Use Context to Find Word Meaning - Montgomery County Public Schools

Tools for Instruction

Use Context to Find Word Meaning

Readers who encounter a new word are often told to use its context to try and infer a likely meaning. To work strategically with a new word, students should ask themselves what is important to know about its meaning and how to look for and interpret clues in the context. They also need to learn when context cannot give enough information to define the word. To help students adopt this strategy, provide frequent opportunities for practice.

Three Ways to Teach

Identify Types of Context Clues 20?30 minutes

Connect to Writing Teach common types of context clues. Display examples such as those shown, and note words that emphasize the clue. Model as you define each word and explain how you used context to do so.

Type of Clue Definition Appositive

Examples Similarity

Contrast

What It Does Tells the meaning of the unfamiliar word

Tells the meaning of the unfamiliar word beside it, marked off by commas or dashes

Example

The abolitionists grew in number. Abolitionists worked hard to end slavery.

Scientists used deep-sea research vessels--also called submersibles.

Describes the unfamiliar word by naming types of it

Tells the meaning of an unfamiliar word by connecting it to something similar

A group's traditions include holidays, music, food, and customs.

The big earthquake was followed by more seismic events.

Tells the meaning of an unfamiliar word by The law had its supporters, but there were

describing its opposite

many opponents, too.

? Give each student one or two words they are likely to know, such as university, spaceship, feast, illustrator.

? Have them write a sentence with their word, leaving a blank in its place. Challenge them to write sentences with such strong context that listeners will easily guess the word.

? As students read aloud their sentences (saying "blank" for the word), talk about the type of context provided, and the words in the context that helped listeners figure out the missing word.

Decide When to Use Context 10?15 minutes

Explain that not all words are clearly defined by context. Emphasize that if the context does not help to clarify the word, students will have to use a dictionary or ask someone. Have students choose paragraphs from news reports or works of fiction. Together, identify any unfamiliar vocabulary. Then guide students to think about answers to these questions:

? How fully do I need to understand this word in order to understand the paragraph? ? What does the word seem to be describing or naming? ? What can I tell about the word's meaning from the context? ? Do I need to use a dictionary or ask someone what it means?

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?2012 Curriculum Associates, LLC

Vocabulary I Levels 6?8 I Use Context to Find Word Meaning I Page 1 of 2

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Evaluate the Strength of Context Clues 10?15 minutes

? Explain that context clues can be Strong, Medium, or Weak, depending on how well they help to clarify the meaning of an unfamiliar word.

? Preview a classroom text to identify words that are likely to be unfamiliar. Then have students read aloud the paragraph that includes a target word. Together, decide whether the clues are Strong, Medium, or Weak.

Strong Medium Weak

Strong context clues help the reader understand what the word means.

Medium clues give the reader unclear information about what the word means.

Weak clues do not help the reader understand the word.

? For each word, talk about what the word means and what readers can do to learn more about the word, such as using a dictionary or asking an adult.

? For independent practice, have partners read another paragraph with a target word. They should identify whether the context clues are Strong, Medium, or Weak, and then tell what the word means and how they knew.

Check for Understanding

If you observe... difficulty identifying context clues or understanding the concept of context

Then try...

asking a question about a word that can have more than one meaning. After students answer, say a context sentence that shows a different meaning for the word.

Question What is a fan? (something we use to cool off ) Context sentence The fan shouted and clapped for her team.

Then share ideas about why listeners and readers must think about the context.

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?2012 Curriculum Associates, LLC

Vocabulary I Levels 6?8 I Use Context to Find Word Meaning I Page 2 of 2

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