STAAR Reading Test Vocabulary, STAAR 4th Grade Test Prep Vocabulary: Key tips and strategies for building 4th-grade vocabulary skills and preparing for the STAAR reading exam:
- Learn common prefixes, suffixes, and root words. Understanding how words are built helps unlock the meanings of unfamiliar words.
Here are some common prefixes, suffixes, and their meanings that can help build vocabulary for 4th grade students:
Prefixes:
- A-: Means "not" or "without" (e.g. atheist, amoral)
- Un-: Means "not" or "opposite of" (e.g. unhappy, unzip)
- Im-: Means "not" or "without" (e.g. impossible, imbalance)
- In-: Means "not" or "without" (e.g. inactive, insane)
- Il-: Means "not" or "without" (e.g. illegal, illegible)
- Ir-: Means "not" or "into" (e.g. irresponsible, irrigate)
- De-: Means "remove" or "opposite" (e.g. decode, defrost)
- Re-: Means "again" or "back" (e.g. rebuild, refund)
Suffixes:
- -ise: Means "to make" (e.g. standardise, stabilise)
- -en: Means "to make something (adjective)" (e.g. strengthen, lengthen)
- -ate: Means "to make" or "become" (e.g. activate, alienate)
- -(i)fy: Means "to make" or "to become" (e.g. magnify, falsify)
- -ance: Means "state or quality of" (e.g. significance, resistance)
- -ation: Means "act, process, result of" (e.g. examination, population)
- -ness: Means "state, condition, quality" (e.g. darkness, kindness)
- -ism: Means "doctrine, theory, system of" (e.g. socialism, criticism)
- -ment: Means "action or process" (e.g. development, establishment)
- -ship: Means "state, quality, skill" (e.g. friendship, membership)
- -er: Means "person connected with" (e.g. writer, teacher)
- -or: Means “person who” (e.g. inventor, survivor)
- -ist: Means "person who practices" (e.g. artist, racist)
- -yst: Means "person who practices" (e.g. analyst, theorist)
- Use context clues. Look for synonyms, antonyms, examples, and explanations surrounding an unknown word.
- Keep a vocabulary journal. Write down new words, definitions, and sample sentences. Review regularly.
- Study word lists and flashcards. Focus on academic vocabulary from science, social studies, and literature.
- Read widely. Exposure to new words in books, articles, etc. builds vocabulary.
- Practice analyzing texts. Identify main ideas, summarize key details, make inferences, etc. These skills are tested on STAAR.
- Take practice tests. Get familiar with the STAAR reading question formats and time limits.
- Master figurative language. Recognize idioms, metaphors, personification when reading.
- Use roots and affixes to decode words. Break words into parts to determine meaning.
- Learn the difference between denotation and connotation.
TIER 3 READING VOCABULARY
acronym (a-cro-nym)
Noun - A word formed from the first letters of other words, like NASA or scuba.
My little brother likes to make up funny acronyms for his favorite foods, like PBNJ for peanut butter and jelly.
alliteration (ah-lit-er-a-tion)
Noun - The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words, like "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers."
Sally sells seashells by the seashore is a tongue-twisting example of alliteration.
anecdote (an-ec-dote)
Noun - A short, interesting story about a real person or event.
My grandpa told an anecdote about the time he met the president when he was a boy.
annotated bibliography (an-no-tate-ed bi-bli-og-ra-phy)
Noun - A list of sources on a topic with a summary and evaluation of each source.
I'm writing an annotated bibliography for my research paper on wombats so I can keep track of all my sources.
anthology (an-thol-o-gy)
Noun - A collection of stories, poems, or essays by different authors.
Our English teacher assigned us a poetry anthology with works from famous poets like Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson.
argument (ar-gu-ment)
Noun - A statement giving reasons to support a claim or opinion.
My brother and I got into an argument about which superhero is the strongest.
assumption (as-sump-tion)
Noun - Something that is believed to be true without proof.
I made the assumption that we had enough time to finish our project, but I was wrong.
autobiography (au-to-bi-og-ra-phy)
Noun - The story of someone's life written by that person.
