Subscribe

4th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 8 of 20

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.

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: 4L4; 4L5 · 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 New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 8 of 20 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: New York State Education Department (NYSED)

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?

    The students hung ___ coats on the hooks.

    • they're
    • their
    • there

  2. Question 2

    Which sentence uses the right homophone?

    • The squirrel dug a hole to hide its acorn.
    • Ana ate the hole sandwich.
    • The squirrel dug a whole to hide its acorn.

  3. Question 3

    Which word correctly completes the sentence?

    ___ going to the park after school.

    • Their
    • They're
    • There

  4. Question 4

    In which sentence does “match” mean “a game or contest”?

    • Do these two socks match?
    • Our team won the soccer match.
    • Can you match each word to its picture?

  5. Question 5

    Words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings are called…

    • antonyms
    • homographs
    • homophones
    • synonyms

  6. Question 6

    What does “rose” mean in this sentence?

    The sun rose over the hills.

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

More 4th grade