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4th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 8 of 14

Sound-Alikes

Homophones and homographs

What your child practices

Choosing between words that sound alike (there/their/they're, to/too/two, its/it's) and using context to tell which meaning of a word like “bark” or “bow” is meant.

Alabama Course of Study content standard: 4.11; 4.R2 · homophones and homographs

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Homophones sound the same but are spelled differently: there, their, they’re.
  2. Test contractions by saying the long form: it’s = it is, they’re = they are.
  3. Homographs are spelled the same with different meanings (bark). Use the sentence to pick the meaning.

Example: “___ going to the park after lunch.” there, their or they’re? Try the long form: “They are going to the park.” That makes sense, so use the contraction. Answer: they’re

Sound-Alikes in Alabama

In the Alabama Course of Study, this is unit 8 of 14 in 4th grade English Language Arts, after Word Builders and before Paragraph Power.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Which word correctly completes the sentence?

    ___ going to the park after school.

    • There
    • Their
    • They're

  2. Question 2

    Which sentence uses the right homophone?

    • Please weight for the green light.
    • The vet checked the puppy's weight.
    • The vet checked the puppy's wait.

  3. Question 3

    Which word correctly completes the sentence?

    The students hung ___ coats on the hooks.

    • their
    • there
    • they're

  4. Question 4

    Which word correctly completes the sentence?

    My cousins said ___ excited about the trip.

    • their
    • there
    • they're

  5. Question 5

    What does “rose” mean in this sentence?

    The sun rose over the hills.

    • a pink color
    • came up; went higher
    • fell down
    • a flower with thorns

  6. Question 6

    What does “trunk” mean in this sentence?

    The elephant sprayed water with its trunk.

    • the back of a car
    • a big storage box
    • the main stem of a tree
    • an elephant's long nose

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