For class, we each have to read an autobiography of someone famous like Nelson Mandela or Temple Grandin.
book review (book re-view)
Noun - A written piece giving an opinion or critique about a book.
I wrote a book review of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for the school newspaper.
British literature (Brit-ish lit-er-a-ture)
Noun - Literature from the United Kingdom, like works by Shakespeare, J.K. Rowling, and C.S. Lewis.
We read many famous examples of British literature by authors like Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.
brochure (bro-chure)
Noun - An informational pamphlet or leaflet.
I picked up a brochure at the zoo that taught me facts about penguins.
catalog (cat-a-log)
Noun - A list or itemized display of titles or course offerings.
I got the new catalog from my favorite clothing store in the mail so I could see what's in style.
chronological order (kron-o-log-i-cal or-der)
Noun - Arranging events in order of their occurrence in time.
I put the steps for making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in chronological order so other kids could follow them.
conclude (con-clude)
Verb - To bring something to an end; finish or summarize.
I will conclude my book report by summarizing the key points about the characters and plot.
context (con-text)
Noun - Words, events, or circumstances around a situation that help explain it.
It's important to consider the historical context when learning about events that happened long ago.
conversation, dialogue (con-ver-sa-tion, di-a-logue)
Noun - Communication between two or more people, often in a book or movie.
My favorite part of the novel was the witty dialogue between the two main characters.
diary (di-a-ry)
Noun - A personal journal recording events and feelings.
I got a new diary with a lock and key to write down my innermost thoughts.
draft (draft)
Noun - A preliminary version of a piece of writing that will be revised.
I wrote a rough draft of my book report that I'll edit before turning in the final version.
editorial (ed-i-to-ri-al)
Noun - An article stating opinions of the editor or publisher of a publication.
The newspaper printed an editorial criticizing the mayor's new policies.
evaluate (e-val-u-ate)
Verb - To determine or assess the nature, value, or quality of something.
My teacher will evaluate our final presentations using a detailed rubric.
exaggeration (ig-zaj-er-a-tion)
Noun - Representing something as greater than normal, like overstating or stretching the truth.
Saying that I'm so hungry I could eat a horse is an exaggeration that shows I want a big meal.
excerpt (ex-cerpt)
Noun - A short passage taken from a longer work.
The back cover of the book had an excerpt about the main character moving to a new town.
explain (ex-plain)
Verb - To make something clear or easy to understand by giving details.
My science teacher explained photosynthesis by drawing a helpful diagram on the board.
feeling (feel-ing)
Noun - An emotion or reaction experienced by a person.
When I found out I won first place, I was filled with feelings of pride and accomplishment.
field guide (field guide)
Noun - A reference book to help identify plants, animals, celestial objects, etc. while outdoors.
We used a field guide to learn about the different bird species we saw during our nature hike.
figurative language (fig-u-ra-tive lan-guage)
Noun - Language using words and phrases with a meaning beyond the literal.
Similes and metaphors are examples of figurative language that add color to writing.
graph (graph)
Noun - A diagram showing information as points connected by lines.
Our math teacher showed us a graph illustrating the population growth over the last century.
graphic organizer (graph-ic or-ga-ni-zer)
Noun - A visual display to organize ideas and information.
I used a graphic organizer to plan out my essay with my thesis statement, topic sentences, and supporting details.
homonym (hom-o-nym)
Noun - One of two or more words that are spelled or pronounced the same, but have different meanings.
There/their/they're and to/two/too are common examples of homonym sets.
literary device (lit-er-ar-y de-vice)
Noun - A technique used by writers to produce a special effect or meaning in their writing.
The author used foreshadowing, a literary device hinting at future events, to build suspense.
literary element (lit-er-ar-y el-e-ment)
Noun - An essential component or characteristic of literature and literary writing.
Plot, setting, and characterization are important literary elements of a story.
map (map)
Noun - A drawing of an area with features like roads, landmarks, and water shown.
I used a map to find my way around the new city when I went on vacation.
middle sound (mid-dle sound)
Noun - The vowel or consonant sound in the middle of a one-syllable word.
The middle sound in "cat" is /a/.
pamphlet (pam-phlet)
Noun - A small booklet or leaflet containing information about a single topic.
