L.4.6: Academic and Subject-Area Vocabulary
Also written as CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.6 · Cluster: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use.
The Official Wording
Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal precise actions, emotions, or states of being (e.g., quizzed, whined, stammered) and that are basic to a particular topic (e.g., wildlife, conservation, and endangered when discussing animal preservation).
Common Core State Standards, Grade 4, Language · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026
What L.4.6 Means in Plain English
Fourth graders learn the words a subject runs on, like prospector and claim in a gold rush unit, and use them accurately when they speak and write. They also pick verbs that show exactly how someone acted or felt: whooped instead of was happy, stammered instead of said.
Third graders (L.3.6) used academic and subject words, including words for time and place like after and behind. Fourth grade adds precise words for actions, emotions and states of being. Fifth grade (L.5.6) adds linking words for contrast and addition, like however and moreover.
L.4.6 I Can Statements
- I can use our unit words the way the unit defines them.
- I can choose a verb that shows exactly how someone acted.
- I can choose a word that names a feeling precisely.
L.4.6 Worked Example
One answer about the California gold rush, revised so the unit’s words and exact verbs do the work.
Revise this social studies answer so it uses the unit words prospector, claim and sluice, and verbs that show exactly what the miner did and felt.
Common Mistakes with L.4.6
Unit words used loosely
“The prospector staked a sluice,” a real unit word in the wrong place
Try this: Have students write each unit word in a sentence about the topic, then trade and check each other’s against the glossary.
Said and happy everywhere
“She said… he said… they were happy… she was sad,” all through a story
Try this: Build a class chart of precise verbs for speaking and feeling, like whispered, stammered and groaned, and add to it from reading.
Words learned for the test, gone by Friday
Students ace the vocabulary quiz, then write “the thing in the river” in the unit essay
Try this: Require three unit words in every written answer during the unit, and underline them when you grade.
Where L.4.6 Fits
Practice L.4.6
Quick Check
- What is a sluice, according to the strong answer?
- Which verb shows how the prospector felt, and what does it replace?
- Choose the more precise verb: “‘I… I didn’t do it,’ he said / stammered.”