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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.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) teks student expectation: 4.2(B); 4.3(D) · 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 Texas

In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), 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: Texas Education Agency (TEA)

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?

    Put the books over ___, on the shelf.

    • they're
    • there
    • their

  2. Question 2

    Which sentence uses the right homophone?

    • The baby bird was too week to fly.
    • The rode was covered in snow.
    • Ravi rode his bike to school.

  3. Question 3

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

    • synonyms
    • homophones
    • homographs
    • antonyms

  4. Question 4

    What does “trunk” mean in this sentence?

    The elephant sprayed water with its trunk.

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

  5. Question 5

    What does “light” mean in this sentence?

    This box is light enough for me to carry.

    • to start a fire
    • not heavy
    • pale in color
    • brightness from the sun or a lamp

  6. Question 6

    Which word correctly completes the sentence?

    My cousins said ___ excited about the trip.

    • there
    • they're
    • their

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