I picked up a pamphlet at the doctor's office with tips for staying healthy during cold season.
personal essay (per-son-al es-say)
Noun - A short nonfiction composition about a real event or experience in the writer's life.
We were assigned to write a personal essay about an impactful moment from our childhood.
persuasion (per-sua-sion)
Noun - The act of convincing someone to do or believe something.
Giving logical reasons is an effective persuasion technique to change someone's opinion.
problem and solution (prob-lem and so-lu-tion)
Noun - A text structure where the author states a problem, then proposes one or more solutions.
The author organized the essay using a problem and solution structure, first discussing litter in parks and then offering ways to clean it up.
reference (ref-er-ence)
Noun/Verb - A source providing information; to refer to or cite a source.
I included a list of references at the end of my research paper.
reference material (ref-er-ence ma-te-ri-al)
Noun - Sources that provide specific information, like dictionaries, encyclopedias, or guide books.
The librarian recommended some reference materials I could use to look up facts for my animal report.
research (re-search)
Noun/Verb - Careful study to find or revise facts; to carry out research. I will continue generating the Atomic notes:
review (re-view)
Verb/Noun - To examine critically; an evaluation or examination.
Before the test, I reviewed my notes and the important chapters in the book.
satire (sat-ire)
Noun - The use of humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize something or someone.
The cartoonist used satire to point out the silly things politicians do.
scene (scene)
Noun - A section of a play, movie, story, etc. set in one place with continuous action.
My favorite scene in the movie is when the main characters finally meet each other at the ball.
secondary source (sec-on-da-ry source)
Noun - A document or record discussing information originally presented elsewhere.
I used journal articles and biographies as secondary sources for the information in my research paper.
sequence (se-quence)
Noun - An order in which related things follow each other.
The sequence of events went from the lightning storm, to the power outage, to the long wait for the electricity to come back on.
simile (sim-i-le)
Noun - A comparison using like or as to describe something in a new way.
My teacher said her messy desk was like a tornado had hit it.
speech (speech)
Noun - A formal talk given to an audience.
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech inspired people to fight for civil rights.
summary (sum-ma-ry)
Noun - A brief statement covering the main points of something.
I wrote a summary of the movie plot without giving away the surprise ending.
verb (verb)
Noun - A word used to express action or being.
Some examples of verbs are walk, talk, think, and become.
Noun - A word formed from the first letters of other words, like NASA or scuba.
My little brother likes to make up funny acronyms for his favorite foods, like PBNJ for peanut butter and jelly.
alliteration (ah-lit-er-a-tion)
Noun - The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words, like "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers."
Sally sells seashells by the seashore is a tongue-twisting example of alliteration.
anecdote (an-ec-dote)
Noun - A short, interesting story about a real person or event.
My grandpa told an anecdote about the time he met the president when he was a boy.
annotated bibliography (an-no-tate-ed bi-bli-og-ra-phy)
Noun - A list of sources on a topic with a summary and evaluation of each source.
I'm writing an annotated bibliography for my research paper on wombats so I can keep track of all my sources.
anthology (an-thol-o-gy)
Noun - A collection of stories, poems, or essays by different authors.
Our English teacher assigned us a poetry anthology with works from famous poets like Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson.
argument (ar-gu-ment)
Noun - A statement giving reasons to support a claim or opinion.
My brother and I got into an argument about which superhero is the strongest.
assumption (as-sump-tion)
Noun - Something that is believed to be true without proof.
I made the assumption that we had enough time to finish our project, but I was wrong.
autobiography (au-to-bi-og-ra-phy)
Noun - The story of someone's life written by that person.
For class, we each have to read an autobiography of someone famous like Nelson Mandela or Temple Grandin.
book review (book re-view)
Noun - A written piece giving an opinion or critique about a book.
I wrote a book review of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for the school newspaper.
British literature (Brit-ish lit-er-a-ture)
Noun - Literature from the United Kingdom, like works by Shakespeare, J.K. Rowling, and C.S. Lewis.
We read many famous examples of British literature by authors like Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.
brochure (bro-chure)
Noun - An informational pamphlet or leaflet.
