Connotation and denotation worksheets
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Denotation is a word's dictionary meaning. Connotation is its glow. Slender and scrawny both mean thin; one compliments, one insults.
Four grades, three different sets of words: 5th and 6th grade share one. Print one here, or open a grade for examples and teaching notes.
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5th grade Core grade
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Fifth graders sort near-synonyms by their glow: slender or scrawny, curious or nosy, thrifty or stingy, meeting L.5.5.c through pairs that share a core meaning and split an attitude.
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6th grade
Sixth graders sort quickly, explain the glow difference in each pair, and spot connotation steering opinion in ads and headlines, which is where the skill turns into armor.
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7th grade
Denotation is a word's dictionary meaning; connotation is the feeling it carries. Frugal and miserly point at the same behavior and leave opposite impressions. Seventh graders sort words by the feeling they carry, which is what CCSS L.7.5.c asks for.
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8th grade
Denotation is a word's dictionary meaning; connotation is the feeling it carries. Eighth grade takes the sort past adjectives to nouns and verbs. An ally and an accomplice both help, collaborate and collude both mean working together, and a buddy and a crony are both close friends, but the cold word in each pair also hints at wrongdoing. Students sort each word by its feeling, which is what CCSS L.8.5.c asks for.
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