits)
• 3 Double-Sided Practice Worksheets (PDF) covering all six lessons — context clue analysis, root detective, morpheme breakdown, figurative language sorts, synonym spectrum, and a writing application.
• 1 Unit Assessment — 40 Points (PDF): multiple choice, ten strategy tasks, and a labelled paragraph application, with a 16-term vocabulary self-check, full answer key, and teaching notes.

Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.4.a (context clues), L.4.4.b (Greek and Latin affixes and roots), L.4.5.a (similes and metaphors), and L.4.5.c (synonyms and antonyms). Designed for Grade 4 English Language Arts.