I picked up a brochure at the zoo that taught me facts about penguins.
catalog (cat-a-log)
Noun - A list or itemized display of titles or course offerings.
I got the new catalog from my favorite clothing store in the mail so I could see what's in style.
chronological order (kron-o-log-i-cal or-der)
Noun - Arranging events in order of their occurrence in time.
I put the steps for making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in chronological order so other kids could follow them.
conclude (con-clude)
Verb - To bring something to an end; finish or summarize.
I will conclude my book report by summarizing the key points about the characters and plot.
context (con-text)
Noun - Words, events, or circumstances around a situation that help explain it.
It's important to consider the historical context when learning about events that happened long ago.
conversation, dialogue (con-ver-sa-tion, di-a-logue)
Noun - Communication between two or more people, often in a book or movie.
My favorite part of the novel was the witty dialogue between the two main characters.
diary (di-a-ry)
Noun - A personal journal recording events and feelings.
I got a new diary with a lock and key to write down my innermost thoughts.
draft (draft)
Noun - A preliminary version of a piece of writing that will be revised.
I wrote a rough draft of my book report that I'll edit before turning in the final version.
editorial (ed-i-to-ri-al)
Noun - An article stating opinions of the editor or publisher of a publication.
The newspaper printed an editorial criticizing the mayor's new policies.
evaluate (e-val-u-ate)
Verb - To determine or assess the nature, value, or quality of something.
My teacher will evaluate our final presentations using a detailed rubric.
exaggeration (ig-zaj-er-a-tion)
Noun - Representing something as greater than normal, like overstating or stretching the truth.
Saying that I'm so hungry I could eat a horse is an exaggeration that shows I want a big meal.
excerpt (ex-cerpt)
Noun - A short passage taken from a longer work.
The back cover of the book had an excerpt about the main character moving to a new town.
explain (ex-plain)
Verb - To make something clear or easy to understand by giving details.
My science teacher explained photosynthesis by drawing a helpful diagram on the board.
feeling (feel-ing)
Noun - An emotion or reaction experienced by a person.
When I found out I won first place, I was filled with feelings of pride and accomplishment.
field guide (field guide)
Noun - A reference book to help identify plants, animals, celestial objects, etc. while outdoors.
We used a field guide to learn about the different bird species we saw during our nature hike.
figurative language (fig-u-ra-tive lan-guage)
Noun - Language using words and phrases with a meaning beyond the literal.
Similes and metaphors are examples of figurative language that add color to writing.
graph (graph)
Noun - A diagram showing information as points connected by lines.
Our math teacher showed us a graph illustrating the population growth over the last century.
graphic organizer (graph-ic or-ga-ni-zer)
Noun - A visual display to organize ideas and information.
I used a graphic organizer to plan out my essay with my thesis statement, topic sentences, and supporting details.
homonym (hom-o-nym)
Noun - One of two or more words that are spelled or pronounced the same, but have different meanings.
There/their/they're and to/two/too are common examples of homonym sets.
literary device (lit-er-ar-y de-vice)
Noun - A technique used by writers to produce a special effect or meaning in their writing.
The author used foreshadowing, a literary device hinting at future events, to build suspense.
literary element (lit-er-ar-y el-e-ment)
Noun - An essential component or characteristic of literature and literary writing.
Plot, setting, and characterization are important literary elements of a story.
map (map)
Noun - A drawing of an area with features like roads, landmarks, and water shown.
I used a map to find my way around the new city when I went on vacation.
middle sound (mid-dle sound)
Noun - The vowel or consonant sound in the middle of a one-syllable word.
The middle sound in "cat" is /a/.
pamphlet (pam-phlet)
Noun - A small booklet or leaflet containing information about a single topic.
I picked up a pamphlet at the doctor's office with tips for staying healthy during cold season.
personal essay (per-son-al es-say)
Noun - A short nonfiction composition about a real event or experience in the writer's life.
We were assigned to write a personal essay about an impactful moment from our childhood.
persuasion (per-sua-sion)
Noun - The act of convincing someone to do or believe something.
Giving logical reasons is an effective persuasion technique to change someone's opinion.
problem and solution (prob-lem and so-lu-tion)
Noun - A text structure where the author states a problem, then proposes one or more solutions.
The author organized the essay using a problem and solution structure, first discussing litter in parks and then offering ways to clean it up.
reference (ref-er-ence)
Noun/Verb - A source providing information; to refer to or cite a source.
I included a list of references at the end of my research paper.
reference material (ref-er-ence ma-te-ri-al)
Noun - Sources that provide specific information, like dictionaries, encyclopedias, or guide books.
The librarian recommended some reference materials I could use to look up facts for my animal report.
research (re-search)
Noun/Verb - Careful study to find or revise facts; to carry out research. I will continue generating the Atomic notes:
review (re-view)
Verb/Noun - To examine critically; an evaluation or examination.
Before the test, I reviewed my notes and the important chapters in the book.
satire (sat-ire)
Noun - The use of humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize something or someone.
The cartoonist used satire to point out the silly things politicians do.
scene (scene)
Noun - A section of a play, movie, story, etc. set in one place with continuous action.
My favorite scene in the movie is when the main characters finally meet each other at the ball.
secondary source (sec-on-da-ry source)
Noun - A document or record discussing information originally presented elsewhere.
I used journal articles and biographies as secondary sources for the information in my research paper.
sequence (se-quence)
Noun - An order in which related things follow each other.
The sequence of events went from the lightning storm, to the power outage, to the long wait for the electricity to come back on.
simile (sim-i-le)
Noun - A comparison using like or as to describe something in a new way.
My teacher said her messy desk was like a tornado had hit it.
speech (speech)
Noun - A formal talk given to an audience.
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech inspired people to fight for civil rights.
summary (sum-ma-ry)
Noun - A brief statement covering the main points of something.
I wrote a summary of the movie plot without giving away the surprise ending.
verb (verb)
Noun - A word used to express action or being.
Some examples of verbs are walk, talk, think, and become.
Here are some common Tier 2 academic vocabulary words that may appear on 4th grade STAAR reading test questions:
- Analyze
- Attribute
- Categorize
- Characterize
- Compare
- Conclude
- Contrast
- Describe
- Determine
- Develop
- Distinguish
- Explain
- Extend
- Illustrate
- Infer
- Interpret
- Justify
- Organize
- Predict
- Relate
- Represent
- Summarize
- Support
Tier 2 words are high-frequency academic words that appear across content areas. Students need repeated exposure to these words to master their meanings and usage in context. Learning these critical vocabulary terms can help 4th graders perform better on STAAR reading comprehension questions. Let me know if you need any specific strategies for teaching these Tier 2 words!
Here are some Tier 2 vocabulary words for the 4th grade STAAR reading test with kid-friendly definitions and example sentences:
Analyze - an-a-lyze - To study and examine the parts of something to understand it better
"We will analyze the story by looking closely at the characters, setting, and plot."
Attribute - at-trib-ute - A quality or characteristic of someone or something
"Her attribute of bravery allowed her to stand up to the bully."
Categorize - cat-e-go-rize - To put things into groups by how they are the same
"I categorize my toys into groups of action figures, stuffed animals, and board games."
Characterize - char-ac-ter-ize - To describe the qualities or characteristics of something
"His teachers characterized him as a hard-working student and a leader."
Compare - com-pare - To look at how two or more things are the same or different
"I compared the lengths of the two sticks by lining them up next to each other."
Conclude - con-clude - To make a final decision or judgment about something
"Based on the evidence, I conclude that my hypothesis was correct."
Contrast - con-trast - To show how two or more things are different
"In his presentation, he contrasted the lifestyles of city and country living."
Describe - de-scribe - To tell or write about the details of something
"She described her dream in vivid detail, so I could picture it clearly."
Determine - de-ter-mine - To find out or decide something definitively
"We will determine the winner of the contest after reviewing all the entries."
Develop - de-vel-op - To create and expand over time; to grow
"Over the summer, she developed stronger writing skills through daily practice."
Distinguish - dis-tin-guish - To recognize the difference between two or more things
"I can distinguish between a rectangle and a square by counting their sides."
Explain - ex-plain - To make something clear or easy to understand by giving details
"Our teacher explained each step of the long division process until we understood it."
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